Document Type

Article

Original Publication Date

2015

Journal/Book/Conference Title

American Journal of Public Health

Volume

105

Issue

7

DOI of Original Publication

10.2105/AJPH.2015.302573

Comments

Originally published at http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302573

Date of Submission

December 2015

Abstract

Objectives

We investigated the epidemiology of suicide among adults aged 50 years and older in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and whether anticipating transitioning into long-term care (LTC) is a risk factor for suicide.

Methods

Data come from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (2003–2011). We matched locations of suicides (n = 3453) against publicly available resource registries of nursing homes (n = 285) and assisted living facilities (n = 548). We examined individual and organizational correlates of suicide by logistic regression. We identified decedents anticipating entry into LTC through qualitative text analysis.

Results

Incidence of suicide was 14.16 per 100 000 in nursing homes and 15.66 in the community. Better performance on Nursing Home Compare quality metrics was associated with higher odds of suicide in nursing homes (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21, 3.14). Larger facility size was associated with higher suicide risk in assisted living facilities (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.01). Text narratives identified 38 decedents anticipating transitioning into LTC and 16 whose loved one recently transitioned or resided in LTC.

Conclusions

LTC may be an important point of engagement in suicide prevention.

Rights

Copyright notice and Disclaimer Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the “Reprints” link.

Is Part Of

VCU Family Medicine and Population Health Publications

NIHMS698999-supplement-Supplemental_tables.docx (96 kB)
Table A. Comparison of suicide decedents in long-term care versus community settings: Virginia 2003 – 2011. Table B. Comparison of suicide decedents in nursing homes versus assisted living facilities: Virginia 2003 – 2011.

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