Suicidal Ideation in Older Adults: Exploring the Role of Depression, Hopelessness, Perceived Burdensomeness, and Thwarted Belongingness

Elevated rates of suicide among older adults continue to be a major public health problem globally. Improving our understanding of the precursors and the underlying mechanisms that lead to an increased risk of suicide in older adults is key to preventing suicide in this high-risk group. This study examined relationships between known risk factors of suicidal ideation (i.e., depression, hopelessness, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) in a sample of 284 community-dwelling older adults (M-age = 73.3 years, SD = 7.1 years; 56% women; 86% White/European American). Bivariate correlational results revealed that both depression (r = .62, p < .001) and hopelessness (r = .56, p < .001) were strongly and positively associated with suicidal ideation. The predictor variables (depression, hopelessness, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) were also significantly and positively correlated with each other, ranging between r = .35, p < .001 for thwarted belongingness and depression and r = .63, p < .001 for hopelessness and depression. We further investigated perceived burdensomeness as a moderator of the association between depression and suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was found to be elevated only when depressive symptoms are combined with the perception of being a burden. These findings underscore the importance of considering not only depressive symptoms when addressing suicide prevention efforts in older adults but also to focus on perceived burdensomeness as a strong contributing factor. Future research directions are discussed.