Sensory loss and suicide ideation in older adults: findings from the Three-City cohort study

S. Cosh (1) , I. Carriere (2) , V. Daien (3) , C. Tzourio (1) , C. Delcourt (1) , C. Helmer (1)

1 BPH - Bordeaux population health
2 PSNREC - Neuropsychiatrie : recherche épidémiologique et clinique
3 Service d'Ophtalmologie [Montpellier]

Objectives:To examine the longitudinal risk of vision loss (VL) or hearing loss (HL) for experiencing suicidal ideation in older adults. DESIGN: The Three-City study, examining data from three waves of follow-up (2006-2008, 2008-2010, and 2010-2012). SETTING: Community-dwelling older French adults. PARTICIPANTS: N = 5,438 adults aged 73 years and over. MEASUREMENTS: Suicidality was assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Major Depressive Disorder module. Mild VL was defined as Parinaud of 3 or 4 and severe VL as Parinaud >4. Mild HL was self-reported as difficulty understanding a conversation and severe HL as inability to understand a conversation. RESULTS: Severe VL was associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation at baseline (OR = 1.59, 95% CIs = 1.06-2.38) and over five years (OR = 1.65, 95% CIs = 1.05-2.59). Mild and severe HL were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, both at baseline (OR = 1.29, 95% CIs = 1.03-1.63; OR = 1.78, 95% CIs = 1.32-2.40) and over five years (OR = 1.47, 95% CIs = 1.17-1.85; OR = 1.97, 95% CIs = 1.44-2.70). CONCLUSION: Sensory losses in late life pose a risk for suicidal ideation. Suicidality requires better assessment and intervention in this population.

Mots clés: elderly; suicidal; vision impairment; dual sensory loss; hearing impairment; mental health

Domaines: Organes des sens; Psychiatrie et santé mentale; Gériatrie et gérontologie; Santé publique et épidémiologie

S. Cosh, I. Carriere, V. Daien, C. Tzourio, C. Delcourt, et al.. Sensory loss and suicide ideation in older adults: findings from the Three-City cohort study. 2018. ⟨hal-01855921v1⟩