Physical marital abuse and suicidal ideation in the elderly

A recent study by Yoon et al. (2020) explores the impact of spousal or romantic partner physical abuse on suicidal ideation (SI) and the potential effects of protective factors, such as coping, presence of trusted people and social support, on the positive relationship between depressive symptoms and SI in an elderly population.

The study subjects (n = 6125; 64-65 yo) were selected from the participants in the large Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), which included randomly 10,317 men and women who had graduated from the Wisconsin High School in 1957. The following variables were taken into account: i) experience of physical abuse from the spouse or partner; ii) extent of coping, measured by the Likert and Brief COPE scales; iii) presence of social support from friends and of trusting relationships between family members; iv) presence of depressive symptoms, measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); and v) prevalence of suicidal ideation—by asking the question: “Have you ever thought about taking your own life?”

The study reports that experiences of physical abuse perpetrated by the spouse had a significant impact on both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. On the other hand, problem-focused coping strategies, social support and the presence of a family confidant appear to directly reduce depressive symptoms and indirectly mitigate suicidal ideation.

The importance of protective factors in reducing depression in older adults who have experienced spousal physical abuse further attests the vital role of services such as support groups and psycho-educational interventions in assisting such victims of abuse.

A cura di Patrizia Zeppegno