TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceived Burdensomeness in Older Adults and Perceptions of Burden on Spouses and Children
AU - Jahn, Danielle R.
AU - van Orden, Kimberly A.
AU - Cukrowicz, Kelly C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was partially funded by an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Young Investigator Grant (Principal Investigator: Kelly C. Cukrowicz; Title: Interpersonal Vulnerability in Older Caucasian Males: An Examination of the Role of Perceived Burdensomeness).
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Older adults are at high risk for suicide, and perceived burdensomeness is an important suicide risk factor in this population. Additionally, previous research indicates that older adults feel like a burden on their spouses most often, though perceptions of burden on younger generations were associated with greater overall perceived burdensomeness. The current study sought to clarify this complex pattern of results, and found that perceptions of burden on a spouse were linked to the most severe form of perceived burdensomeness-belief that others would be better off if one were gone-though perceptions of burden on a child were not significantly associated with this most severe form of perceived burdensomeness in the current sample. These results indicate that older adults' perceptions of burdensomeness on a spouse may be especially harmful. Clinical implications, including the need to assess not only whether older adults perceive themselves to be a burden on others, but also who is perceived to be burdened, and the importance of targeting perceived burdensomeness through cognitive restructuring, are discussed.
AB - Older adults are at high risk for suicide, and perceived burdensomeness is an important suicide risk factor in this population. Additionally, previous research indicates that older adults feel like a burden on their spouses most often, though perceptions of burden on younger generations were associated with greater overall perceived burdensomeness. The current study sought to clarify this complex pattern of results, and found that perceptions of burden on a spouse were linked to the most severe form of perceived burdensomeness-belief that others would be better off if one were gone-though perceptions of burden on a child were not significantly associated with this most severe form of perceived burdensomeness in the current sample. These results indicate that older adults' perceptions of burdensomeness on a spouse may be especially harmful. Clinical implications, including the need to assess not only whether older adults perceive themselves to be a burden on others, but also who is perceived to be burdened, and the importance of targeting perceived burdensomeness through cognitive restructuring, are discussed.
KW - familial relationships
KW - interpersonal theory of suicide
KW - older adults
KW - perceived burdensomeness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883367124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07317115.2013.816817
DO - 10.1080/07317115.2013.816817
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84883367124
VL - 36
SP - 451
EP - 459
JO - Clinical Gerontologist
JF - Clinical Gerontologist
SN - 0731-7115
IS - 5
ER -