Background Immigration is a global issue. Taiwan has a high proportion of immigrant spouses who take care of the aging parents-in-law at home mainly based on filial piety. Difficulties in communication in many aspects of daily life occur between the elderly and immigrant spouses, and result in the elderly becoming vulnerable and thus, influencing their psychological well-being. Although past studies demonstrated that due to cultural differences, employed foreign care providers negatively influenced elder care quality (e.g., care receipts’ health or mortality rates), no studies have explored whether immigrant spouses, as family caregivers, have any influence on elderly suicides due to cross cultural communication differences. Objective To address the above gap, this study was to examine the static relationship between immigrant spouses and elderly suicides. Method National-level authority data, comprising a 10-year longitudinal nationwide sample, were used. The number of immigrant spouses was treated as a proxy of cultural differences. Twelve models of outcomes with and without city- and time-fixed effects were conducted using panel data analysis. Results Descriptive statistics of the study variables are provided. The results revealed that overall the number of immigrant spouses had a positive correlation with suicides in older adults. Further, the gender of immigrant spouses had different impacts on elderly suicides. Conclusions This is the first study to examine relation between immigrant spouses and the elderly suicides. The study results provide another viewpoint of understanding of the role of immigrant spouses in elder care, while promoting elder-caregiver interactions for optimal elder health outcomes. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Elderly suicide Immigrant spouses culture differences

Parents communication barrier Cultural Diversity immigrant longitudinal study Caregivers lowest income group Spouses long term care human epidemiology Longitudinal Studies daily life activity aging middle income country middle aged disabled person statistics and numerical data controlled study priority journal Aged communication skill language ethnology Taiwan Intergenerational Relations religion human relation marriage Humans migrant psychology male Emigrants and Immigrants female Aged, 80 and over spouse very elderly immigrant spouse cultural factor transnational marriage Article lifestyle modification adult mortality rate health care quality sex factor Sex Factors psychological well-being world health organization Cultural Characteristics caregiver Suicide parent