• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2020

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the interest level, perception and attitude of suicide high-risk group toward the media's suicide report, and also to provide the fundamental data in order to strengthen both the standard and the recommendation of media coverage in Korea. Methods We analyzed the data from the 2013 The Korea National Suicide Survey. The study included 1500 participants aged between 19 and 75 years. The participants were selected through the regional multi-layer stratification method using the sampling frame of the 2010 Census. One-on-one face-to-face interviews investigated the interest level, opinions, and attitudes toward suicide reports and collected data on past suicide history and demographic data. The collected data were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis. A probability level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The suicide high risk groups with histories of suicidal ideations or attempts showed more interest in suicidal reports [suicidal thought odds ratio (OR) = 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-2.34 ; suicidal attempt OR = 3.21, 95% Cl = 1.52-6.78]. However, there was no difference among the groups in thought that suicide reports incite suicide (suicidal thought OR = 1.26, 95% Cl = 0.92-1.73 ; suicidal attempt OR = 0.96, 95% Cl = 0.44-2.09). The suicide high risk groups showed a positive attitude toward suicide reports, but it was not statistically significant (suicidal thought OR = 1.10, 95% Cl = 0.41-2.92 ; suicidal attempt OR = 1.10, 95% Cl = 0.76-1.59). Conclusions We suggest the need of careful attitude of media suicidal reports not to bring about copycat suicides. and also we offer suicide prevention campaign based on media leverage.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.164-174
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the rural elderly suicide literacy level upon suicide stigma and coping advice with suicidal crises (recommending professional help for a suicidal person). In particular, this study investigates the role of cultural norms (perceived social expectations for the experience of negative emotions) on suicide stigma and coping ability. Methods: A survey was conducted addressing elderly people (N=119) living in rural areas. Regression analysis using SPSS PROCESS macro was used to examine the relationships among the key variables. Results: Participants with higher suicide literacy showed lower suicide stigma, and this perception had a significant effect on enhancing their coping advice with suicidal crises. Also, perceived social expectations significantly influenced the relationship between suicide stigma and coping advice. With lower levels of social expectations, the mediating effect of suicide stigma on the relationship between suicide literacy and recommending professional help did not exist whereas the indirect effect was significant when it pertained to high levels of social expectations. Conclusion: This result signifies that suicide stigma serves as a barrier deterring Koreans from reaching out for professional help regarding their mental health. Moreover, these findings underscore the importance of cultural psychological factors such as perceived social expectations in terms of developing suicide prevention strategies.

• Journal of the Korean society of biological therapies in psychiatry
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.129-141
• /
• 2018

Suicide is a behavior that is intended to cause death by itself and requires medical treatment, resulting in suicidal attempt or completion. Suicide causes loss of life, damages the body, costs a lot of medical expenses, and causes families to fall into sorrow and suffering therefore this suicide is a huge loss to family and society. There have been attempts to reduce and prevent suicide by understanding the mechanism of suicide. The mechanism of suicide can be thought of as psychological mechanism and biological mechanism. In the past, if we considered the psychological and biological mechanisms separately, the development of neuroscience now connects and integrates these two. Psychological factors affect biological factors and biological temperaments also affect perception or thinking about the situation and increase psychological vulnerability. Distant factors in suicidal behavior-such as childhood adversity and family and genetic predisposition-increase the lifetime risk of suicide. They alter the response to stress and other processes through changes in gene expression and regulation of emotional and behavioral characteristics. Distant factors affect the biological system and consequently changes in these systems can increase the risk of suicide. In other words, the distal factor does not directly induce suicidal behavior but rather acts indirectly through developmental or mediating factors. These mediating factors are impulsive aggressive and anxious trait, and chronic use of substances. The mechanism of this disorder is the abnormality of the serotonin system and the abnormality of the lipid level. Proximal factors are associated with the onset of suicide events and include changes in the major neurotransmitter systems, inflammatory changes, and dysfunction of glial cells in the brain. A series of studies, including a variety of research methods and postmortem and in-vivo imaging studies, show the impairment of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress response system for suicidal behavior. These disorders lead to suicidal behavior due to difficulty in cognitive control of mood, pessimism, reactive aggression, abnormality in problem solving abilities, excessive response to negative social signals, severe emotional distress, and cognitive dysregulation of suicidal ideation.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.13-21
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze correlations among searches of hwa-byung, depression, and suicide using big data. Methods: Keywords searches were performed using both Google Trends and Naver Data Lab on December 13, 2022. From 2016 to 2022, search results for keywords 'hwa-byung', 'depression', and 'suicide' were extracted with a score between 0 and 100 in terms of relative search popularity (RSP). Monthly time analysis, correlation analysis, and regional analysis were then conducted for these scores. Results: Regardless of the search period, RSP for both portal sites was in the order of 'suicide', 'depression', and 'hwa-byung'. Over time, search for 'depression' tended to increase in Google (slope: 0.0092), whereas search for 'hwa-byung' showed a slight increase in Naver (slope: 0.0024). Correlation coefficient for search terms 'depression' and 'suicide' was 0.3969 in Google Trends and 0.4459 in Naver Data Lab, showing clear positive correlations. On the other hand, there was little correlation between search results of 'hwa-byung' and 'depression' or between 'hwa-byung' and 'suicide'. However, compared to males, females showed higher positive associations between search results of 'hwa-byung' and 'depression' and between 'hwa-byung' and 'suicide'. Search terms 'depression' and 'suicide' showed high RSPs in most regions in South Korea. However, 'hwa-byung' had distinct regional differences in terms of RSP. Conclusions: Results of this study will help us understand Korean public's perception of the relevance of hwa-byung, depression, and suicide and plan future research in this topic. In addition, findings of this study may provide future public health implications for reducing the high suicide rate in Korea.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.649-671
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study was to identify the meaning of performance experienced in the process of practicing at the elderly suicide prevention center. Therefore, the actual results perceived from the subjective viewpoints of the chiefs, staff and service users from the public institutions, which offer the elderly suicide prevention services were examined. The results classified the service provider's view, service users view and multi-dimensional view. The research method is a case study of qualitative research method. The results of the study found that the analysis commonly perceived from the perspectives of both the chiefs and staff from the public institutions offering elderly suicide prevention service were 'the perception of structural obstacles during the process of practicing the services and focused on the achievement of experiencing changes in the service users and the community'. On the other hand, the analysis from the perspective of the service users turned out to be 'focusing on changes in the users'internal perception according to service experiences'. The meaning and essence of the analytical results perceived from each perspective are summarized as follows. First, the analytical results perceived of the chiefs of public institutions offering elderly suicide prevention service were 'the process in which the identification of the institution is rediscovered through the service'. Second, the analytical results perceived by the staff from the institution were 'being acknowledged in the community and organization while experiencing changes in the service users in the process of struggling to survive in such community and organization'. Third, the analytical results perceived by the service users were 'holding on to the lifeline at the edge of a precipice'. Based on the results, political and practical implications of elderly suicide prevention service were discussed.

