Abstract
Abstract Suicide disproportionally affects older adults, necessitating further investigation into potential protective factors for suicide in late life. Volunteering is associated with psychological well-being in older adults. However, there is scant literature examining the association between volunteering and suicidal ideation or behavior in this age group. The present study involved a cross-sectional examination of volunteering and suicidal ideation using baseline data from the Helping Older People Engage study. This sample (N = 245, 88% White, 68% female, 60-92 years old) was recruited from primary care practices. Inclusion criteria included clinically significant loneliness (UCLA loneliness scale M = 49.5; SD = 5.7). Forty-three percent of the sample reported engaging in recent volunteer activity. Passive and active suicidal ideation in the past month were endorsed, respectively, by 20% and 9% of the sample. Results of hierarchical linear regression analyses examining the association between volunteering and suicidal ideation, controlling for covariates, will be discussed.
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