Emotional abuse and depression as factors associated with suicidal ideation in community-dwelling older adults: mediation analysis

Objective: The objectives of this study were to examine the factors associated with suicidal ideation in a community-dwelling older adult population in Korea. Specifically, the study focuses on the role of emotional abuse and depression, and investigates the mediating effect of depression in the relationship between emotional abuse and suicidal ideation. Methods: This study utilised data from 10 097 individuals aged 65 and older, based on a 2020 survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Results: In our study, 1.9% of older adults reported suicidal ideation, 4.4% reported experiencing emotional abuse, and 12.8% reported having depression (defined as a score of ≥8 on the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale). Our results revealed that younger-older adults, older adults living without a spouse, poor social support, subjective health status, emotional abuse (odds ratio (OR) = 2.929), and depression (OR = 5.152) were found to be significantly associated with suicidal ideation after controlling for all confounding factors. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed that the OR for emotional abuse decreased from 3.284 to 2.929 after accounting for depression, suggesting that depression partially mediates the relationship between emotional abuse and suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Emotional abuse and depression were found to be associated with suicidal ideation in community-dwelling Korean older adults. Notably, depression was found to buffer the relationship between emotional abuse and suicidal ideation, indicating a mediating effect.