Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

Older adults have higher rates of suicide than any other age group. While depression is a strong predictor of suicide in the elderly, more research is needed investigating this risk in elders with cognitive dysfunction. Our research has demonstrated that an explicit cluster of depression symptoms (called the DepE) rather than total depression scores are related to cognitive impairment, and can be used to identify a subgroup of individuals at greater risk for developing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer�s disease. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between DepE and suicidal ideation. Data on 582 rural dwelling participants from Project FRONTIER were analyzed for this study. Suicidal ideation was measured via the suicidal ideation subscale of the GDS 30 (GDS-SI). Age, education and gender were covariates. Results of the linear regression indicated that DepE significantly increased scores on the GDS-SI (B=.47, p<.001), independent of age, education, or gender. Next, we split the sample by high and low suicidal ideation using the GDS-SI cut score of 3. A logistic regression was performed with the covariates and DepE entered in to the model. The results indicated that DepE was the only significant predictor of suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR]=3.08, 95% CI= 2.5-3.9). For every one point increase on the DepE scale, suicidal ideation went up by a factor of three. These results suggest that the DepE is strongly related to an increase in suicidal ideation in the elderly. Identifying sub groups of elders at greater risk of suicidal ideation may help practitioners identify novel treatment and preventative opportunities.

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