SynthesisAging & mental health2016
A systematic review of physical illness, functional disability, and suicidal behaviour among older adults.
Synthesis in Aging & mental health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 143 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
143 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 411 citations in OpenAlex.
- Suicide prevention in the context of ineligibility for voluntary assisted dying: emerging insights.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Social reward processing in depressed and healthy individuals across the lifespan: A systematic review and a preliminary coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI studies.Behavioural brain research · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Determinants of Suicidality in the European General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Rational Suicide in Late Life: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Pooled it
- Domains of Functional Impairment and Their Associations with Thwarted Belonging and Perceived Burden in Older Adults.Clinical gerontologistTrial
- Use of Health Services by People With Dementia Who Self-Harm in New South Wales, Australia: A Data Linkage Study.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- Employment Status Shapes the Link between Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor and Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Evidence from an Independent Clinical Cohort.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Suicide among older adults in Ireland: a national case series of coronial data, 2015-2020.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Suicidal Behavior Patterns and Correlates in High-Risk Adults After Emergency Department Discharge: A One-Year Prospective Study.Suicide & life-threatening behavior · 2026Article
- Risk of Suicide Among U.S. Adults With Work Disability.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- A retrospective cohort study of clinical characteristics and healthcare contacts in Sweden prior to suicide in individuals with heart disease.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- The lived experience of persons who attempt suicide: a bottom-up review co-designed, co-produced and co-written by experts by experience and academics.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Age matters: a narrative review and machine learning analysis on shared and separate multidimensional risk domains for early and late onset suicidal behavior.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Suicidal ideation and influencing factors among hospitalized older adults with functional impairments: a mixed-methods study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Korean Americans in Affordable Senior Housing: The Moderating Role of Social Networks and Family Solidarity.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Article
- Suicide mortality in Spain (2010-2022): temporal trends, spatial patterns, and risk factors.International journal of health geographics · 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
- Suicide in later life: the role of frailty and depression.Current opinion in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Association between changes in family relationship status and suicidal ideation among individuals with physical disabilities.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
83 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo conduct a systematic review of studies that examined associations between physical illness/functional disability and suicidal behaviour (including ideation, nonfatal and fatal suicidal behaviour) among individuals aged 65 and older.
methodArticles published through November 2014 were identified through electronic searches using the ERIC, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus databases. Search terms used were suicid* or death wishes or deliberate self-harm. Studies about suicidal behaviour in individuals aged 65 and older with physical illness/functional disabilities were included in the review.
resultsSixty-five articles (across 61 independent samples) met inclusion criteria. Results from 59 quantitative studies conducted in four continents suggest that suicidal behaviour is associated with functional disability and numerous specific conditions including malignant diseases, neurological disorders, pain, COPD, liver disease, male genital disorders, and arthritis/arthrosis. Six qualitative studies from three continents contextualized these findings, providing insights into the subjective experiences of suicidal individuals. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.
conclusionFunctional disability, as well as a number of specific physical illnesses, was shown to be associated with suicidal behaviour in older adults. We need to learn more about what at-risk, physically ill patients want, and need, to inform prevention efforts for older adults.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.