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A cross-national study of the relationship between elderly suicide rates and life expectancy and markers of socioeconomic status and health care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2007

Ajit Shah ,
Ravi Bhat ,
Sheena MacKenzie  and
Chris Koen
Ajit Shah*
Affiliation:
Centre for Ethnicity and Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, U.K. and West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, U.K.
Ravi Bhat
Affiliation:
Centre for Older Persons' Health, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
Sheena MacKenzie
Affiliation:
Old Age Psychiatry, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, U.K.
Chris Koen
Affiliation:
Old Age Psychiatry, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, U.K.
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Ajit Shah, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, Uxbridge Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB1 3EU, U.K. Phone: +44 208 354 8140; Fax: +44 208 354 8898. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background: Socioeconomic status may influence cross-national variations in elderly suicide rates.

Methods: The relationship between suicide rates in both sexes in the age-bands 65–74 years and 75+ years and (i) life expectancy, (ii) measures of socioeconomic status (per capita gross national domestic product (GDP) and the Gini coeffcient), and (iii) measures of the quality and quantity of available healthcare services (the proportion of GDP spent on health, per capita expenditure on health and child mortality rates) was examined using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

Results: The main findings were: (i) a significant negative correlation between the Gini coefficient and suicide rates for both sexes in both age-bands; (ii) a significant positive correlation between per capita expenditure on health and suicide rates for both sexes in both age-bands; (iii) the significant positive correlation between the proportion of GDP spent on health and suicide rates was only evident in males in both age-bands; (iv) a significant negative correlation between child mortality rates and suicide rates for both sexes in both age-bands; and, (v) the significant positive correlation between life expectancy and suicide rates was evident in females in both age-bands.

Conclusions: A potentially testable model with five sequential stages was proposed to explain these findings.

Keywords

elderly suicidessocioeconomic statuspovertysuicide rates
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 347 - 360
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2007

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