Older men have the highest rate of suicide & lethality in Australia. Despite this, suicide in older men is a neglected topic in research, prevention & mental health promotion campaigns. Age-specific psychosocial difficulties (e.g. social role changes) may place older adults at higher risk of suicide, implying different risk & protective factors. Existing older adult research has tended to be international, compare men to women, & focus on suicide ideators. There is limited research examining suicide risk & protective factors in older Indigenous men, who have a lower suicide rate than older non-Indigenous men.

This project will investigate suicide risk & protective factors in older Australian men. It will investigate whether these factors are geographically & culturally specific. It will do this by focusing on the lived experiences of older men who have made potentially fatal suicide attempts & those bereaved by an older male’s suicide.

Professor Andrea Lamont-Mills

• Professor Andrea Lamont-Mills

• Centre for Health Sciences Research
• Institute for Resilient Regions
• School of Psychology and Wellbeing

• Psychology
• Public Health and Health Services

• Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)