Validating the Life Events Scale for the Elderly with proxy‐based data: A case–control psychological autopsy study in rural China

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 547-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiqing Mo ◽  
Liang Zhou ◽  
Qiuping He ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Zhenyu Ma
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Rural China ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study

scholarly journals The pattern of life events preceding suicide among the elderly in rural China: a national case-control psychological autopsy study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiqing Mo ◽  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Lu Niu ◽  
Liang Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Rural China ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Life Event

Abstract Background Life events associated with an increased risk of suicide and prior to the suicide in China different from those in Western countries. But there is a lack of summary of the elderly life event patterns on Chinese suicide. The aim of this study was to identify the pattern of life events which precede suicide among the elderly in a Chinese culture context.Methods A two-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used in order to select research sites and 12 counties were randomly selected to recruit cases within three provinces. A case-control psychological autopsy study was then adopted. The study population consisted of 242 suicide cases each with an age of 60 and above, and 242 age-, sex-, and location-matched community living controls. During face-to-face interviews, the information from subjects and proxy informants was obtained by standardized trained investigators. Life events were measured using a 46-item Life Event Scale for the Elderly (LESE).Results About 99.6% of suicides and 88.4% of controls resulted from the experience of at least one life event. The elderly who had committed suicide experienced more long-term life events. The top three most frequent life events were being diagnosed with chronic disease, hospitalization, and being diagnosed with terminal illness. Women more often experienced the death of spouse, while men experienced more hospitalization, and were more likely to be diagnosed with terminal illness and suffer family poverty. The risk of suicide among the elderly who experience life events was 12.8 times higher than that in people who did not experience life events. The elderly who were having unstable marital status, suffering from physical diseases and diagnosed with mental disorders, are more likely to commit suicide.Conclusions Understanding the pattern of life events which precede suicides among the elderly in rural China plays an important role in the prevention of suicide. Several different long-term life events can lead to suicidal behavior, and the effect of life events on suicide is cumulative. Being diagnosed with a serious disease may be one of the risk signals for suicide among the elderly.

scholarly journals Relationship between impulsivity and suicide among the rural elderly in China: a case-control psychological autopsy study

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11801
Author(s):  
Yunfang Zhou ◽  
Zhenyu Ma ◽  
Cun-Xian Jia ◽  
Liang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Case Group ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Background The relationship between impulsivity and suicide is inconsistent in different populations. Hence, the relationship between impulsivity and suicide still needs to be studied among the elderly population. The present study intends to explore the relationship between impulsivity and suicide among the rural Chinese elderly. Methods A case-control psychological autopsy study was conducted from February 1, 2014 to December 18, 2015 among rural residents over the age of 60 who died by suicide. The sample consisted of 242 suicides as the case group and 242 living individuals as the control group. Data on demographic characteristics, impulsivity, previous history of suicide attempts, social support, negative life events, and suicidal behavior were collected. Results Our study found that impulsivity increased the risk of suicide. The case group showed a higher Barratt Impulsiveness Scale score compared with the control group (p < 0.001), which indicates that impulsivity was higher among the elderly suicides. In addition, regression analyses show that impulsivity (odds ratio: 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.06) is an independent risk factor of suicide, after controlling for the effects of marital status, education, family annual income, being left behind, social support, and negative life events. Finally, compared with elderly who do not have a history of attempted suicide, elderly with a history of attempted suicide showed higher impulsivity (p = 0.001).

Physical diseases and elderly suicide in rural China: A case–control psychological autopsy study

