Understanding past experiences of suicidal ideation and behavior in the life narratives of transgender older adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110517
Author(s):  
Eleni M Gaveras ◽  
Vanessa D Fabbre ◽  
Braveheart Gillani ◽  
Steff Sloan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Life Narratives ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
And Behavior

Transgender people (collectively referred to here as trans) experience disproportionate rates of suicidal ideation and behavior (plans and attempts) attributed to complex constellations of structural and individual factors. Interpretive methods in suicide research elucidate and contextualize intricate patterns of risk factors and strategies for recovery. The life narratives of trans older adults offer unique insights into past suicidal behavior and recovery after distress has diminished and perspective has been gained. This study aimed to illuminate the lived experiences of suicidal ideation and behavior in the biographical interviews of 14 trans older adults as part of the project To Survive on This Shore ( N = 88). Data analysis was conducted using a two-phase narrative analysis. Trans older adults contextualized suicide attempts, plans, ideation, and recovery as navigating impossible to possible paths. Impossible paths were seen as hopelessness in their life direction, often after a significant loss. Possible paths were described as pathways to recovery from crises. Transitions from impossible to possible paths were narrated as a turning point or moment of strength combined with outreach to family, friends, or mental health professionals. Narrative approaches hold the potential to illuminate pathways to well-being among trans persons with lived experiences of suicidal ideation and behavior. For social work practitioners, therapeutic narrative work around past suicidal ideation and behavior with trans older adults holds promise for suicidal prevention by identifying important supportive resources and previously used coping skills in crises.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lived Experiences of Older Adults in Aged Care Homes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-317
Author(s):  
Shi Yin Chee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
World Health ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold fear and suffering for older adults across the world. According to the World Health Organization, older adults in aged care homes are at a higher risk of the infection living in an enclosed environment with others. This article adopts a qualitative approach using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method to explore the lived experiences of older adults during COVID-19. Between December 2019 and June 2020, 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 60 years and above in two aged care homes. The lived tension that has penetrated all participants’ stories in five themes of the meanings described as ‘disconnected in a shrinking world’ filled with uncertainties. COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges and disproportionate threat onto older adults’ lives, relationships and well-being. The overarching message was that older adults believe that ‘this too shall pass’ and regain their freedom that was lost during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Social Isolation and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults Related to COVID-19: A Narrative Review of Remotely-Delivered Interventions and Recommendations

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Julie A. Gorenko ◽  
Chelsea Moran ◽  
Michelle Flynn ◽  
Keith Dobson ◽  
Candace Konnert
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Barriers To Implementation ◽  
Negative Impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with several short- and long-term negative impacts on the well-being of older adults. Physical distancing recommendations to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV2-19 virus increase the risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with negative outcomes including anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and mortality. Taken together, social isolation and additional psychological impacts of the pandemic (e.g., worry, grief) underscore the importance of intervention efforts to older adults. This narrative review draws upon a wide range of evidence to provide a comprehensive overview of appropriate remotely-delivered interventions for older adults that target loneliness and psychological symptoms. These include interventions delivered by a range of individuals (i.e., community members to mental health professionals), and interventions that vary by implementation (e.g., self-guided therapy, remotely-delivered interventions via telephone or video call). Recommendations to overcome barriers to implementation and delivery are provided, with consideration given to the different living situations.

scholarly journals Relation Between Volunteering and Suicidal Ideation Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 526-526
Author(s):  
Montgomery Owsiany ◽  
Amy Fiske ◽  
Kim Van Orden ◽  
Erika Fenstermacher
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Primary Care Practices

Abstract Suicide disproportionally affects older adults, necessitating further investigation into potential protective factors for suicide in late life. Volunteering is associated with psychological well-being in older adults. However, there is scant literature examining the association between volunteering and suicidal ideation or behavior in this age group. The present study involved a cross-sectional examination of volunteering and suicidal ideation using baseline data from the Helping Older People Engage study. This sample (N = 245, 88% White, 68% female, 60-92 years old) was recruited from primary care practices. Inclusion criteria included clinically significant loneliness (UCLA loneliness scale M = 49.5; SD = 5.7). Forty-three percent of the sample reported engaging in recent volunteer activity. Passive and active suicidal ideation in the past month were endorsed, respectively, by 20% and 9% of the sample. Results of hierarchical linear regression analyses examining the association between volunteering and suicidal ideation, controlling for covariates, will be discussed.

scholarly journals Ageism on the Therapeutic Couch: Aging Attitudes and Late-Life Psychotherapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 431-431
Author(s):  
Gregory Hinrichsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
Aging Attitudes

Abstract Ageist stereotypes characterize older adults as depressed, demented, and dependent. A large body of research has documented the adverse physical and emotional impact of ageism on older adults. Mental health professionals, however, often see the minority of older adults who, in fact, are depressed, have cognitive impairments, and/or are increasingly dependent on others. To what degree do pre-existing attitudes about aging come into play in psychotherapy with older people? With all age groups, psychotherapists often help clients better understand and challenge longstanding negative assumptions about self and world (sometimes called “the unconscious” or “underlying schemas”). These assumptions often impede the individual’s ability to successfully contend with life problems. This presentation will discuss ways in which psychotherapists can assist older clients in clarifying their underlying (and often self-limiting) negative assumptions about aging, moving beyond them to better contend with late life stressors, and improving emotional well-being.