• The Critical Review of Religion and Culture
• /
• no.31
• /
• pp.255-287
• /
• 2017

This paper analyzes the religious circuit of suicidal concept based on verbal expression and ritual acts, which are found in the suicide discourse of Korean Catholic Church and Protestant Church. In the relationship of suicide and religion, it is easily overlooked the religious circuit and its construction that forms the concept of suicide among the religious laymen. It is assumed that the belief system of traditional religions prohibits suicide and the laymen accordingly construct a perception or concept of suicide along with this belief system. Various studies on this subject have proved it. However, in order to understand the religious way of constructing the concept of suicide on a personal level, it is necessary to pay attention to the religious environment in which the concepts and emotions of suicide circulate. The laymen do not passively and perfectly accept the finely established suicide concept provided by the doctrine or the theology. Rather, the laymen tend to collect the pieces of concept over the suicide that are drifting in the religious environment of his/her daily routine life and to make an concept of suicide in an incomplete form. We can find the unstable and imperfect traits of such a suicide concept through the experience of suicide survivors who have a religious background. For the suicide survivors with religious beliefs, they resist the formal doctrinal and theological provisions to suicide, or try to understand the notion of suicide in their own contexts. In terms of linguistic expressions and ritual acts relating to suicide, the attentions are differently directed in the public and the private domain among the religious groups. Considering on the high rates of suicide in Korean society, the Korean Catholic Churches are increasingly tolerant over the suicide and accept it in the public sphere. It is unlikely when comparing to the negative attitudes of the suicide in the past. However, such tolerance does not go beyond the doctrinal and ethical judgment that defines suicide as a serious sin. The once-committed lay believer's speech and gestures usually contain the various emotions, such as sadness, grief, anxiety, regretfulness, eagerness, and pain in the private spheres. The language and gestures with these emotions have been activated in the religious circuits of suicide, being extended to the religious apparatus for the person who died of suicide. In case of Protestantism, the institutional organizations, such as the particular denominations and the individual-churchism of the Korean Protestant Churches, and their own interpretations of the Bible have in the private sphere strongly effected on the linguistic expressions and the rituals related to the suicide. The religious-ethical judgment of the suicide is varied how the suicide is interpreted by the theologians and the pastors. And the ritual acts for healing the complex feelings and the psychological wounds of the suicide survivors are not actively explored and adopted yet. It makes harder to approach and heal the protestant followers since they emphasize the innermost belief and the salvation assurance faith.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.61-75
• /
• 2012

