Poster Presentation National Suicide Prevention Conference 2026

Suicidal Ideation Among Older Adults in Europe: The Role of Migration, Loneliness, and Regional Contexts. (#18)

Kristina Gundersen 1
  1. Charles University, Prague, Czechia

As Europe’s population ages, understanding the mental health of older adults, particularly migrants, is more urgent than ever. This study explores suicidal ideation among people aged 50+ in the Visegrad, Baltic, and Nordic countries, using SHARE Wave 9 data (N = 20,996, including 1,356 migrants). While suicidal thoughts were more commonly reported by migrants (6.9%) than non-migrants (4.8%), this difference vanished after adjusting for factors like age, education, loneliness, and depressive symptoms. Although migration status alone was not a significant predictor, separate analysis revealed that migrants were uniquely vulnerable to the effects of rural living. Using both single- and multilevel logistic regression, we found that individual-level factors, rather than country or region, explained most of the variance in suicidal ideation. Still, the socio-geographical context matters: rural-dwelling migrants appear at particular risk. By focusing on a rarely studied intersection of age, migration, and mental health, this study underscores the need for targeted support strategies. As aging and migration reshape Europe, emotional well-being must be at the heart of suicide prevention efforts.