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Socioeconomic inequalities in suicidal ideation, parasuicides, and completed suicides in South Korea

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  • Kim, Myoung-Hee
  • Jung-Choi, Kyunghee
  • Jun, Hee-Jin
  • Kawachi, Ichiro

Abstract

As a result of unprecedented increase in suicides over the last decade, Korea now ranks at the top of OECD countries in suicide statistics (26.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2005). Our study sought to document socioeconomic inequalities in self-destructive behaviors including suicidal ideation, parasuicide, and completed suicide. For prevalence of suicidal ideation and parasuicide, we used four waves of data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1995, 1998, 2001, and 2005). For suicide mortality, we abstracted suicide cases from the National Death Registration records, and linked them with population denominators from the national census in 1995, 2000, and 2005. We examined variation in self-destructive behaviors according to level of educational attainment (at the individual level), as well as area-level characteristics including level of deprivation and degree of urbanicity. Age-standardized rates were calculated through direct standardization using the 2005 census population as the standard. Inequalities were measured by the relative index of inequality and the slope index of inequality. The age-standardized prevalence of suicidal ideation decreased across consecutive surveys in both genders (18.0-13.5% for men, 27.5-22.9% for women). Parasuicides similarly decreased over time. By contrast, completed suicides increased over time (20.9-42.8 per 100,000 for men and 8.9-20.9 for women). The most prominent increases in completed suicides were observed among the elderly in both genders. Lower education, rural residence, and area deprivation was each associated with higher suicide rates. Both absolute as well as relative inequalities in suicide by socioeconomic position widened over time. Our findings suggest that the current suicide epidemic in Korea has social origins. In addition to clinical approaches targeted to the prevention of suicides in high risk individuals, social policies are needed to protect disadvantaged populations at risk of self-destructive behaviors.

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  • Kim, Myoung-Hee & Jung-Choi, Kyunghee & Jun, Hee-Jin & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2010. "Socioeconomic inequalities in suicidal ideation, parasuicides, and completed suicides in South Korea," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(8), pages 1254-1261, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:8:p:1254-1261
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Pak, Tae-Young & Choung, Youngjoo, 2020. "Relative deprivation and suicide risk in South Korea," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    3. Yamamura, Eiji, 2015. "Comparison of Social Trust's effect on suicide ideation between urban and non-urban areas: The Case of Japanese Adults in 2006," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 118-126.
    4. Eiji Yamamura, 2015. "Comparison of Social Capital's Effect on Consideration of Suicide between Urban and Rural Areas," ISER Discussion Paper 0933, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    5. Eun Shil Cha & Young-Ho Khang & Won Jin Lee, 2014. "Mortality from and Incidence of Pesticide Poisoning in South Korea: Findings from National Death and Health Utilization Data between 2006 and 2010," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(4), pages 1-8, April.
    6. Aggie Noah & Francesco Acciai & Glenn Firebaugh, 2016. "Understanding the contribution of suicide to life expectancy in South Korea," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(22), pages 617-644.
    7. Joongbaeck Kim & Soo-Yeon Yoon, 2018. "Association between socioeconomic attainments and suicidal ideation by age groups in Korea," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(7), pages 628-636, November.
    8. Minkyung Jo & Hyun-Jin Kim & Soo Jung Rim & Min Geu Lee & Chul Eung Kim & Subin Park, 2020. "The cost-of-illness trend of schizophrenia in South Korea from 2006 to 2016," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, July.
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    10. Son, Hyewon & Ahn, Eunhye & Kim, Jinho, 2024. "Children's bullying victimization and maternal suicidal ideation among multicultural families in South Korea: Heterogeneity by family socioeconomic status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    11. Şenol Demirci & Murat Konca & Birol Yetim & Gülnur İlgün, 2020. "Effect of economic crisis on suicide cases: An ARDL bounds testing approach," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(1), pages 34-40, February.
    12. Hong-Hee Won & Woojae Myung & Gil-Young Song & Won-Hee Lee & Jong-Won Kim & Bernard J Carroll & Doh Kwan Kim, 2013. "Predicting National Suicide Numbers with Social Media Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-6, April.
    13. Kachi, Yuko & Inoue, Mariko & Nishikitani, Mariko & Tsurugano, Shinobu & Yano, Eiji, 2013. "Determinants of changes in income-related health inequalities among working-age adults in Japan, 1986–2007: Time-trend study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 94-101.

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