A Study on Relationship between Elder Abuse and Suicide Risk

This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between abuse and suicide risk focused on the Korean elderly over 65 years old living with their families. The data for the study was collected from 1,193 people in Incheon metropolitan city, Kyunggi and Chungnam province. Among them, 711 elderly adults who experienced abuse within their families, were analysed for the study. The results were as follows: First, the group who had experienced abuse was revealed at 29.8%, and the group who had experienced suicide was revealed at 23.1%. Second, the victims of abuse at older ages affects the risk of suicide. Moreover, considering the elderly population under the control of influencing variables such as socioeconomic traits, ADL and depression, the risk of suicide for the group of being abused was higher than the group that was never abused. Third, four groups of elderly(groups without both abuse and suicide risks, the group with only abuse victims, the group with only suicide risks, and the group with both abuse and suicide risk) were divided based on the victims of abuse and the risk of suicide. The group without abuse and suicide risk was positive in subjective economic status, ADL, number of diseases and depression. On the contrary, the group with both abuse and suicide risk was negative in the above indices. The study indicated that there were some similar traits between abuse risk groups and suicide risk groups, but the group with suicide risk was lower than the group with abuse risk in ADL and depression.