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742199880
Author(s):  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Zhenyu Ma ◽  
Liang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Physical Diseases ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives: Physical diseases are well-established risk factor for suicide, particularly among older adults. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of the association. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of physical diseases and their influences on the elderly in rural China and to examine the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between physical diseases and suicide. Methods: This matched case–control psychological autopsy study was conducted from June 2014 to September 2015. Consecutive suicide cases (242) among people aged 60 years or above were identified in three Chinese provinces. The suicide cases were 1:1 matched with living comparisons based on age, gender and residential area. Two informants for each participant were interviewed to collect data on their demographic characteristics, the severity index of physical diseases, depressive symptoms, feelings of hopelessness, mental disorders and social support. Results: A significant difference was found between suicide cases and living comparisons regarding the prevalence of physical diseases (83.5% vs 66.5%, p < 0.001) and their severity (11.3 ± 6.2 vs 6.7 ± 5.3, p < 0.001). Independent risks of suicide included the following: not currently married (OR = 2.81, 95% CI = [1.04, 7.62]), mental disorders (OR = 7.18, 95% CI = [1.83, 28.13]), depressive symptoms (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = [1.05, 1.26]) and feelings of hopelessness (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = [1.20, 1.90]). The structural equation model indicated that the relationship between the severity index of physical diseases and suicide was mediated by depressive symptoms, feelings of hopelessness and mental disorders. Conclusion: The severity and number of physical diseases were found to be correlated with suicide among the elderly in rural China, after controlling for demographic characteristics. Physical diseases elevate one’s suicide risk by increasing depressive symptoms, feelings of hopelessness and mental disorders. Efforts for suicide prevention should be integrated with strategies to treat physical diseases along with psychological interventions.

scholarly journals Being left-behind, mental disorder, and elderly suicide in rural China: a case–control psychological autopsy study

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Zhou ◽  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Zhenyu Ma
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Elderly Suicide

AbstractBackgroundSuicide rate among rural elderly is the highest among all age groups in China, yet little is known about the suicide risks in this rapidly growing vulnerable population.MethodsThis matched case–control psychological autopsy study was conducted during June 2014 to September 2015. Consecutive samples of suicides aged 60 or above were identified in three provinces (Shandong, Hunan, and Guangxi) in China. Living comparisons were 1:1 matched with the suicides in age (±3 years old), gender, and living location. Risk factors included demographic characteristics, being left-behind, mental disorder, depressive symptoms, stressful life events, and social support.ResultsA total of 242 suicides and 242 comparisons were enrolled: 135 (55.8%) were male, mean (s.d.) age was 74 (8) years. The most frequently used suicide means were pesticides (125, 51.7%) and hanging (95, 39.3%). Independent risks of suicide included unstable marital status [odds ratio (OR) 4.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61–10.92], unemployed (compared with employed, OR 4.43, 95% CI 1.09–17.95), depressive symptoms (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.21–1.48), and mental disorder (OR 6.28, 95% CI 1.75–22.54). Structural equation model indicated that the association between being left-behind and suicide was mediated by mental disorder, depressive symptoms, stressful life events, and social support.ConclusionsUnstable marital status, unemployed, depressive symptoms, and mental disorder are independent risk factors for suicide in rural elderly. Being left-behind can elevate the suicide risk through increasing life stresses, depressive symptoms, mental disorder, and decreasing social support. Elderly suicide may be prevented by restricting pesticides, training rural physicians, treating mental disorders, mitigating life stress, and enhancing social connection.

scholarly journals The validity of proxy-based data on loneliness in suicide research: a case-control psychological autopsy study in rural China

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Niu ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Zhenyu Ma ◽  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Zhenjun Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural China ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study

scholarly journals Risk factors for suicide in Bangladesh: case–control psychological autopsy study

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Yasir Arafat ◽  
M. A. Mohit ◽  
Mohammad S. I. Mullick ◽  
Russell Kabir ◽  
Murad M. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Risk Factors For Suicide

Background Suicide is an important, understudied public health problem in Bangladesh, where risk factors for suicide have not been investigated by case–control psychological autopsy study. Aims To identify the major risk factors for suicide in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods We designed a matched case–control psychological autopsy study. We conducted a semi-structured interview with the next-of-kin of 100 individuals who died by suicide and 100 living controls, matched for age, gender and area of residence. The study was conducted from July 2019 to July 2020. Results The odds ratios for the risk factors were 15.33 (95% CI, 4.76–49.30) for the presence of a psychiatric disorder, 17.75 (95% CI, 6.48–48.59) for life events, 65.28 (95% CI, 0.75–5644.48) for previous attempts and 12 (95% CI, 1.56–92.29) for sexual abuse. Conclusions The presence of a psychiatric disorder, immediate life events, previous suicidal attempts and sexual abuse were found as significant risk factors for suicide in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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