Table 1.
Characteristics of Older Persons According to the Presence or Absence of Death Ideation and/or Wish to Die (n = 355)
| No thoughts of death/wishes to die (n = 267) | Thoughts of death (n = 44) | Wishes to die (n = 44) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, mean (SD) | 75.4 (5.8) | 75.6 (6.4) | 74.3 (6.1) | p = .518 |
| Gender, female (%) | 198 (74%) | 34 (77%) | 37 (84%) | p = .351 |
| Education less than high school (%) | 109 (40%) | 20 (45%) | 16 (36%) | p = .686 |
| Ethnicity, African American (%) | 95 (35%) | 16 (36%) | 10 (22%) | p = .235 |
| Lives alone (%) | 100 (37%) | 11 (25%) | 23 (52%) | p = .030* |
| Functional Status | ||||
| Self-rated health, 5 = excellent/1 = poor, mean (SD) | 2.6 (0.9) | 2.2 (0.9) | 2.0 (0.7) | p < .001* |
| Physical functioning, mean (SD) | 60.9 (29.2) | 54.1 (29.2) | 51.0 (27.6) | p = .057 |
| Role physical, mean (SD) | 47.4 (39.4) | 34.7 (39.0) | 30.1 (39.5) | p = .008* |
| Role emotional, mean (SD) | 82.3 (34.4) | 60.6 (42.1) | 41.7 (41.4) | p < .001* |
| Social functioning, mean (SD) | 75.15 (26.9) | 61.18 (25.9) | 58.8 (29.1) | p < .001* |
| Bodily pain, mean (SD) | 55.6 (24.9) | 50.8 (21.4) | 47.5 (26.2) | p = .090 |
| General health perception, mean (SD) | 54.3 (19.7) | 43.6 (21.0) | 38.5 (16.2) | p < .001* |
| Medical Illnesses | ||||
| Myocardial infarction (%) | 48 (18%) | 9 (20%) | 16 (36%) | p = .020* |
| Angina (%) | 15 (6%) | 1 (2%) | 8 (18%) | p = .004* |
| Congestive heart failure (%) | 29 (11%) | 4 (9%) | 8 (18%) | p = .306 |
| Atrial fibrillation (%) | 24 (10%) | 5 (12%) | 5 (13%) | p = .795 |
| Stroke (%) | 41 (15%) | 8 (18%) | 13 (29%) | p = .071 |
| Diabetes (%) | 83 (31%) | 16 (36%) | 15 (34%) | p = .751 |
| Cancer or leukemia (%) | 44 (16%) | 8 (18%) | 6 (13%) | p = .819 |
| Urinary incontinence (%) | 121 (45%) | 26 (59%) | 30 (68%) | p = .008* |
| Falls (within past 6 mo.) (%) | 63 (24%) | 18 (41%) | 17 (39%) | p = .013* |
| Psychological Status | ||||
| Beck Anxiety Inventory, mean (SD) | 7.2 (7.0) | 14.9 (8.3) | 13.9 (10.2) | p < .001* |
| CES-D-R, mean (SD) | 12.6 (10.1) | 18.9 (12.2) | 23.3 (11.9) | p < .001* |
| Beck Hopelessness Scale, mean (SD) | 4.0 (3.6) | 5.9 (3.8) | 9.2 (5.8) | p < .001* |
Note: Data were gathered from the Spectrum Survey, 2001-2003. p-Values given for comparison of groups with chi-square, t-test, or ANOVA, as appropriate. Percentages are column percentages.
Abbreviations: CES-D-R: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, revised.
*
p < 0.05.