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This cross-sectional study examined whether age moderates the relation between sleep problems and suicide risk and investigated whether sleep problems are differentially associated with suicide risk in younger (18–40) and older (60+) adults. MTurk workers (N = 733) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire–Revised, Patient Health Questionnaire, and demographic questions. Analysis of variance and linear regressions were utilized. Older adults scored lower on four PSQI components, symptoms of depression, and suicide risk than younger adults. Age significantly moderated the relation between sleep problems and suicide risk after controlling for gender and depressive symptoms, F(5, 635) = 72.38, p <.001. Sleep problems significantly related to suicide risk in younger adults (t = 6.47, p <.001) but not in older adults (t = 0.57, p =.57). Sleep medication use was related to suicide risk in both groups, whereas daytime dysfunction was related to suicide risk in older adults and sleep disturbances were related to suicide risk in younger adults. The relation between sleep problems and suicide risk differs between younger and older adults. This study adds to the literature suggesting that sleep medications may not be appropriate for older adults. Sleep problems are significantly related to suicide risk in younger adults but not older adults. Sleep medication use is associated with suicide risk regardless of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Visual impairment in older adults may increase risk for depression and suicide. Research suggests that giving support to others may be associated with lower depressive symptoms in older adults, but much of the research has been in non-clinical populations. Furthermore, there is limited research on giving support and suicide risk. Methods: Using a sample of older adults with vision-related diagnoses (N = 101), this study investigated the association between informal support giving (unpaid support given to family, friends, or neighbors) and formal support giving (volunteering) on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Linear regressions examined the relation between support giving and depression, and logistic regressions examined the relation between support giving and suicidal ideation. Results: Greater informal support giving was related to lower likelihood of reported suicidal ideation (OR:.82, 95% CI:.68-.99, p =.04), whereas volunteer activity was not significantly related to suicidal ideation. Neither volunteer behavior nor informal support giving was related to depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Providing informal support was associated with lower likelihood of endorsing suicidal ideation in older adults with vision impairment. Clinical Implications: Informal support giving may be a target for decreasing suicidal ideation among older adults with health impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Research suggests sleep disturbance plays a role in depression and risk for suicidal behavior (i.e., ideation, attempts, death by suicide). How sleep disturbance affects suicide risk is unclear and one's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) may help explain this relation. This study examined associations between sleep problems, ADLs, and either depressive symptoms or suicide risk among older adults. We hypothesized that ADLs would mediate relations between sleep problems and depressive symptoms and suicide risk. Method: Participants (N = 134; age ≥65) were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed insomnia symptoms, nightmares, ADLs, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behaviors. Results: Nightmares were associated with depressive symptoms and suicide risk but not independently associated with ADLs. Insomnia symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms, suicide risk, and ADLs. ADLs mediated the relation between insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms. The insomnia symptom--suicidal behavior relation and the nightmare--suicidal behavior relation were significantly mediated by a pathway containing ADLs and depressive symptoms. Discussion: ADLs help explain how insomnia symptoms and nightmares confer suicide risk among older adults, either independently or in association with depressive symptoms. Clinical Implications: Practitioners should attend to ADL performance when treating older adults with insomnia and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles in the issue is presented on topics including the link between functional impairment and perceptions of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in older adults, a safety plan strategy for use with older adults that targets major risk factors for suicide in late life, and a telephone-based intervention to address suicide risk among older veterans.