Resilience as a Protective Factor in Older Adult Suicide: A Rapid Review

Abstract

Nearly 700,000 suicide deaths occur each year. One in every five suicide death occurs among adults over 60 years of age or older. As the aging population increases rapidly, there is a need to understand protective factors to prevent older adult suicide. This study used the rapid review methodology to search literature from 1997 to 2022, examining whether resilience was a protective factor. The literature search was conducted over the following six databases for peer-reviewed journals and gray literature including Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Academic Search Premier, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, and SocINDEX with Full Text. A total of six peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria. The conclusion of the articles suggested resilience may be a protective factor in older adult suicide. Despite its underpinning, resilience in suicide prevention literature is lacking. More studies should examine resilience and its constructs as part of the effort to prevent older adult suicide.