Introduction: Suicide rates are highest among older adults, yet existing risk factors do not fully explain variability in suicidal ideation in later life. Mindset theory, which distinguishes between fixed (entity) and growth (incremental) beliefs about the malleability of personal attributes, has been linked to psychological adjustment across the lifespan, but it has not been empirically examined in relation to suicidality among older adults. This study investigated associations between fixed mindset beliefs and suicidal ideation, mood symptoms, and related psychosocial risk factors in later life. Methods: Participants were 110 community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 68.3 years) who completed self-report measures assessing entity theory (fixed mindset), suicidal ideation, depressive and anxiety symptoms, emotional dysregulation, negative attitudes toward aging, sociotropy, and autonomy. Results: Bivariate correlational results revealed that entity theory was significantly and positively associated with suicidal ideation, age distancing, negative age stereotyping, and sociotropy. Contrary to hypotheses, entity theory was not significantly related to depression or anxiety. To test for predictors of suicidal ideation, in a multiple regression analysis, the overall model accounted for a substantial proportion of variance in suicidal ideation (adjusted R2 = 0.70), with fixed mindset beliefs and depressive symptoms emerging as significant independent and positive predictors. Discussion: Findings suggest that fixed mindset beliefs may represent a distinct cognitive vulnerability factor for suicidal ideation in older adulthood, independent of mood symptoms. Mindset theory may offer a novel framework for understanding late-life suicide risk and inform the development of scalable, cognitive-focused interventions targeting modifiable beliefs about change and adaptability.
References
[1]
Beghi, M., Butera, E., Cerri, C. G., Cornaggia, C. M., Febbo, F., Mollica, A. et al. (2021). Suicidal Behaviour in Older Age: A Systematic Review of Risk Factors Associated to Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides. Neuroscience&BiobehavioralReviews,127, 193-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.011
[2]
Burnette, J. L., O’Boyle, E. H., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mind-sets Matter: A Meta-Analytic Review of Implicit Theories and Self-Regulation. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 655-701. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029531
[3]
Crowell, S. E., Beauchaine, T. P., & Linehan, M. M. (2009). A Biosocial Developmental Model of Borderline Personality: Elaborating and Extending Linehan’s Theory. PsychologicalBulletin,135, 495-510. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015616
[4]
Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The Role of Stress Mindset in Shaping Cognitive, Emotional, and Physiological Responses to Challenging and Threatening Stress. Anxiety,Stress,&Coping,30, 379-395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585
[5]
Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self-Theories:Their Role in Motivation, Personality,and Development. Psychology Press.
[6]
Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A View from Two Eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14, 481-496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166
[7]
Fiske, A., & O’Riley, A. A. (2016). Toward an Understanding of Late Life Suicidal Behavior: The Role of Lifespan Developmental Theory. Aging&MentalHealth,20, 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1078282
[8]
Heisel, M. J., & Flett, G. L. (2006). The Development and Initial Validation of the Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale. TheAmericanJournalofGeriatricPsychiatry,14, 742-751. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jgp.0000218699.27899.f9
[9]
Joiner, T. E. (2005). Why People Die by Suicide. Harvard University Press.
