ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with suicidal ideation among community-dwelling elderly.METHODS: In total, 492 community-dwelling elderly(over 60 years of age) participated in this study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history and suicidal ideation during the past 12 months were analyzed. Various measures including the Korean Mini Mental Status Exam in the Korean version of the CERAD assessment packet (MMSE-KC), Short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale(SGDS), Korean version of Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (KQOL-AD), and Subjective Successful Aging(SSA) questionnaire were administered.RESULTS: The prevalence rate of suicidal ideation was 26.4%. According to the binary logistic regression, SSA(OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97–1.00, p=0.020) and SGDS(OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.16–1.41, p <0.001) scores were independently associated with suicidal ideation.CONCLUSION: Among community-dwelling elderly, depressive symptoms increased the risk of suicidal ideation, whereas subjective evaluations of successful aging decreased the risk. Thus, appropriate interventions for depressive symptoms are needed to prevent the elderly individuals from developing suicidal ideation.