Association between cognitive functioning and lifetime suicidal ideation among Chinese older adults: the mediating effect of depression

Existing evidence indicates an association between cognitive functioning and both geriatric depression and suicidality, with mixed evidence regarding the direction of the relationship between cognitive functioning and aspects of geriatric lifetime suicidal ideation. This study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive functioning, depression, and suicide ideation and to explore the intermediary role of depression between cognitive functioning and suicidal ideation in the older adults.

A multi-stage random cluster sampling method was used to collect a sample of 3896 individuals aged 60 and above. Descriptive statistics of the sample data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and then the correlation between variables was obtained by binary logistic regression analysis. SPSS macro program PROCESS V3.5 was used to test the mediating role of depression in the relationship between cognitive function and lifetime suicidal ideation.

The prevalence of lifetime suicidal ideation among older adults was 3.9%. Lifetime suicidal ideation was associated with depression (OR = 1.308, P < 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with cognitive function (OR = 0.972, P > 0.05). The relationship between cognitive function and depression was also supported in this study (β = − 0.0841, P < 0.001). Depression completely mediated the relationship between cognitive function and lifetime suicidal ideation.

There was no significant correlation between cognitive impairment in older adults and a heightened risk of lifetime suicidal ideation. However, this relationship was completely mediated by depression. It is crucial to prevent the onset of depression among older adults with cognitive impairment, as depression is strongly linked to lifetime suicidal ideation.