Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation among Middle Class Korean: Focusing on Psychosocial Comparison - An Analysis of a Nationwide Survey of the 8th Korea Health Panel Data

Article information

Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2018;29(1):1-10

Publication date (electronic) : 2018 March 12

doi : https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2018.29.1.1

Ahra Jo ¹, Bora Kang ², Youngju Seo ², Eunha Gil ³, Heeyoung Oh^,⁴

¹Graduate School of Nursing, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea

²Hospital of Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea

³Department of Nursing, Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea

⁴College of Nursing, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea

Corresponding author: Oh, Heeyoung College of Nursing, Eulji University, 77 Gyeryoung-ro, 771 beon-gil, Jung-gu, Daejeon 34824, Korea. Tel: +82-42-259-1713, Fax: +82-42-259-1709, E-mail: hoh123@eulji.ac.kr

Received 2017 April 12; Revised 2017 November 26; Accepted 2018 January 26.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors of suicidal ideation among middle class Korean.

Methods

Cross sectional study was designed for secondary data analysis. From the 8th Korea Health Panel survey (2008~2013), a total of 6,037 data was drawn and analyzed by developmental stage using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, x² test, and logistic regression analysis.

Results

Across all age groups, high physical-mental stress, frustration, anxiety about the future and low self-perceived health status or social class were found to be the risk factors of suicidal ideation. Peer-compared subjective health status and frustration significantly influenced the adolescents. The young adults‘suicidal ideation was mainly influenced by physical and mental stress, frustration and absence of economic activity. For the middle-aged, physical and mental stress, frustration, future anxiety, low peer-compared subjective health status were found to be the major influencing factors. The predominant risk factors for the elderly were frustration and low peer-compared subjective health status.

Conclusion

Making comparisons to others significantly influence suicidal ideation throughout all life cycles. Improvement of mental health and suicide prevention can be enhanced by avoiding negative comparison to others.

Keywords: Suicidal ideation; Suicide; Risk factors; Mental health; Social class

Table 1.

Comparison of Suicidal Ideation Rate by Demographic Factors among Middle-class Korean Adolescents, Young Adults, Middle-aged and the Elderly who able doing Independent Activities of Daily Living

Table 2.

Comparison of Suicidal Ideation Rate by Psychosocial Factors among Middle-class Korean Adolescents, Young Adults, Middle-aged and the Elderly who able doing Independent Activities of Daily Living

Table 3.

Factors Influencing Suicidal Ideation among Middle-class Korean Adolescents, Young Adults, Middle-aged and the Elderly who able doing Independent Activities of Daily Living

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