title: Characteristics of the Chinese rural elderly living in nursing homes who have suicidal ideation: A multiple regression model.
abstract: Chinese rural elderly are at higher risk of committing suicide. However, little is known about the suicidal ideation (SI) of institutional elderly residents in rural China.
  
  
  
  250 participants aged 60 or above living in Chinese rural nursing homes were recruited. Data were collected on subjects' SI, social-demographic characters, physical illness and psychological factors. Univariate comparisons and path analysis were conducted then.
  
  
  
  19.5% (40/205) of the participants reported a current SI. Hopelessness and depression had significant direct impacts on SI, and self-esteem and loneliness can impact SI through the mediating of depression and hopelessness. Visiting frequency of children, number of physical illnesses and social activities can also affect SI through the mediating of loneliness or self-esteem.
  
  
  
  As the first study on path analysis of SI of rural institutional elderly, the findings are significant. All these factors in our model should be considered when interventions are being conducted.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Yaoyao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Menglian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Kefang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China; Department of Sociology, State University of New York Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jihui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, Shandong, China; School of Nursing, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China. Electronic address: syg@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012944:Social Support; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Depression; Elderly; Hopelessness; Loneliness; Path analysis; Rural nursing home; Self-esteem; Suicidal ideation