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The relationship between elderly suicide rates and the human development index: a cross-national study of secondary data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2008

Ajit Shah
Ajit Shah*
Affiliation:
Ageing, Ethnicity and Mental Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, U.K. and West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, U.K.
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Ajit Shah, John Connolly Unit, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, Uxbridge Road, Southall, Middlesex UB1 3EU, U.K. Phone: +44 0208 354 8191; Fax: +44 0208 354 8898. Email: ajit.shah@wlmht.nhs.uk.
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Abstract

Background: Elderly suicides rates are associated with socio-economic status and life expectancy. Although suicide rates in younger people are associated with both higher and lower levels of educational attainment, little is known about this association in the elderly.

Method: The relationship between Human Development Index (HDI) – a composite index measuring average achievements on three basic dimensions of human development (life expectancy, educational attainment and socio-economic status) – and elderly suicide rates was examined in a cross-national study utilizing secondary data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

Results: There was a significant curvilinear (inverted U-shaped curve) relationship between elderly suicide rates in males and the HDI, fitting the quadratic equation y = a + bx − cx2. A similar curvilinear relationship was observed in females, but the significance level only approached 0.05.

Conclusions: A model with four sequential stages was proposed to explain the findings: (i) low elderly suicide rate – low human development society; (ii) high elderly suicide rate – low human development society; (iii) high elderly suicide rate – high human development society; and (iv) low elderly suicide rate – high human development society.

Keywords

elderly suicideslife expectancysocio-economic statuseducational status
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 69 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2008

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