Sense of belonging as a predictor of reasons for living in older adults.

In response to the high rate of suicide among aging people, this study investigated sense of belonging as a predictor of reasons for living in an aged sample. A community sample of 104 Australians aged 61 to 95 years completed The Reasons for Living Inventory and The Sense of Belonging Instrument. Results indicated that a higher sense of belonging predicted more reasons to live overall, and child-related concerns, responsibility to family, and survival and coping beliefs, specifically. Future research should investigate if the enhancement of a sense of belonging among older adults is associated with an increase in reasons for living.