Study On Life Events, Social Support And Suicide Ideation Among The Elderly In Yuanjiang County, Hunan

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of the suicide ideation among the elderly in Yuanjiang, Hunan, to find out the correlation of life events, social support and suicide ideation, and to provide a scientific basis for suicide prevention among the elderly in rural area.Methods: Using stratified cluster sampling, 915 subjects from nine villages of three towns in Yuanjiang County, Hunan were investigated with Screening Scale of Suicide Ideation. A total of 153 positive responders and 153 negative responders were estimated with characteristics of social demography, Beck Scale of Suicide Ideation (SSI), Scale of Life events and Duke Social Support Index.Results: 16.72％of samples (153/915) had suicide ideation during face-to-face interviews. The male prevalence of suicide ideation was 12.50％(95％CI: 9.26～15.73％), and the female prevalence of suicide ideation was 20.00％(95％CI: 16.55～23.45％). There was significant difference in prevalence of suicide ideation between male and female elder people (χ2 =9.09, P＜0.01). Logistic regression indicates the main life events are loss of son and daughter, incurable disease or severe disease, poor economic status, unfilialness of children, live alone, hospitalization, and loss of wife or husband. The recently negative life events and social support were related with suicide ideation among the elderly, controlled for marital status, economic status and live alone.Conclusions: The prevalence of suicide ideation in the elderly is high in Yuanjiang County, Hunan. Recently negative life events are the important risk factors of suicide ideation among the elderly, and the social support is the important protecting factor of suicide ideation. The main negative life events related with suicide ideation among the elderly in Yuanjiang County are loss of son and daughter, incurable disease or severe disease, poor economic status, unfilialness of children, live alone, hospitalization and loss of wife or husband. Therefore, positive intervention measures focusing on risk factors of suicide ideation should be urgently taken to prevent suicide among the elderly in rural areas.