Association between interpersonal trust and suicidal ideation in older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of 7070 subjects in Shandong, China

Abstract

Backgrounds Suicidal ideation is an important public health issue due to devastating mortality. In the meantime, interpersonal trust was found to be negatively associated with mental disorder and physical health. Although there is increasing evidence that interpersonal trust is a significant predictor of suicidal ideation, evidence of this association is still lacking in the developing world. The aim of this study was to test the association between interpersonal trust and suicidal ideation among older adults in China. Methods Using a multi-stage stratified sampling strategy, 7070 older adults aged 60 and above from Shandong Province, China were recruited in this study. Socio-demographic characteristics, health status, family relationship, psychological distress, interpersonal trust and suicidal ideation in the last 12 months were obtained through face to face interviews. The association between interpersonal trust and suicidal ideation was assessed using multiple logistic regression models adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, health status, family relationship and psychological distress. Results 7.1% of participants reported suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, which was related to gender, resident area, marital status, educational level, self-rated economic, chronic disease, self-rated health status and family relationship within 1 month, psychological distress and interpersonal trust. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health status, family relationship and psychological distress, interpersonal mistrust was associated with two times odds of suicidal ideation when compared to interpersonal trust Conclusions The interpersonal trust was associated with suicidal ideation among elderly in Shandong, China. Intervention approaches regarding inducing and promoting interpersonal trust should be developed to prevent suicide.

Do Older Adults with Parent(s) Alive Experience Higher Psychological Pain and Suicidal Ideation? A Cross-Sectional Study in China

“…Elderly participants who were married demonstrated substantial lower psychological pain and suicidal ideation than those divorced, widowed, or never married, in this study, which was in accordance with Yu et al [ 32 ]. Previous studies have supported the effects of high social support and good family relationship on lowering suicidal ideation of older adults [ 36 , 37 ].…”

“…We found that elderly participants with poorer individual health (suffered chronic disease, had no fully self-care ability) were more likely to experience psychological pain and suicidal ideation, which was consistent with previous findings [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 35 ]. The elderly with poor health status generally faced more problems regarding their own aging and illness, thus resulting in heavier psychological pressure.…”

“…Pompili et al [38] explained that individuals with higher educational achievement may be more prone to suicide risk when facing failures, public shame, and high premorbid functioning. However, several previous studies found the opposite results [32,[39][40][41]. Belo et al [39] reported that old-age people with high education have a better psychological adjustment concerning well-being, which is in consistent with our results.…”

“…In this study, 34.3% of the elderly participants declared a “wish to die”, which was higher than previous results assessed via the same question in American Facebook users (23.2%) [ 27 ], Portuguese undergraduate students (18.7%) [ 28 ], and Korean elderly people (14.5%) [ 29 ]. The ratio of reporting overall suicidal ideation was 44.6% in this study, which was much higher than several previous research found in Chinese elderly population (2.8% to 7.1%) [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The differences might be due to the distinction of measuring instruments of suicidal ideation.…”

The Relationship between Self-Rated Economic Status and Falls among the Elderly in Shandong Province, China

“…Finally, 50 households aged 60 and above were randomly selected in each village (residence). Details of the study design and data collection methods are described elsewhere [24,25]. After preinvestigation and strict sampling, 7088 elderly people were included in the study, and 18 of them were excluded because they had not completed all of the interviews.…”