Abstract
to associate the life experiences of older women from the Northeast of Brazil with their suicidal ideation and attempts. Qualitative study with fourteen older adults from Piripiri (PI), Teresina (PI), Fortaleza (CE) and Recife (PE) who were interviewed between November 2013 and July 2014. The organization of data originated the themes: experiences of abuse throughout their lives; marital fractures and social isolation; weakened motherhood. The women were born and lived most of their life in the countryside, amid poverty and social exclusion. They had a history of abuse, physical and sexual violence, perpetrated by intimate partners and/or family members. They experienced social isolation, weakened emotional bonds and several suicide attempts. Final considerations: The life of these older women was affected by traumatic events that enhanced feelings of hopelessness, depressive symptoms and the absence of a plan for the future, making them consider suicide as a way to anticipate death.
Highlights
This work deals with the life experiences of older women with persistent suicidal ideation and behavior in Northeastern Brazil
It is understood that traumatic events which occurred in different stages of life – childhood, youth, adulthood and old age – mark in a negative way the path of the individual. In some cases, such experiences can lead him or her to develop suicidal ideation or attempts, associated in the literature with the following risk factors: family history of suicidal behavior; loneliness and social isolation; social, physical, mental or drug and alcoholism dependance; terminal illness accompanied by chronic pain; and social and economic problems, as well as mental strain[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
The in-depth interviews were based on a specific set of guidelines for interviews with older adults[21], which included identification, demographic attributes, family configuration, morbidity, mental state prior to the suicidal ideation and attempt, possible causes, impact on the family, violence suffered and the possibility of overcoming the fact[5]
Summary
It is understood that traumatic events which occurred in different stages of life – childhood, youth, adulthood and old age – mark in a negative way the path of the individual. In some cases, such experiences can lead him or her to develop suicidal ideation or attempts, associated in the literature with the following risk factors: family history of suicidal behavior; loneliness and social isolation; social, physical, mental or drug and alcoholism dependance; terminal illness accompanied by chronic pain; and social and economic problems, as well as mental strain[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. It is estimated that the risk of suicide increases in at least a hundred times in relation to the rates present in the general population[15]
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