Physical multimorbidity and wish to die among adults aged =65years: A cross-sectional analysis of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.

BACKGROUND: Physical multimorbidity (i.e., =2 chronic conditions) may induce feelings of wish to die (WTD), but there is limited literature on this topic, while the mediators in this association are largely unknown. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate this association and its media...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Smith L, Shin JI, Haro JM, Jacob L, López Sánchez GF, Tully MA, Oh H, Carvalho AF, Barnett Y, Butler L, Koyanagi A
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Fundació Sant Joan de Déu
Repository:r-FSJD. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica de la Fundació Sant Joan de Déu
OAI Identifier:oai:fsjd.fundanetsuite.com:p21781
Online Access:https://fsjd.fundanetsuite.com/Publicaciones/ProdCientif/PublicacionFrw.aspx?id=21781
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032722007236?via%3Dihub
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Chronic conditions
Epidemiology
Ireland
Multimorbidity
Older adults
Wish to die
Description
Summary:BACKGROUND: Physical multimorbidity (i.e., =2 chronic conditions) may induce feelings of wish to die (WTD), but there is limited literature on this topic, while the mediators in this association are largely unknown. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate this association and its mediators among older Irish adults.; METHODS: Cross-sectional, nationally representative data from Wave 1 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing 2009-2011 were analyzed. Information on self-reported lifetime diagnosis of 14 chronic physical conditions were obtained. WTD was defined as answering affirmatively to the question "In the last month, have you felt that you would rather be dead?" Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were conducted.; RESULTS: Data on 2941 adults aged =65years [mean (SD) age 73.2 (5.2) years; 45.0% males] were analyzed. Physical multimorbidity was associated with 3.39 (95%CI 1.58, 7.28) times higher odds for WTD. This association was largely explained by pain (% mediated 28.1%), followed by depression (19.4%), sleep problems (18.4%), perceived stress (13.0%), loneliness (10.4%), anxiety (8.1%), and disability (7.2%).; CONCLUSIONS: Multimorbidity was associated with increased odds for WTD among Irish older adults. Addressing the identified mediators may contribute to reducing feelings of WTD among older adults with multimorbidity. Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.