Hung Sa Lee1, Dohyun Lee2

1Department of Nursing Science, College of Health Science, Sun Moon University, Asan, Korea, 2PhD student, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA


Background: Although the suicide rate in Korea is the highest in the world, only limited studies have been done on suicide and its associated factors. In this regard, we studied a conceptual model and the relationships and interactions of activity of daily living (ADL), social support, depression, and suicidal ideation among elderly women in Korea.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study, subjects included 194 community-dwelling elderly women. Their ADL, multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS), depression, and suicidal ideation (SI) were examined. The t-test, ANOVA test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation modeling were utilized in data analysis.
Results: There were significant correlations between SI and economic status, social support, and depression. Depression was correlated with not only SI but also ADL (r=0.195, P=0.006) and social support (r=-0.337, P<0.001). Absolute fit indices demonstrated that the research model had a good model fit. There were significant factor loading values from depression to SI (standardized estimate=0.157, P=0.023) and from social support to SI (standardized estimate=-0.308, P<0.001). There were two indirect effects from social support to SI and from ADL to SI. The mediating factor of these two indirect effects was depression.
Conclusions: Suicidal ideation in the elderly needs to be prevented; and more attention should be given to this end. Social support programs encouraging family participation are greatly effective in prevention of senior citizens' suicidal ideation.
Korean J Health Promot 2014;14(4):162-171

Keywords: Suicidal ideation, Social support, Depression, Aged