Loneliness and Suicidality Among Older Korean Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptoms

Objectives

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the loneliness of older adults increased. Since loneliness and depressive symptoms may contribute to the development of suicidality, the pathways between loneliness, depressive symptoms, and suicidality should be examined more in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness and suicidality among older Korean adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore whether it is mediated by depressive symptoms.

Methods

The data used for this study was “2020 Chuncheon Elderly Life Survey,” and a total of 1200 adults aged 65 and over were included in the analysis. Suicidality was measured with the Depressive Symptom Inventory-Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS). Loneliness was measured with the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Short form of Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS). The mediating effect was tested using the PROCESS macro version 4.2 for SPSS.

Results

Adjusted for covariates, the indirect effect (path of loneliness to suicidality via depressive symptoms) was statistically significant, but the direct effect of loneliness on suicidality was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms which in turn explain suicidality among older Korean adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is required to understand the mechanisms underlying this.