Objectives: A great number of the elderly are not aware of having metabolic syndrome, and this pattern differs among regions of the nation. This issue is particularly important for the elderly people with chronic diseases. This study was conducted in order to identify the prevalence, predicting factors of perception and exercise behaviors of among the elderly population. Methods: Using data from the 2009 Korean Community Health Survey, we employed two-level logistic regression models to determine whether individual and community factors are associated with perception and exercise behaviors among the elderly population. Results: Results from weighted two-level logistic regression analyses indicated the individual-level factors of smoking, education level, health center education, community exercise program participation and unmet needs in men, and marital status (being separated), health center education women predicted the elders' perception. As for the community-level predictors, higher smoking and living in regions with high suicide rates significantly predicted the elders' perception and exercise behaviors of metabolic syndrome. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that education according to stage would increase the perception and motivation toward healthier behavior particularly for the elderly with lower perception levels of metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.445-462
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this study is to provide some basic data for the direction of nursing education and practice to prevent nursing malpractice as investgating perception of the nurse on the nursing malpractice and its case. Data were collected from 450 nurse working in four general hospitals which were located in Chonbuk province from November 9 to 21, 1998 through questionnare. The structured instruments developed by the reseacher were used for collecting data. The Results were as follows: 1) As for the cognition of the nursing malpractice case, the transfusion accident was 37.3%, the side-effects of KCL injection(19.3%), hymen rupture by uterus cancer test, the side-effects of aminophyllin injections on dyspnea patient and the others were 10% below. 2) With regard to the channel of the perception of the nursing malpractice case, mass-communication was taken first and followed through by neighbors, In-service education, school education, continuing education 3) As for the direct${\cdot}$indirect experience of the nursing malpractice case, transfusion accident was 51.3%, the fall of NPO patient after an operation 40.1%, the side-effect of KCL injection 32.5%, suicide of the psychiatric patient 32.5%, and the others were 30% below. 4) The possibility of nursing malpractice case was an average 2.57(${\pm}$0.91) and the highest was the fall of the NPO patient after an operation. 5) The perception on the responsibility of the nursing malpractice in its case was indicated as a joint-fault in ten nursing malpractice instances. As compared to the real decision, nurse's perception of the responsibility in the fall of the NPO patient after an operation, the side-effect of KCL injection, the tracheal edema of the patient who had a thyroid operation, the suicide of psychiatric patient, the hymen rupture by uterus cancer test accorded real decisions. But the other cases were different from the real decisions. These cases were perceived as ones of joint fault even in cases determined as Dr's single fault cases or those in which both doctor and nurse were declared free of fault. 6) Knowledge levels of the nursing malpractice, school education and In-service education were perceived as low but anxiety levels of the malpractice were high. 7) With regard to the countmeasure of the hospital after nursing malpractice, the rate answered as "the practice settled the accident temporarily and forced the person in charge to be punished" was highest. In conclusion, the level of the cognition of the clinical nurse on nursing malpractice cases was low. As nurses' perception on the responsibility of the nursing malpractice case was compared to the real decision, there was a difference in five cases out of the ten cases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.94-104
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Mental health disorders and suicide are an important and growing public health concern in Korea. Evidence has shown that both globally and in Korea, obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing some psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we examined the association between distorted body weight perception (BWP) and suicidal ideation. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2007-2012 Korea National Health and Nutritional Evaluation Survey (KNHANES), an annual cross-sectional nationwide survey that included 14 276 men and 19 428 women. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between nine BWP categories, which combined body image (BI) and body mass index (BMI) categories, and suicidal ideation. Moreover, the fitness of our models was verified using the Akaike information criterion. Results: Consistent with previous studies, suicidal ideation was associated with marital status, household income, education level, and perceived health status in both genders. Only women were significantly more likely to have distorted BWP; there was no relationship among men. In category B1 (low BMI and normal BI), women (odds ratio [OR], 2.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 3.42) were more likely to express suicidal ideation than women in category B2 (normal BMI and normal BI) were. Women in overweight BWP category C2 (normal BMI and fat BI) also had an increased OR for suicidal ideation (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.42). Those in normal BWP categories were not likely to have suicidal ideation. Among women in the underweight BWP categories, only the OR for those in category A2 (normal BMI and thin BI) was significant (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.59). Conclusions: Distorted BWP should be considered an important factor in the prevention of suicide and for the improvement of mental health among Korean adults, especially Korean women with distorted BWPs.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.21 no.9
• /
• pp.57-66
• /
• 2023

This study aims to examine how subjective class perception of children from single-parent families affects suicidal thoughts and to verify the mediated effects of depression and subjective health perception. To this end, the analysis data used the 2020 Korean Children and Youth Human Rights Survey conducted by the Korea Youth Policy Institute, and 618 children from single-parent families who responded to the survey were selected and analyzed as study subjects. As a result of the analysis, first, it was found that the higher the subjective class perception, the lower the suicidal impulse. Second, depression was found to be completely mediated in the relationship between subjective class perception and suicide impulse. Third, subjective health awareness was found to be completely mediated in the relationship between subjective class perception and suicidal thoughts. Based on these research results, we proposed policy and practical measures to reduce suicidal impulses according to the subjective class perception of children of single-parent families.