Poor emotional status increases the risk of attempted suicide for the elderly age 55 and older in Shanghai, China: A longitudinal follow-up study.

Abstract

We conducted a study to explore how one's emotional state affects attempted suicide among the elderly in Shanghai, China. Random sampling was used to select people age 55 and older in Shanghai from 2013 to 2019. A questionnaire was used to collect relevant data, including attempted suicide and emotional status. Subjects were a total of 783 elderly people who participated in this study for two years and more, and they consisted of 569 elderly people did not commit suicide during the study period and 214 elderly people who attempted suicide. Cumulative logistic regression indicated that feeling less interested than usual in hobbies (p < 0.001, OR = 2.805, 95% CI: 0.941-8.360) and being more easily angered (p < 0.0001, OR = 11.972, 95% CI: 6.275-22.843) increase the risk of attempted suicide.