• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.489-511
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• 2009

While late-life suicide has been increasing and become an important issue for public health in Korea, little is known about the phenomenon and its contributing risk factors based on which effective preventive measures can be made. Since suicidal ideation is a major precursor to attempted and completed suicide, the objective of the present study was to reveal primary contributors to suicidal ideation. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 247 community-dwelling Korean older adults (age≥60) in the mid-size city in Korea. The statistical methodology employed a robust hierarchical regression procedure that iteratively downweights outliers. Based on the stress-diathesis model, the study examined major diathesis and stressors directly explaining suicidal ideation. The study also explored the significant interaction among these factors. The findings revealed that living alone and depression were significant main antecedents of suicidal ideation. In addition, neuroticism X life events and neuroticism X depression were significant interaction terms with the strongest explanatory power, which provides an empirical evidence to support the stress-diathesis model in explaining suicidal phenomenon of the Korean elderly. The result demonstrates the theoretical implication as well as the practical implication for developing and implementing late-life suicide prevention strategies. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.388-397
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the use of heated tobacco products (HTP) and suicidal behaviors such as suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts among adolescents in South Korea. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. Data was from the 15th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) performed in 2019 by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Heated tobacco product use was used as a main independent variable and suicide-related behaviors such as suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts were applied as dependent variables. Out of 60,100 students, 57,303 responded. Results: HTP use significantly increased the odds of a suicide attempt and suicide planning among adolescents. After controlling for confounders, when comparing 'current HTP users' with 'never HTP users', the adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38-2.30) for suicide attempts among adolescents. After controlling the confounders, comparing 'current HTP users' with 'never HTP users', the adjusted OR was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.06-1.73) for suicide planning among adolescents. For sadness/despair among adolescents, when comparing 'current HTP users' with 'never HTP users', the adjusted OR was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.11-1.50). However, HTP use had no significant association with suicidal ideation among adolescents. Conclusions: Current HTP users were more likely to attempt to commit suicide, and more likely to plan to commit suicide than never HTP users among adolescents. These results may be useful in developing a scientific basis for designing suicide prevention programs targeting adolescents.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.516-527
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association of depressive symptoms, stress perception, and suicidal ideation with overall dietary quality using the newly developed Korean healthy eating index (KHEI). SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study included 9,607 adults (3,939 men and 5,668 women, ≥ 19 years) who participated in the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013 and 2015. The KHEI scores were calculated using the food frequency questionnaire data. Survey logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the association between psychiatric distress and dietary quality. RESULTS: The percentage of subjects with experience of depressive mood, higher stress perception, and suicidal ideation was 8.2%, 25.0%, and 3.7% in men and 15.4%, 27.3%, and 6.0% in women, respectively. The mean KHEI score was 61.5 ± 0.29 in men and 64.8 ± 0.24 in women (P < 0.001). The present study found a difference in the adherence to specific dietary components of the KHEI between sexes. Men experiencing depressive symptoms were less likely to eat meat, fish, eggs, and beans, while depressed women showed lower vegetable intake. Both men and women with suicidal ideation showed a lower intake of vegetables. The men with stress had a lower breakfast eating score than those without stress (7.21 vs. 6.77, P = 0.016). The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for depressive symptoms, stress perception, and the suicidal idea in women with the highest quartile of KHEI scores compared to the lowest quartile was 0.69 (95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.92), 0.73 (0.58-0.82), and 0.52 (0.33-0.82), respectively and significant dose-response associations were observed (P for trends < 0.05 for all). On the other hand, these associations were not observed in men after adjusting for the confounding variables (P for trends > 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Poor adherence to dietary recommendations is associated with psychological distress, especially in women.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-199
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• 2016

