Qualities of daily life and suicide in old age: A comparative perspective

The purpose of this article is to examine the incidence of suicide among older people from a crosscultural perspective. A review of the theories and the evidence relied on in studies of the relationship between age and suicide introduces a comparative study of suicide in old age. Age and gender aggregates in eleven countries are examined. Societal conditions, such as educational participation, pension expenditures, marital disruption among the aged, and qualities of daily life, like solitude and work absorption, are associated with late life suicide rates.