[10]
Kruse, A., & Schmitt, E. (2006). A Multidimensional Scale for the Measurement of Agreement with Age Stereotypes and the Salience of Age in Social Interaction. Ageing & Society, 26, 393-411. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X06004703
[11]
Kyeong, Y., Sheffler, P., Kürüm, E., Ferguson, L., Davis, E., Strickland-Hughes, C. et al. (2021). Growth Mindset and Older Adults’ Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic. InnovationinAging,5, 94-94. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab046.355
[12]
Maynard, H., Gregory, J. D., Davies, A., & Fox, J. (2024). Psychological Factors Protecting against Suicidality in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. ClinicalPsychology&Psychotherapy,31, e3029. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.3029
[13]
Miu, A. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2015). Preventing Symptoms of Depression by Teaching Adolescents That People Can Change: Effects of a Brief Incremental Theory of Personality Intervention at 9-Month Follow-Up. Clinical Psychological Science, 3, 726-743. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702614548317
[14]
O’Riley, A. A., & Fiske, A. (2012). Emphasis on Autonomy and Propensity for Suicidal Behavior in Younger and Older Adults. SuicideandLife-ThreateningBehavior,42, 394-404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1943-278x.2012.00098.x
[15]
Plaks, J. E., & Chasteen, A. L. (2013). Entity versus Incremental Theories Predict Older Adults’ Memory Performance. PsychologyandAging,28, 948-957. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034348
[16]
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population. AppliedPsychologicalMeasurement,1, 385-401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306
[17]
Ribeiro, J. D., Huang, X., Fox, K. R., & Franklin, J. C. (2018). Depression and Hopelessness as Risk Factors for Suicide Ideation, Attempts and Death: Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies. BritishJournalofPsychiatry,212, 279-286. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2018.27
[18]
Robins, C. J., Ladd, J., Welkowitz, J., Blaney, P. H., Diaz, R., & Kutcher, G. (1994). The Personal Style Inventory: Preliminary Validation Studies of New Measures of Sociotropy and Autonomy. JournalofPsychopathologyandBehavioralAssessment,16, 277-300. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02239408
[19]
Schroder, H. S. (2021). Mindsets in the Clinic: Applying Mindset Theory to Clinical Psychology. ClinicalPsychologyReview,83, Article 101957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101957
[20]
Segal, D. L., Granier, K. L., Pifer, M. A., & Stone, L. E. (2019). Geriatric Anxiety Scale. In D. Gu, & M. Dupree (Eds.), EncyclopediaofGerontologyandPopulationAging (pp. 1-7). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_1103-1
[21]
Segal, D. L., June, A., Payne, M., Coolidge, F. L., & Yochim, B. (2010). Development and Initial Validation of a Self-Report Assessment Tool for Anxiety among Older Adults: The Geriatric Anxiety Scale. JournalofAnxietyDisorders,24, 709-714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.05.002
[22]
Segal, D. L., Marty, M. A., Coolidge, F. L., & Armstrong, M. (2025). Suicidal Ideation in Older Adults: Exploring the Role of Depression, Hopelessness, Perceived Burdensomeness, and Thwarted Belongingness. Psychological Reports.
[23]
Segal, D. L., Marty, M. A., Meyer, W. J., & Coolidge, F. L. (2012). Personality, Suicidal Ideation, and Reasons for Living among Older Adults. TheJournalsofGerontologySeriesB:PsychologicalSciencesandSocialSciences,67, 159-166. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbr080
[24]
Segal, D. L., Qualls, S. H., & Smyer, M. A. (2018). AgingandMentalHealth (3rd ed.). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119133186
[25]
Sheffler, P., Kürüm, E., Sheen, A. M., Ditta, A. S., Ferguson, L., Bravo, D. et al. (2023). Growth Mindset Predicts Cognitive Gains in an Older Adult Multi-Skill Learning Intervention. TheInternationalJournalofAgingandHumanDevelopment,96, 501-526. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914150221106095
[26]
Tyrrell, C. (2014). A Distancing from Aging Questionnaire and Its Correlations with Personality Variables [Poster Presentation]. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, D.C.
[27]
Van Orden, K. A., Silva, C., & Conwell, Y. (2019). Suicide in Later life. In B. Knight (Ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology (Psychology and Aging) (2019). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.421
[28]
Vilagut, G., Forero, C. G., Barbaglia, G., & Alonso, J. (2016). Screening for Depression in the General Population with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D): A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. PLOSONE,11, e0155431. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155431
[29]
Watson, L. C., & Pignone, M. P. (2003). Screening Accuracy for Late-Life Depression in Primary Care: A Systematic Review. JournalofFamilyPractice,52, 956-956.
[30]
Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., Murray, J. S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C. et al. (2019). A National Experiment Reveals Where a Growth Mindset Improves Achievement. Nature,573, 364-369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y
[31]
Zhu, S., & Wong, P. W. C. (2022). What Matters for Adolescent Suicidality: Depressive Symptoms or Fixed Mindsets? Examination of Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Fixed Mindsets and Suicidal Ideation. SuicideandLife-ThreateningBehavior,52, 932-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12891
