title: Prevalence and risk factors for attempted suicide in the elderly: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China.
abstract: Previous studies have thoroughly investigated the prevalence and risk factors for completed suicide. In marked contrast is the lack of a better understanding of attempted suicide in the elderly. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of attempted suicide in the elderly and examine the associated factors.
  
  
  
  Using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach, a cross-sectional survey of 8,399 elderly house-dwelling residents was conducted in Shanghai, China.
  
  
  
  The two-week prevalence of attempted suicide in the elderly was 0.75%. In the bivariate analysis, having no caregivers, depressive, anxiety, sad, fear, obsessive-compulsive and anger symptom, and lower scores on the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale were significantly associated with an increased risk of attempted suicide in the elderly. In the multivariate analysis, sad and fear symptoms were significantly and independently associated with a higher risk of attempted suicide in the elderly.
  
  
  
  The two-week prevalence of attempted suicide in the elderly is relatively high when compared with the annualized or lifetime prevalence reported in China and foreign settings. Elderly individuals with certain mental symptoms should be targeted for suicide prevention and provided with timely mental health support.
authors.affiliation: Changhai Hospital,Second Military Medical University,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical Science and Technology Institute,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Hansheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Affairs,Guangzhou Military General Hospital,Guangzhou,China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Division of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Injury,Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical Science and Technology Institute,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical Science and Technology Institute,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Population and Development Research Center,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Statistics and Management,Shanghai University of Finance and Economics,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Yitong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical Science and Technology Institute,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Chunlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Management,Second Military Medical University,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Guangfeng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Management,Second Military Medical University,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Community Health Service Center,Jiangnin Street,Jing'an District,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: School of Social Development and Public Policy,Fudan University,Shanghai,China.
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Chinese; attempted suicide; elderly; prevalence; risk factors