Objectives: Suicide among older adults is a major public health problem in the USA. In our recent study, we examined relationships between the 10 standard DSM-5 personality disorders (PDs) and suicidal ideation, and found that the PD dimensions explained a majority (55%) of the variance in suicidal ideation. To extend this line of research, the purpose of the present follow-up study was to explore relationships between the four PDs that previously were included in prior versions of the DSM (depressive, passive-aggressive, sadistic, and self-defeating) with suicidal ideation and reasons for living.
Method: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 109; age range = 60-95 years; 61% women; 88% European-American) completed anonymously the Coolidge Axis II Inventory, the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), and the Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale (GSIS).
Results: Correlational analyses revealed that simple relationships between PD scales with GSIS subscales were generally stronger than with RFL subscales. Regarding GSIS subscales, all four PD scales had medium-to-large positive relationships, with the exception of sadistic PD traits, which was unrelated to the death ideation subscale. Multiple regression analyses showed that the amount of explained variance for the GSIS (48%) was higher than for the RFL (11%), and this finding was attributable to the high predictive power of depressive PD.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that depressive PD features are strongly related to increased suicidal thinking and lowered resilience to suicide among older adults. Assessment of depressive PD features should also be especially included in the assessment of later-life suicidal risk.
Keywords: aging; assessment; elderly; personality; suicide.