Suicide Risk Factors among Polish Adults Aged 65 or Older in 2000–2018 Compared with Selected Countries Worldwide

Witold Śmigielski, Karolina Małek, Tomasz Jurczyk, Karol Korczak, Robert Gajda, Alicja Cicha-Mikołajczyk, Jerzy Piwoński, Joanna Śmigielska-Kolańska, Janusz Śmigielski, Wojciech Drygas and Piotr Gałecki
Additional contact information
Witold Śmigielski: Department of Demography, University of Lodz, 41, Rewolucji 1905 St., 90-214 Lodz, Poland
Karolina Małek: Faculty of Psychology, Warsaw University, 26/28 Krakowskie Przedmieście St., 00-927 Warsaw, Poland
Tomasz Jurczyk: The Specialist Family Clinic of Bemowo District in the Capital City of Warsaw, Gen. T. Pełczyńskiego 28 E. St., 01-471 Warsaw, Poland
Karol Korczak: Department of Computer Science in Economics, University of Lodz, 41 Rewolucji 1905 St., 90-214 Lodz, Poland
Robert Gajda: Center for Sports Cardiology at the Gajda-Med Medical Center in Pułtusk, Piotra Skargi 23/29 St., 06-100 Pułtusk, Poland
Alicja Cicha-Mikołajczyk: Department of Epidemiology Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński National Institute of Cardiology, 42 Alpejska St., 04-628 Warsaw, Poland
Jerzy Piwoński: Department of Epidemiology Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński National Institute of Cardiology, 42 Alpejska St., 04-628 Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Śmigielska-Kolańska: Specialist Psychiatric Health Center in Lodz, Babiński Hospital, 159 Aleksandrowska St., 91-229 Lodz, Poland
Janusz Śmigielski: Department of Health Sciences, State University of Applied Sciences in Konin, 1 Przyjaźni St., 62-510 Konin, Poland
Wojciech Drygas: Department of Epidemiology Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński National Institute of Cardiology, 42 Alpejska St., 04-628 Warsaw, Poland
Piotr Gałecki: Department of Adult Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz, 4 Tadeusza Kościuszki St., 90-419 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the tendencies of change in suicide frequency among Polish adults aged 65 or older, recognize the importance of available socio-demographic data (age, sex, marital status, and education attainment level) and provide an in-depth psychological understanding of the obtained results. We analysed the influence of education and marital status on suicide risk in the Polish adult population aged 65 or older, which has not been previously presented in publications related to the Central Statistical Office or any other research. Our results indicated that male adults aged 65 or older that were single or divorced and with a lower education had a higher risk of death by suicide. In female adults aged 65 or older, those with higher education and who were divorced or married had a higher risk of fatal suicide behaviour meanwhile, single women and widows had a lower risk. The dominant method of suicide among Polish older adults was suicide by hanging, regardless of sex; female older adults were more likely to die by suicide by poisoning or jumping from a height, and male older adults were more likely to die by shooting with a firearm. Although data from recent years highlights a downward trend for suicide rates in Polish older adults, the problem cannot be considered solved.

Keywords: suicide; people aged 65 or older; Poland; educational level; marital status; mortality; death risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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