The Impact of Spousal Physical Abuse on Suicidal Ideation in Later Life

Background and Purpose

Suicide is a serious public health issue in the United States (Han, McKeon, & Gfroerer, 2014). Older populations are more likely to have suicidal ideation than other populations due to physical, mental and material loss (Dong, Chen, Wong, & Simon, 2014; Pfaff & Almeida, 2005; Szanto et al., 2002). Support from a spouse/partner has a significant protective and buffering effect against stress, depression and impaired functional status among older adults (Santini, Koyanagi, Tyrovolas, & Haro, 2015). On the other hand, many studies have reported that spouse or partner physical abuse provokes serious negative mental and physical health outcomes (Ellsberg, Jansen, Heise, Watts, & Garcia-Moreno, 2008). Reported rates of physical and/or sexual spouse/partner violence vary from 15% to 71%  (Garcia-Moreno, Jansen, Ellsberg, Heise, & Watts, 2005).  Studies also report that positive relationships with others have a beneficial effect on mental health among distressed and vulnerable older adults. (Rushing, Corsentino, Hames, Sachs-Ericsson, & Steffens, 2013).  However, research about the association among spouse/ partner physical abuse, suicidal ideation, and positive relationships with others in later life is rare (Ailshire & Crimmins, 2011). The purposes of this study were to 1) investigate the prevalence and impact of suicidal ideation among older adults who have experienced spousal/partner physical abuse and 2) examine the influence of positive relationships with others on suicidal ideation among older adults.

Methods:

Data were obtained from the 2003–2005 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Logistic regression was used to investigate the impact of spouse/partner physical abuse, positive relationships with others and gender on suicidal ideation. The dependent variable, suicidal ideation, consisted of one item asking “Have you ever seriously thought about taking your own life?” (Yes/No). Spouse/partner physical abuse, was measured by a single item asking “Has your spouse or partner ever treated you in a way that some would think of as physical abuse?” (Yes/No). Positive Relations with Others consisted of a 5-item scale (α = .80, M: 23.5 SD: 5.1). Gender was a dichotomous item (female:0, male:1).  All binary variables were converted into dummy variables before analyzing.

Results:

The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 5.02% and the experience of spouse/ partner physical abuse was 7.3 %.  Findings indicated that physical abuse and suicidal ideation were significantly related, x2(1) = 156.5, p = 0.001. Logistic regression showed that spouse/partner physical abuse (OR= 4.2, 95% CI (3.2 - 5.6)), positive relationships with others (OR .93, CI (.91 - .95)), and gender (OR .64, CI (.50 - .82)) all had significant effects on suicidal ideation (p<0.001). Older adults with experience of spouse/partner physical abuse were 4 times more likely to have suicidal ideation than their counterparts. Those who were female and who had lower scores on positive relationship with others were also more likely to have suicidal ideation.

Implications:

 It is crucial for social service providers and health professionals to both assess for spouse/partner abuse and offer tailored services to older adults who have experienced maltreatment in intimate relationships.