The Association of Depression and Sense of Belonging with Suicidal Ideation Among Older Adults: Applicability of Resiliency Models

• Published in: Suicide & life-threatening behavior 2007-02, Vol.37 (1), p.89-102
• Main Authors: McLaren, Suzanne, Gomez, Rapson, Bailey, Maria, Van Der Horst, Renee K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aging (Individuals); At Risk Persons; Australia; Biological and medical sciences; Children & youth; Community Relations; Correlation; Demography; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Environment; Female; Females; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Group Experience; Group Processes; Humans; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Older Adults; Older people; Personality Traits; Physical Health; Prediction; Prevention; Psychological Patterns; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk-Taking; Self Actualization; Social Identification; Social Influences; Studies; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data; Suicides & suicide attempts; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0363-0234; 1943-278X
• DOI: 10.1521/suli.2007.37.1.89

Suicide among older people, especially men, is a significant problem. In this study the applicability of the compensatory, the risk‐protective, the challenge, and the protective‐protective models of resiliency for the prediction of suicidal ideation from depression (the risk factor) and sense of belonging to the community (the protective factor) was investigated. A total of 351 retired Australians (130 males and 221 females), with a mean age of 71.31 years (SD = 7.99), completed the Zung Depression Scale, the suicide subscale of the General Health Questionnaire, and the Sense of Belonging Instrument. When sense of belonging (psychological) was the protective factor, results indicated support for the risk‐protective model for men and women, and for the compensatory model for women only. In contrast, when sense of belonging (antecedents) was the protective factor, support was evident for the compensatory model for men and women, and for the challenge model for women only. Results indicate that interventions should be developed to enhance sense of belonging among aging adults.