No country for older men: ageing male suicide in New Zealand

Barak, Yoram; Cheung, Gary; Fortune, Sarah; Glue, Paul

doi:10.1177/1039856220905304

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The effects of it lasted for the following years, since it was found that the suicide rates did not return to preepidemic rates [25]. In New Zealand, suicide rates of older men aged 85 years and above between 2011 and 2019 were the second highest amongst all age groups [26]. The social isolation and loneliness to which older adults are exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand could have important implications in increasing the already high suicide rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on the health and psychosocial status of vulnerable older adults: study protocol for an observational study

et al. 2020

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Background Many countries around the world have adopted social distancing as one of the public health measures to reduce COVID-19 transmissions in the community. Such measures could have negative effects on the mental health of the population. The aims of this study are to (1) track the impact of COVID-19 on self-reported mood, self-rated health, other health and psychosocial indicators, and health services utilization of people who have an interRAI assessment during the first year of COVID-19; (2) compare these indicators with the same indicators in people who had an interRAI assessment in the year before COVID-19; and (3) report these indicators publicly as soon as data analysis is completed every 3 months. Methods interRAI COVID-19 Study (iCoS) is an observational study on routinely collected national data using the interRAI Home Care and Contact Assessment, which are standardized geriatric assessment tools mandated for all people assessed for publicly funded home support services and aged residential care in New Zealand. Based on the 2018/19 figures, we estimated there are 36,000 interRAI assessments per annum. We will compare the four post-lockdown quarters (from 25th March 2020) with the respective pre-lockdown quarters. The primary outcomes are self-reported mood (feeling sad, depressed or hopeless: 0 = no, 1 = yes) and self-rated health (0 = excellent, 1 = good, 2 = fair, 3 = poor). We will also analyze sociodemographics, other secondary health and psychosocial indicators, and health services utilization. Descriptive statistics will be conducted for primary outcomes and other indicators for each of the eight quarters. We will compare the quarters using regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics using weights or additional variables. Key health and psychosocial indicators will be reported publicly as soon as data analysis is completed for each quarter in the 12-month post-lockdown period by using a data visualization tool. Discussion This rapid translation of routinely collected national interRAI data will provide a means to monitor the health and psychosocial well-being of vulnerable older New Zealanders. Insights from this study can be shared with other countries that use interRAI and prepare health and social services for similar epidemics/pandemics in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on the health and psychosocial status of vulnerable older adults: study protocol for an observational study

et al. 2020

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“…24,25,26 However, suicide rates have been found to increase with age in most western and developed nations. 27,28 The difference may be because of life expectancy which is lower in most low-and middle-income countries. 29 Several factors, such as difficulty to cope with adversity or social problems, limited resources and network, may be contributing to higher rates of suicidal behaviour amongst young people, unlike older adults who probably have a stable network of resources.…”

Section: Age and Suicidal Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour in Nigeria: Mixed-methods analysis of media reports from 2016 to 2019

Olibamoyo

Ola

Coker

et al. 2021

South African Journal of Psychiatry

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Background: Media coverage of suicides in Nigeria appears to be explicitly descriptive and deviates from the recommended best practice. Despite these shortcomings, verifiable information provided by these media outlets could arguably, at the minimum, mirror the reality of the trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour in Nigeria.Aim: This study aimed to analyse the trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour in Nigeria using media reports from 2016 to 2019. We examined the effect of gender and age groups on these trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour.Setting: The study was carried out in Nigeria.Methods: Qualitative content analysis was used to assess the content of each verifiable suicide event. In total, 336 verified suicide-related events were selected from 4365 media reports. Quantitative data were collected on age, gender, type of suicidal behaviour, method, place and motivation for suicidal behaviour. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Fisher’s exact test was used to examine the association between gender, age groups and other variables. p-value was set at ≤ 0.05.Results: Completed suicide was the most common reported suicidal behaviour. Hanging was the dominant reported method, followed by poisoning. Significant gender differences were observed between age groups (p 0.001) and methods of suicidal behaviour (p 0.001). Also, significant age differences were observed between the methods of suicidal behaviour (p 0.001), places (p 0.001) and motivations for suicidal behaviour (p 0.001).Conclusion: The study confirms that there are gender and age differences in the trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour in Nigeria.

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“…over 65 years) being at highest risk. Globally, older men are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to women in the same age groups (Barak et al, 2020;Canetto, 2017). Suicide ideation (thoughts, desires, or plans surrounding ending one's own life) is a recognized risk factor in suicidal behavior (Nock et al, 2008) and increases the risk accurately and routinely screen for suicide ideation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing suicide ideation among older adults: a systematic review of screening and measurement tools

Gleeson

Roesch

Hafford‐Letchfield

et al. 2021

Int. Psychogeriatr.

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Objectives: Rates of suicide in older adults may be higher than reported due to poor understandings of presentation of suicide ideation in this group. The objectives of this paper were to (i) review current measurement tools designed for older adults to detect suicide ideation and (ii) assess their psychometric properties. Design: We used a systematic review approach to identify measurement tools developed specifically for older adults without cognitive decline or impairment. Results: Ten articles that reported on a total of seven different measurement tools were identified. These included tools that focused on resiliency to suicide and those that measured risk of suicide behavior. There was wide variation across the articles: some were adaptations of existing scales to suit older populations, others were developed by authors; they varied in length from four to 69 items; a range of settings was used, and there was a mix of self-report and clinician-administered measures. Most displayed good psychometric properties, with both approaches showing similar quality. Limitations in terms of samples, settings, and measurement design are discussed. Conclusion: The case for specific measures for older adults is clear from this review. There appear to be unique factors that should be considered in understanding suicide ideation and behavior among older adults that may not be directly assessed in non-specific measurements. However, there is a need to expand the diversity of individuals included in measurement development to ensure they are appropriate across gender, culture and minority status, and for the views of professionals to be considered.

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No country for older men: ageing male suicide in New Zealand

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

Impact of COVID-19 on the health and psychosocial status of vulnerable older adults: study protocol for an observational study

Impact of COVID-19 on the health and psychosocial status of vulnerable older adults: study protocol for an observational study

Trends and patterns of suicidal behaviour in Nigeria: Mixed-methods analysis of media reports from 2016 to 2019

Assessing suicide ideation among older adults: a systematic review of screening and measurement tools

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