Risk factors for suicide in the transgender community

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s894-s894 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Social Supports ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Reduce Risk

IntroductionApproximately 41% of transgender people attempt suicide at least once in their lives compared to the rate of 5% in the general population Transgender patients who have attempted suicide once have a nearly 40% chance for making a third attempt in their lifetime. Addressing the high rate of suicidality among transgender people must be an important clinical concern during treatment. Screening for suicidal ideation is important when working with the transgender community. Knowing the risk factors that affect the transgender community and creating interventions to ameliorate these risk factors can decrease the negative outcomes.MethodA literature review of articles pertaining to the transgender community and suicide was performed. Of 20 articles reviewed, 14 were pertinent.ResultsThe literature review showed several unique risk factors contribute to the high rate of suicide in this population: lack of family and social supports, gender-based discrimination, transgender-based abuse and violence, gender dysphoria and body-related shame, difficulty while undergoing gender reassignment, and being a member of another or multiple minority groups.DiscussionAiding the transgender patient to develop coping mechanisms for dealing with negative societal pressures and skills in widening their social supports may help to reduce risk factors and increase well-being for transgender patients. Assessing suicidal ideation in transgender patients, connecting them with contacts in the transgender community and utilizing CBT based techniques to reduce dysphoria and to aid in coping may reduce risk of suicide attempts. More research is needed in specific interventions in the transgender community.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Suicidal Ideation and Attempts among Older Korean Adults: Focusing on Age Discrimination and Neglect

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1852
Author(s):  
Young Ko ◽  
Song Yi Han ◽  
Hye-Young Jang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Age Discrimination ◽  
Korean Adults ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Higher Educational Attainment ◽  
Representative Samples

This study was conducted to identify factors influencing the development of suicidal ideation and the transition from suicidal ideation to attempts by focusing on experiences of age discrimination and neglect among older Korean adults. This study analyzed data from 10,042 older adults from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans using national representative samples. Multiple logistic analyses were used to identify factors influencing the development of suicidal ideation and transition from suicidal ideation to attempts. While younger age, higher educational attainment, living alone, number of chronic diseases, depressive symptoms, social isolation, social support, experience of neglect, and age discrimination influenced the development of suicidal ideation, all of these did not influence the transition from ideation to attempts. Factors influencing this transition included male gender, less educational attainment, and experience of age discrimination. Thus, social efforts to reduce age discrimination are necessary to prevent suicide attempts among Korean older adults.

scholarly journals Prediction of acute suicidal ideation in young adults using multi-dimensional scales: A graph neural network approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyu Sung Choi ◽  
Byung Hoon Kim ◽  
Sung Hwan Kim ◽  
Hong Jin Jeon ◽  
Jong-Hoon Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
General Population ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Network Approach ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Remote Evaluation

Abstract Precise remote evaluation of both suicide risk and psychiatric disorders is critical for suicide prevention as well as psychiatric well-being during COVID-19 crisis. Using questionnaires is an alternative to labour-intensive diagnostic interviews in a large general population, but previous models for predicting suicide attempts suffer from low sensitivity. We developed and validated a graph neural network model, MindWatchNet, which increased the prediction sensitivity of suicide risk in young adults (n = 17,482 for training; n = 14,238 for testing) using multi-dimensional questionnaires and suicidal ideation within 2 weeks as the prediction target. MindWatchNet achieved the highest sensitivity of 80.9% and an area under curve of 0.877 (95% confidence interval, 0.854–0.897). We demonstrated that multi-dimensional deep features covering depression, anxiety, resilience, self-esteem, and clinico-demographic information contribute to SI prediction. MindWatchNet might be useful in the remote evaluation of suicide risk in the general population of young adults for specific situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trait Gratitude and Suicidal Ideation and Behavior

Crisis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Krysinska ◽  
David Lester ◽  
Jennifer Lyke ◽  
Jozef Corveleyn
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Coping Skills ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Reasons For Living ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trait Gratitude

Abstract. Background: Despite the progress of positive psychology, current knowledge regarding suicide protective factors is limited. Trait gratitude (a tendency to experience gratitude in daily life) may protect against suicidal ideation and behavior. Aims: The study tested a model of causal effects among gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, coping, and social support as predictors of suicidal ideation, suicide threats, and suicide attempts after controlling for depression and stressful life events. Method: A sample of 165 college students were administered measures of gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, social support, coping skills, stress, and depression. The study assessed lifetime and current suicidal ideation as well as lifetime suicide threat and attempt. Results: Both gratitude and religiosity, along with social support, coping skills, and reasons for living, correlated negatively with prior suicidal ideation, but not with prior attempted suicide. After controlling for risk factor (depression and stress), the impact of gratitude and religiosity was no longer statistically significant. Conclusion: Further research could help understand the role of positive emotions and human strengths, such as gratitude, in preventing and alleviating suicidal ideation and behavior.

A Qualitative Study of the Social and Lived Experiences of Homebound Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482110403
Author(s):  
Joyce M. Cheng ◽  
George P. Batten ◽  
Nengliang (Aaron) Yao
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Homebound Older Adults

Objective: The number of homebound older adults is increasing in the United States. We aimed to examine their social and lived experiences and to understand their perspectives on their situation, feelings, and coping mechanisms. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 18 older homebound individuals in Central Virginia. Results: Homebound older adults experienced both physical and mental health challenges that restricted their ability to participate in activities of daily living, recreation, and social interactions. Participants often felt dependent, helpless, lonely, and socially isolated. Those who communicated regularly with friends, family, and health care providers reported positive benefits from these interactions. Discussion: Participants faced challenges to their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Our findings might help clinicians, policymakers, and community organizations understand how to better support homebound older adults. We should provide educational opportunities, respect their autonomy, and implement initiatives to address their isolation and loneliness.

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