• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.553-563
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• 2020

Suicide is one of the major social problems in Korea, and its suicide rate is highest among the OECD countries. It has been reported that employment instability in labour market is causal factor of suicide ideation. Because the unemployed and temporary or part-time workers are reported to have high level of suicide ideation due to unstable job security, and they are likely to be a high risk group for suicide, it is necessary to do in-depth research on the effect of job stability on suicide ideation and the protective factors. For this purpose this study investigates the relationship between employment status and suicide ideation, and examine the moderating effect of family function. Data of 1,235 adults from the national-wide 'Longitudinal Study of Suicide Survivors' Mental Health were analyzed. Employment status were associated with the level of suicide ideation(B=-.904, p<.001), and the level of suicide ideation was the highest in the unemployed group. And the moderating effect of family function was statistically significant(B=-.218, p<.05), and good family function buffers the effect of unstable job status on suicide as a protective factor. Based on these findings, policy and practical implications for suicide prevention for precarious employment from the family dimension are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.95-102
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• 2003

Objectives：This study was aimed at examining the emotional predictors of adolescent suicidal ideas in a community. Methods：The subjects were 1909 middle and high school students(936 males, 973 females) in Koyang-shi. We evaluated all subjects using Center for Epidemiologic Study for Depression(CES-D), Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale(RCMAS), Korean-Youth Self Report(K-YSR), Psychological Self-1 of Offer's Self Image Questionnaire(PS-1 of OSIQ) and Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ). We compared the PS-1 of OSIQ scores of Anxious-depressive group(above cut-off points of CES-D, RCMAS and K-YSR) to those of control group, and conducted correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis to all subjects. Results：The number of anxious-depressive group was 126(6.58%) among 1909 subjects with significant gender difference(M：F ratio 1：1.5). Both PS-1 of OSIQ and SIQ scores were significantly higher in Anxious-depressive group than in control group. There were significant correlations among the scales：CES-D, RCMAS, A/D of K-YSR, PS-1 of OSIQ and SIQ. Through stepwise multiple regression analysis, we found that significant predictors of suicidal idea were CES-D, RCMAS and A/D of K-YSR. Conclusion：Anxious-depressive adolescents may be the high-risk group for suicidality and need preventive interventions of suicidality in a community.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2010

Objective : This study aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence of depression and suicidality among the elderly in a rural city according to their residence type. Methods : Participants were 311 elderly people (109 male and 202 female) in Icheon City, whom trained researchers interviewed and examined Geriatric Depression Scale, Social Support Scale, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life Scale, and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), module C. Using these data, we analyzed participants' risk factors associated with depression and suicidality. Results : The prevalence of depression was 28.0%. The prevalence in the elderly living alone and those admitted to residential facilities was significantly higher than that among the elderly living with family. Suicidality frequency was 19.6%. The suicidality frequency among the elderly living alone and those admitted to facilities was significantly higher than that among the elderly living with family. The risk factors for depression were age, admission to a facility, and low economic status. The suicidality risk factors were living alone, admission to a facility, poor social support, and a history of headache. Conclusion : These results showed the prevalence of depression and frequency of suicidality among the elderly in such a city was quite high. The results of this study remind psychiatrists of the importance of early detection and therapeutic intervention for the elderly with a high risk of depression and suicidality.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the factors including possibility of bipolar disorder that are related to intensity of suicidal idea. Methods : The study subjects consisted of 50 patients who did suicidal attempt and treated at the Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital Emergency Room. All participants underwent psychiatric interview and underwent Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale(C-SSRS), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Korean Version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire(MDQ) and Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale(BSDS) to evaluate patient's suicide attempt, severity of depression and possibility of bipolar disorder. Results : Compared to non-high risk group, suicide high risk group showed significantly higher BDI(p<0.001) and intensity of ideation(IOI) in C-SSRS(p<0.001). Also intensity of ideation(IOI) was correlated with Mood Disorder Questionnaire(MDQ) bipolarity positive(p=0.033). Conclusions : The present study indicated that possibility of bipolar disorder plays a significant role in suicide attempters. Assessment of suicide ideation severity and possibility of bipolar disorder should be considered when suicide attempters come to emergency room.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.471-479
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between ADHD, depression, anxiety, suicide risk and suicide risk of university freshmen, and to investigate factors affecting suicide risk of university freshmen. As a result, the correlation between suicide risk and ADHD, depression, and anxiety were statistically significant. The correlation between suicide risk and ADHD (r=-.411) was moderately negative, while depression (r=-.594) and anxiety (r=-.563) were high negative correlations. According to the logistic regression analysis, the significant factors affecting suicide risk of college freshmen were ADHD, depression, and anxiety. In the abnormal group of variables, ADHD (OR=3.17; 95% CI 1.36-7.38), depression (OR=10.80; 95% CI 4.32-27.02) and anxiety (OR=3.39; 95% CI 1.55-7.41) were identified as influencing factors. As such, suicide risk groups of college freshmen are highly associated with ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Therefore, personal counseling and regular psychological tests of college freshmen will be provided to the high-risk suicide program to help students' psychological stability and adjustment to school life.

