The prediction of suicidal thoughts in the elderly on the basis of gratitude and self-compassion

Introduction: Self-Compassion and gratitude can affect the various aspects of the life of the elderly. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between gratitude and self-Compassion with suicidal ideation in the elderly. Methods: For this study 378 Elders in Tehran were selected by Non-randomly sampling method. Data was collected using gratitude scale, Beck suicidal ideation scale, and self-compassion short form scale. The data were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis. Results: The results of the step-by-step regression analysis showed that the F-value in the first step was 69.522 and in the second step it was44.305, which are all significant. Also, the explanatory factor was 53% in the first step and 60% in the second step. Thus,  gratitude and self-compassion are capable of predicting 60% of changes in suicidal ideation in the elderly. Conclusion: Based on the findings considering the ways of increasing the gratitude of the elderly as an external power of the individual, also by enhancing the self-compassion of himself as internal power, can the flexibility of the elderly against suicide increased, and consequently reduced the suicidal ideation.