@article{ref1,
title="Suicidal ideation in family carers of people with dementia",
journal="Aging and mental health",
year="2015",
author="O'Dwyer, Siobhan T. and Moyle, Wendy and Zimmer-Gembeck, Melanie and De Leo, Diego",
volume="20",
number="2",
pages="222-230",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Two small studies have suggested that family carers of people with dementia may be a high-risk group for suicide. The objective of this study was to further explore the rate of suicidal ideation in a large sample of carers and identify psychosocial risk and protective factors. <br><br>METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 566 family carers. The survey included measures of suicidality, self-efficacy, physical health, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, optimism, burden, coping strategies, and social support. <br><br>RESULTS: Sixteen percent of carers had contemplated suicide more than once in the previous year. There were univariate differences between suicidal and non-suicidal carers on self-efficacy, social support, coping, burden, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, optimism, reasons for living, and symptoms of dementia, as well as age and income management. In a multivariate model, age, depression, and reasons for living predicted suicidal ideation. In tests for mediation, satisfaction with social support and dysfunctional coping had indirect effects on suicidal ideation via depression. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Family carers of people with dementia have high rates of suicidal ideation, with depression a risk factor and increasing age and reasons for living as protective factors. Depression and reasons for living should be targeted in interventions to reduce suicide risk in dementia carers.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1360-7863",
doi="10.1080/13607863.2015.1063109",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1063109"
}