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Cited by 153Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesAging, Health, and DisabilityHealth and Well-being Studies

Social support and suicidal ideation in older adults using home healthcare services

Rowe, Jennifer L., Conwell, Yeates, Schulberg, Herbert C., Bruce, Martha L.·2006·The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
DOI 10.1097/01.jgp.0000218324.78202.25
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Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the associations between objective and subjective social support and suicidal ideation in older adults receiving home healthcare services.Method Participants were randomly selected from a sample of older adults newly starting skilled nursing care from a certified home health agency in Westchester County, NY. Research interviewers assessed 522 older adults aged 65 years and older who were receiving home care services. Subjective and objective components of social support were assessed using measures of social network, social interaction patterns, instrumental support, and perceptions of social support. Suicidal ideation was assessed using items from the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Results In bivariate analyses, neither objectively determined size of social network nor instrumental support was associated with suicidal ideation. However, lower social interaction patterns and lower perceived social support were significantly related to suicidal ideation. After adjusting for potential confounders, only lower perceived support remained significantly associated with suicidal ideation. In post hoc analyses of the perceptions of social support scale items, satisfaction with one's relationships and feeling useful to family and friends were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of suicidal ideation in the final multivariate logistic regression model controlling for possible confounding variables.Conclusions Subjective social support is a potentially modifiable risk factor for suicide in later life. Findings suggest that the perception of social support is an important construct to examine in future longitudinal studies examining risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation and behaviors in older adults.

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Crossref · 10.1097/01.jgp.0000218324.78202.25

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  • Seven studies (with eight publications) focused on death wishes/suicide ideation.

    “Seven studies (with eight publications) focused on death wishes/suicide ideation [27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34].”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

  • Instrumental support did not differentiate older adults with and without death/suicide ideation.

    “Instrumental support did not differentiate older adults with and without death/suicide ideation [32].”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

  • Limited social contact was associated with suicidal ideation in U.S. studies by Bartels and Rowe.

    “Several U.S. studies (n = 3) examined frequency of social contact, with studies by Bartels and Rowe documenting associations between limited social contact and suicidal ideation [28,32]”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

  • Social network size in homecare patients was not associated with suicidal ideation in the Rowe study.

    “Rowe examined a single aspect of social integration—the size of the social network in homecare patients in the U.S.—and did not find an effect on suicidal ideation [32].”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

  • Three of the five analyses of frequency of social contact (across 3 studies, all from the U.S.) yielded significant associations between low contact and both suicide ideation and suicide.

    “Three of the five analyses of frequency of social contact (across 3 studies, all from the U.S. [28,32,41]) yielded significant associations between low contact and both suicide ideation and suicide.”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

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Authors
Rowe, J. L., Conwell, Y., Schulberg, H. C., & Bruce, M. L.
Affiliations
  • Cornell University (US)
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Rowe, Jennifer L.
ORCID
Venue
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2006-09
Volume
14
Issue
9
Pages
758-766
ISSN
1064-7481 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/01.jgp.0000218324.78202.25
OpenAlex
W2054667081
Cited by
153
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 9
FWCI
7.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5t32mh020061-25)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32 MH20061, R24-MH64608, R24MH064608, T32-MH020061)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
Keywords
social support, suicidal ideation, older adults, home health care services, perceived social support, social interaction patterns, instrumental support, social networks, suicide risk factors, skilled nursing care, relationship satisfaction
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Catchment Area, Health, Demography, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Home Care Services, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, New York, Personal Satisfaction, Risk Factors, Social Support, Suicide, Attempted

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