Hopelessness, Attribution Style and Depressive Suicidal Tendencies in the Elderly

Emotional well-being in the elderly & its relationship with living conditons, & personal control was studied. Surveys were given to 73 elderly people with no known psychiatric disturbances & compared with 8 people who expressed suicidal tendencies. The persons with suicidal tendencies were not dependent, but lived alone/with a partner. Suicidal tendencies were not caused by hopelessness or loss of personal control. The study did not find increasing suicidal tendency with increasing age.