Childhood adversity predicted suicidal ideation in older age: Results from a National Survey in Korea

Objectives: Suicide is a major mental health concern in South Korea, where a rapid increase in suicide rates among older adults is evident. This study aims to understand the association of childhood adversity with suicidal ideation in later life, and whether gender differences in the effects of chil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging & mental health 2020-07, Vol.24 (7), p.1141-1148
Main Authors: Kwak, Minyoung, Ahn, Seoyeon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
adverse childhood experience
Adverse childhood experiences
Adversity
Child & adolescent mental health
Childhood
Children
Death & dying
early-life adversity
Gender
Gender aspects
Gender differences
Geriatric psychiatry
Health status
Life
Life course
Mental health
Older people
Parental death
Parents & parenting
Polls & surveys
Psychosocial factors
Sex differences
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic status
Socioeconomics
Suicidal behavior
Suicidal ideation
Suicide
Suicides & suicide attempts
Welfare
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Summary:Objectives: Suicide is a major mental health concern in South Korea, where a rapid increase in suicide rates among older adults is evident. This study aims to understand the association of childhood adversity with suicidal ideation in later life, and whether gender differences in the effects of childhood adversity exist. Method: The sample consisted of older adults aged 60 years and more in six waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study from 2012 to 2017 (N = 4,105). A mixed effect logistic regression with random intercept was used to test the effects of childhood adversity on the risk of 12-month suicidal ideation. Results: After controlling for socioeconomic status, psychosocial resources, and health conditions, the mixed effect models using longitudinal data indicated that parental death predicted an increased risk of suicidal ideation and that a greater number of childhood adversities predicted a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation. No gender differences were found in the effects of childhood adversity on suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: These findings support a life course perspective, highlighting the importance of assessing early life disadvantages to understand suicidal ideation among older adults. The findings suggest that interventions targeting older adults who experienced parental death in childhood or multiple adversities may be effective in preventing suicidal ideation.
ISSN:1360-7863
1364-6915
DOI:10.1080/13607863.2019.1616161