A closer look at the increase in suicide rates in South Korea from 1986–2005

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Suicide rates have recently been decreasing on average among OECD countries, but increasing trends have been detected in South Korea, particularly since the 1997 economic crisis. There have been no detailed analyses about the changes of the suicide rates over time periods in Korea. We examined trends in both absolute and proportional suicide rates over the time period of economic development, crisis, and recovery (1986 – 2005) as well as in birth cohorts from 1924 to 1978.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used data on total mortality and suicide rates from 1986 to 2005 published online by the Korean National Statistical Office (NSO) and extracted data for individuals under 80 years old. The analyses of the trends for 1) the sex-age-specific total mortality rate, 2) the sex-age-specific suicide rate, and 3) the sex-age-specific proportional suicide rate in 1986–2005 were conducted. To demonstrate the birth cohort effect on the proportional suicide rate, the synthetic birth cohort from 1924 to 1978 from the successive cross-sectional data was constructed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age standardized suicide rates in South Korea increased by 98% in men (from 15.3 to 30.3 per 100,000) and by 124% in women (from 5.8 to 13.0 per 100,000). In both genders, the proportional increase in suicide rates was more prominent among the younger group aged under 45, despite the absolute increase being attributed to the older group. There were distinct cohort effects underlying increasing suicide rates particularly among younger age groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Increasing suicide rates in Korea was composed of a greater absolute increase in the older group and a greater proportional increase in the younger group.</p

Intimate Relationships Buffer Suicidality in National Guard Service Members: A Longitudinal Study

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152611/1/sltb12537.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152611/2/sltb12537_am.pd

The indirect effect of perceived burdensomeness on the relationship between indices of social support and suicide ideation in college students

OBJECTIVE: Research has demonstrated that a lack of social support is related to suicide risk. This study examines perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, as mechanisms of the social support-suicide relationship in college students. METHOD: The study consisted of 207 students from a Midwestern university. Data were collected from 2007 to 2008. Two multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness mediated the relationship between indices of social support and suicide ideation. RESULTS: Perceived burdensomeness mediated the relationships between perceived social support and suicide ideation (95% confidence interval [CI] -.02 to -.00, effect size = -.01) and social connectedness and suicide ideation (95% CI -.03 to -.00, effect size = -.03). Thwarted belongingness did not mediate either relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that a lack of social support could lead to perceptions of being a burden on others, which could lead to suicide ideation

Marital status and suicide in the National Longitudinal Mortality Study

OBJECTIVES—The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of marital status on the risk of suicide, using a large nationally representative sample. A related objective was to investigate the association between marital status and suicide by sex.
METHODS—Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, based on the 1979-1989 follow up. In estimating the effect of marital status, adjustments were made for age, sex, race, education, family income, and region of residence.
RESULTS—For the entire sample, higher risks of suicide were found in divorced than in married persons. Divorced and separated persons were over twice as likely to commit suicide as married persons (RR=2.08, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 1.58, 2.72). Being single or widowed had no significant effect on suicide risk. When data were stratified by sex, it was observed that the risk of suicide among divorced men was over twice that of married men (RR=2.38, CI 1.77, 3.20). Among women, however, there were no statistically significant differentials in the risk of suicide by marital status categories.
CONCLUSIONS—Marital status, especially divorce, has strong net effect on mortality from suicide, but only among men. The study showed that in epidemiological research on suicide, more accurate results would be obtained if samples are stratified on the basis of key demographic or social characteristics. The study further observed that failure to control for relevant socioeconomic variables or combining men and women in the same models could produce misleading results.


Keywords: suicide; marital status; socioeconomic status; effect modificatio