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Social support and suicidal ideation in Japan: are home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation among elderly people in the community?

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 12 October 2014

Abstract

Aims

Social support has consistently been reported to be effective in reducing suicidal ideation. This cross-sectional study was performed to determine whether home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers (i.e., organizations of community residents appointed by national or prefectural governments) are associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation among the elderly.

Methods

In August 2010, questionnaires were sent to all residents aged ≥65 years in three municipalities (n = 21,232) in Okayama prefecture, Japan, and 13,929 returned the questionnaire (response rate: 65.6 %). We finally analyzed 11,218 subjects. Both home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers and suicidal ideation within the last 30 days were assessed in the questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for suicidal ideation were calculated adjusting for age, sex, educational attainment, and marital status. We then additionally adjusted for instrumental and emotional support, separately.

Results

The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 10.0 % and higher in women than in men (11.4 % vs. 8.0 %). Home visits were significantly associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation after adjusting for instrumental and emotional support, respectively (OR: 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.53–0.69; OR: 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.59–0.78). In sex-stratified analysis, the association was clearer for women than for men: the corresponding ORs among women were 0.55 (95 % CI: 0.46–0.65) and 0.61 (95 % CI: 0.52–0.73), whereas they were 0.71 (95 % CI: 0.56–0.90) and 0.78 (95 % CI: 0.61–0.99) among men.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers are significantly associated with lower suicidal ideation among the elderly, particularly in women.

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Acknowledgments

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest in the current investigation. They appreciate the contribution to the paper by Ms. Tomoko Matsushima, Mr. Masanori Honda, Ms. Miyuki Okamoto, Dr. Atsushi Ninomiya, Dr. Kenzo Fujita, and public health nurses in charge of the survey in the investigated municipalities and public health centers. This study was supported by the Fund for Urgent Improvement of Local Suicide Prevention Measures from the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japanese Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Okayama Prefectural Mental Health and Welfare Center, 1-1-10-101 Furugyo-cho, Naka-ku, Okayama, 703-8278, Japan

    Masayuki Noguchi

  2. Support Center for Medical Cooperation, Human Resource Placement, and Career Promotion of Okayama Prefecture, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan

    Toshihide Iwase

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan

    Etsuji Suzuki, Yoko Kishimoto & Soshi Takao

Authors
  1. Masayuki Noguchi
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  2. Toshihide Iwase
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  3. Etsuji Suzuki
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  4. Yoko Kishimoto
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  5. Soshi Takao
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Correspondence to Masayuki Noguchi.

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Noguchi, M., Iwase, T., Suzuki, E. et al. Social support and suicidal ideation in Japan: are home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation among elderly people in the community?. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 619–627 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0752-5

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