Suicidal thoughts among elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to investigate prevalence of suicidal thoughts among a population of elderly aboriginal women in Taiwan over a 1-month period and to examine the risk factors for suicidal thinking in terms of individual (self-perceived health, disability and financial difficulty), family (marital discord) and social (medical accessibility) aspects. The mediating effects of depression on the above risk factors were also investigated. Furthermore, we examined the buffer effect on suicidal ideation of emotional social support for dealing with marital discord.


METHODS
One thousand three hundred and forty-seven elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women were enrolled. Suicide thoughts within the past month, demographic data, adverse life events, emotional social support and depressive state were assessed. The 1-month prevalence of suicide thoughts was calculated. The risks of suicide thought based on individual, family and community aspects were estimated.


RESULTS
The 1-month prevalence of suicidal thoughts among the community-dwelling aboriginal elderly women was 17.8%. Those subjects with poorer self-perceived health, difficulty in accessing medical resources, or experiencing marital discord were at higher risk of having suicidal thoughts. After controlling for depression, the odds ratio of self-perceived health and marital discord remained statistically significant. The odds ratio of interaction of marital discord and emotional social support was 0.41.


CONCLUSIONS
Suicidal thoughts are common among the community-dwelling aboriginal elderly women in Taiwan. Risk factors for suicidal thoughts comprise individual (depression and physical condition), family (marital discord) and community (medical resources) aspects. Better emotional social support can effectively buffer the effect of marital discord.
Chen
Cheng-Sheng
CS
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yang
Mei-Sang
MS
Yang
Ming-Jen
MJ
Chang
Shun-Jen
SJ
Chueh
Ke-Hsin
KH
Su
Yi-Ching
YC
Yu
Ching-Yun
CY
Cheng
Tai-Chun
TC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008393:Marriage; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D012306:Risk; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000208:ethnology; D013850:Thinking