ArticleThe American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry2015
Reasons for attempted suicide in later life.
Article in The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05503485 (Existential Group Treatment for Older Adults), which is not on this map. Cited by 37 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Existential Group Treatment for Older Adults (75+) With Psychological Distress in Primary Care: A Randomized Control Trial
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative meta-analysis of task-related functional brain abnormalities in nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempt.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The Meaning in Life in Suicidal Patients: The Presence and the Search for Constructs. A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Pooled it
- A systematic review of physical illness, functional disability, and suicidal behaviour among older adults.Aging & mental health · 2016Pooled it
- A Pilot Randomized Trial of Engage Psychotherapy to Increase Social Connection and Reduce Suicide Risk in Later Life.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Depression and Suicidal Ideation During Two Psychosocial Treatments in Older Adults with Major Depression and Dementia.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2015Trial
- Testing the predictions of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide in a sample of female cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Person-centred suicide prevention: key elements from the perspective of people living with suicidality.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- The Psychology of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Later Life.Clinics in geriatric medicine · 2025Review
- Psychological pain tolerance mediates the association between physical pain sensitivity and suicidal ideation: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Pathways to change in existential group treatment: experiences from older adults with psychological distress in primary care.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Attempted suicide short intervention program for older adults 65+ (ASSIP-OA): a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Article
- Psychogeriatric experts' experiences with risk factors of non-suicidal and suicidal self-injury in older adults: A qualitative study.Qualitative research in medicine & healthcare · 2024Article
- Motivations for suicide attempts and risk factors among youths in Western Iran: A cross-sectional study.Health science reports · 2024Article
- A narrative review: suicide and suicidal behaviour in older adults.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Review
- Older adults make sense of their suicidal behavior: a Swedish interview study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Intent disclosure in late-life suicide: Age group differences in correlates and associations with suicide means.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Trends in Suicide Mortality in 10 Years around the Great East Japan Earthquake: Analysis of Evacuation and Non-Evacuation Areas in Fukushima Prefecture.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Meaning in Life, Subjective Well-Being, Happiness and Coping at Physicians Attending Balint Groups: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- A Data Science Approach to Estimating the Frequency of Driving Cessation Associated Suicide in the US: Evidence From the National Violent Death Reporting System.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveUsing the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide as a guiding framework, we investigated older adults' causal attributions for suicidal behavior. We hypothesized that older adults who attributed their suicidal behavior to thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness would be more likely to use more immediately lethal means and to re-attempt suicide during the 12-month follow-up.
designProspective cohort study in western Sweden.
participantsA total of 101 older adults who presented to medical emergency rooms for suicide attempts. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were asked why they attempted suicide.
resultsAttributions included: a desire to escape (N = 29), reduced functioning and autonomy (N = 24), psychological problems, including depression (N = 24), somatic problems and physical pain (N = 16), perceived burdensomeness (N = 13), social problems that reflected either thwarted belongingness or family conflict (N = 13), and lack of meaning in life (N = 8); 41 participants provided more than one reason. No specific reason was given by 28 participants, 15 of whom reported not understanding or remembering why they attempted suicide and 13 reported simply wanting to die (or go to sleep and not wake up). As hypothesized, patients who attributed the attempt to thwarted belongingness were more likely to use more immediately lethal means for their index attempt and were more likely to re-attempt during follow-up. This was not the case for those reporting burdensomeness.
conclusionPeople who attribute suicide attempts to thwarted belongingness use more lethal methods and have a poorer prognosis. Replications across diverse cultural settings are needed to determine whether attributing suicide attempts to thwarted belongingness may warrant increased monitoring.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.