Elderly suicide in Alberta: Difference by gender

Objective: To determine differences by gender among elderly persons who com mit suicide on demographic characteristics, place of suicide, suicide metho d previous suicide behaviour, and precipitant stressor. Method: This study included completed suicides of individuals aged 55 years and over during 1984-1995 in Alberta (n = 920). Information was abstracted from suicide records of medical examiners. Results: Relative to elderly female suicides, elderly males who commit suic ide characteristically, use guns to commit suicide (43.8%), are single (12. 5%), live in rural areas (46.7%), and have a lower frequency of previous su icide attempts (16.5%). Physical illness and financial difficulty as precip itant stressors of suicide are significantly more frequent among males (40. 3% and 8.7% respectively) than females (29.9% and 1.8% respectively). Menta l illness as a precipitant stressor is more common among females, 35.8% for women and 15.3% for men. Conclusions: Lethal methods of suicide and physical illness and financial d ifficulty as precipitant stressors of suicide are more common among elderly males than females who commit suicide.