• Mood & Emotion
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2012

Suicide is a complex behavior associated with various neurobiological and psychosocial factors. It is considered that genetic polymorphism combined with environmental stress such as child-adolescent trauma make differences in neurobiological systems, which cause psychiatric disorders or pessimistic personality, impulse-aggressive behaviors, lack of judgment, and finally result in suicidal behavior. Much progress in the neurobiology of suicide has been made over the several decades. There seems to be a hereditary disposition to suicide independent of psychiatric disorder. The changes in neurotransmitters, neurohormones, neurotrophic factors, cytokines, lipid metabolisms related with their genetic polymorphism can contribute to disturbance of signal transductions and neuronal circuits vulnerable to suicide. It is likely that the main factors are dysfunctions of serotonin (5-HT) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Our understanding about the neurobiology of suicide is still limited. However, clinical practice could be assisted by neurobiological findings capable of making the detection of risk populations with higher sensitivity and the development of new treatment interventions. The settlement of biological markers in suicidal behaviors and their relationships is required.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.130-140
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore levels of suicidal ideation and identify subgroups of high suicidal risk among the depressed elderly in Korea. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted on secondary data from the 6th (1st year) Korean national health and nutrition examination survey (KNHANES). A total of 239 depressed elders aged 60 or over who participated in the KNHANES. The prevalence of suicidal ideation and its related factors, including sociodemographic, physical, psychological characteristics and quality of life (EQ-5D index) were examined. Descriptive statistics and a decision tree analysis were performed using the SPSS/WIN 23.0 and SPSS Modeler 14.2 programs. Results: Of the depressed elderly, 28.9% had suicidal ideation. Three groups with high suicidal ideation were identified. Predictive factors included perceived stress level, household income level, quality of life and restriction of activity. In the highest risk group were those depressed elderly with moderate and low levels of stress, less than .71 of EQ-5D index and restriction of activity, and 80.0% of these participants had suicidal ideation. The accuracy of the model was 80.8%, its sensitivity 85.9%, and its specificity 68.1%. Conclusion: Multi-dimensional intervention should be designed to decrease suicide among the depressed elderly, particularly focusing on subgroups with high risk factors. This research is expected to contribute itself to the policy design and solution building in the future as it suggests policy implications in preventing the suicide of the depressed elderly.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.116-125
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• 2020

Objectives : Self-poisoning is the leading cause of visits to the emergency departments after a suicide attempts. This study is aimed to compare the patient characteristics according to the category of drugs ingested by the patients who attempted suicide. Methods : All medical charts were retrospectively reviewed from patients who visited the emergency center, at Seoul Medical Center, due to intentional self-poisoning from April of 2011 to July of 2019. We investigated the information regarding the subtype and quantity of the intoxication drug, how it was obtained, suicidal history, and psychiatric history, as well as, sociodemographic information. Variables were compared between prescription drug (PD) and non-prescription drug (NPD) poisoning groups. Results : The mean age of the NPD poisoning group was significantly lower than that of the PD poisoning group. The patient ratio of those enrolled in national health insurance and living with spouses were significantly higher in the NPD poisoning group. Compared to the NPD poisoning group, the PD poisoning group had a higher incidence of mental illnesses, underlying diseases and ratio of involuntary visit to the emergency department. Among the prescription drugs, the benzodiazepine poisoning group had a higher rate of self-prescription than the non-poisoning group, while the zolpidem poisoning group had a higher rate of the using someone else's prescription than other drugs. Each single drug poisoning group (benzodiazepine, zolpidem, and antidepressant single-agent) had a higher rate of no mental illness than each of the mixed-poisoning group. Conclusions : Guidelines for regulating non-prescription drugs are needed as a matter of suicide prevention. Also, this study suggests that clinicians need to be careful when issuing prescriptions and should suicidal risk according to patients' characteristics, duration of follow-up and type of drug packaging.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.41
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• pp.387-408
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• 2014

South Korea already became an aging society, and is now in the process of becoming an aged society. With increasing elderly population, elderly safety issues such as traffic accidents and elderly suicides are becoming important problems. Elderly victimization are increasing, and elderly safety accident is also becoming an imporotant social problem. The police is doing various activities for elderly safety. The police is conducting programs for the elderly, such as a prevention program for fraud against elderly, and safety checks and traffic safety education for preventing elderly traffic accidents. Also, there's a program of providing regular visits for a lone elderly, expansion of CCTV network and fingerprint registration to prevent elderlies with Alzheimer's disease going missing. However, these programs are not done on a national scale, but rather limited to local police stations. The purpose of this study is to seek police roles for enhancing elderly safety, due to lack of police activity in this area. Recommendation for police roles in enhancing elderly safety is to first conduct routine crackdowns on fraud against elderly and also conduct education programs for preventing fraud. Also, crimes such as elderly abuse is lead by elderly protection agencies, but considering elderly abuse is a crime, the police should take a leading role. Also, to prevent elderly suicide, meticulous management of elderlies with high suicide risk is necessary, and elderly protection areas should be designated to prevent traffic accidents. Also, elderlies should be induced to turn in their driver's license. To conduct these matters of elderly safety, an organization exclusively charged with elderly safety is necessary. Elderly safety is a broad concept, and since police alone cannot handle the task of ensuring elderly safety, the police should take on a leading role in cooperative efforts with various institutions of the government, non-profit organizations and the community to establish a social saftey net for elderly safety.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1283-1293
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to compare the health behaviors, mental health and internet addiction by gender differences among Korean adolescents and to examine relevances between health behaviors, mental health and internet addiction. The subjects were 73,238 Korean adolescents(male: 38,391, female: 34,847) who were recruited through national web-based survey. The data were derived from the Sixth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey 2010 in South Korea. There were significant differences in health behaviors, mental health and internet addiction. by gender differences. Prevalence of internet addiction was male: 3.9%, female: 1.9% in this study. As the result of multiple logistic regression, the risk of internet addiction was increased in the case of smoking experience, substance experience, subjective health status, feeling of stress, depression experience, suicidal ideation, feeling of happiness, and sufficiency of sleeps in both male and female. Therefore, to decrease internet addiction prevalence, it is necessary to detect and manage the influencing risk factors of internet addiction such as health behaviors and mental health. And the health-promotion intervention to improve the internet addiction of adolescents should be planed and provided considering such differences by gender differences.