Correlates of Suicide Among Home Health Care Utilizers Who Died by Suicide and Community Controls

Home health care patients often have several late‐life risk factors for suicide and constitute a high risk group for suicidal behaviors. In this study, we examined the characteristics of 14 older adult home health care utilizers who died by suicide and four community controls who used similar servic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Suicide & life-threatening behavior 2006-02, Vol.36 (1), p.65-75
Main Authors: Rowe, Jennifer L., Bruce, Martha L., Conwell, Yeates
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging (Individuals)
Alcoholism
At Risk Persons
Autopsy
Biological and medical sciences
Case-Control Studies
Community Control
Correlation
Daily Living Skills
Depression (Psychology)
Family Relationship
Female
Financial Problems
Health Services
Health services utilization
Home Care Services
Home Health Aides
Home health care
Home Programs
Humans
Intervention
Male
Medical sciences
Medical Services
Mortality
New York
Older Adults
Older people
Pain
Patients
Psychological Patterns
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Retrospective Studies
Risk factors
Social Isolation
Suicide
Suicides & suicide attempts
United States
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Summary:Home health care patients often have several late‐life risk factors for suicide and constitute a high risk group for suicidal behaviors. In this study, we examined the characteristics of 14 older adult home health care utilizers who died by suicide and four community controls who used similar services. Both groups of home health care utilizers had multiple health problems and, with one exception, all were functionally impaired. Descriptive comparison suggests that suicide decedents were more likely than their counterparts to suffer from depressed mood, suicidal ideation, prior suicide attempt(s), alcohol dependence, chronic pain, strained family relationships, lack of social support, and financial difficulties. Identifying suicide risk factors that place older adult home health care utilizers at particularly high risk for suicidal behaviors within this population will further help target suicide preventive interventions by home care providers.
ISSN:0363-0234
1943-278X
DOI:10.1521/suli.2006.36.1.65