Objectives : Despite the increased popularity of highly caffeinated beverages, there is little research examining psychiatric adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among pattern of highly caffeinated beverage intake and depressive symptom, suicidal ideation, suicidal plan, suicidal attempt in Korean adolescents. Methods : The data was obtained from the 2014 Korean Youth's Risk Behavior Web-based Study by Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. All participants conducted web-based questionnaire survey. Chisquare test and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the association among highly caffeinated beverage intake pattern, depressive symptom, suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and suicidal attempt adjusting for differences in age, gender, academic achievement, socioeconomic status. Results : A total of 71,638 participants were enrolled in this study. Depressive symptom, suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and suicidal attempt were significantly more frequent in the group with presence of highly caffeinated beverage intake within 1 week than in non-drinker group(p<0.01). Highly caffeinated beverage intake was significantly associated with suicidal attempt(OR=1.99 ; 95% CI, 1.77-2.22). In addition, depressive symptom, suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and suicidal attempt were significantly more common in the group with heavy-drinker who exceed recommended daily intake dose of caffeine than in the group with light-drinker(p<0.01). Heavy drinking of caffeinated beverage was significantly associated with suicidal attempt(OR=4.05 ; 95% CI, 3.02-5.43). Conclusions : We found that highly caffeinated beverage intake was related to more frequent depressive symptom, suicidal ideation, plan, attempt in adolescents. Also, caffeine intake which exceed recommended daily intake dose identified the predictor of suicidal attempt. Our result suggested that clinicians need to be aware of the possible psychiatric adverse effects of highly caffeinated beverage in vulnerable population including young adolescents.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 2020

Objectives: Our study aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of children and adolescents during their first visit to psychiatric outpatient departments for the management of suicidal ideation and behavior, and to compare the changes before and in 2012 or later. Methods: This multicenter study was conducted at five university hospitals in a metropolitan area in South Korea. Medical records of patients aged 6-18 years were retrospectively reviewed from January 2009 to December 2016. Patients were analyzed by classifying them into suicidal and non-suicidal groups based on their visit to the hospital for management of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt and other mental problems, respectively. Results: There were differences in the year of visit, diagnosis, education level, and referral sources between patients in the suicidal and non-suicidal groups. Multiple regression analysis was conducted based on the sex, education level, referral by school, and diagnosis of depression in patients in the suicidal group, which revealed significant association. Conclusion: Suicide-related problems were significantly associated with the sex, education level, referral by school, and a diagnosis of depression in the patients. A well-connected referral system would be necessary for professional mental health management of high-risk children and adolescents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.13-23
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• 2009

Purpose: Suicide was considered as a big public health concern in recent years because suicide mortality has been increased rapidly. This study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of suicidal ideation among adolescents in South Korea. Methods: The data of 2007 Youth Health Risk Behavior Web-based Survey collected by Korean Center for Disease Control were analyzed using logistic regression for this study. Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 23.7% in South Korea. The risk factors of suicide ideation were depression (odds 8.43), perceived stress(odds 4.30), drug use (odds 2.47), sexual intercourse(odds 2.36), present smoking (odds 1.76), present alcohol drink (odds 2.39), feeling unhappiness (odds 2.89), living with none of parents (odds 1.71), gender(odds 1.72), health status (odds 1.66), and socioeconomic status (odds 2.0). Conclusion : Health risk behaviors and mental health status were related to suicide ideation. Health risk behavior such as smoking and drinking prevention programs and mental health promotion programs should be implemented to decrease suicide ideation among adolescents. Suicide, mental health and health risk behaviors should be prevented through comprehensive health promotion programs.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.167-182
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of care-giving stress of dementia elderly on the caregiver's suicidal ideation. In addition, mediating effect of self-efficacy was examined. In order to accomplish these purposes, a total of 336 who are caregivers of dementia elderly using self-report questionnaires. In this study, 325 elderly patients were used for final analysis. Date were analyzed by frequency and descriptive analysis, regression model analysis with SPSS 22.0. The analysis result of dementia elderly caregiver's symptoms showed that prevalence of suicidal ideation were 32.6%. Regression analysis was conducted under the control of dementia elderly's disease period, ratings, general characteristics and age, sex, educational background, occupation status, health status, living standard level of caregivers who were the subject of the survey. As a result, it was confirmed that the care giving stress had a statistically significant effect on suicidal ideation. Also, the self-efficacy of caregivers was found to partial mediate the relationship between care-giving stress and suicidal ideation(***p<.001). Based on this result, I suggested the various policies and the necessity of social welfare intervention to restore the mental health of caregivers of the elderly with dementia.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2013

Objectives: As suicide among the elderly population has been a critical issue in Korea, this study aimed to evaluate correlations of suicidal ideation with protective and risk factors among elderly who reside in a rural community. Methods: A total of 157 elders from Gyeongju city, who had attended senior centers in, were enrolled to answer questionnaires including the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea and the Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0K for Windows, and included t-test, Pearson correlation, and a three-step hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results: Using the hierarchical regression analyses for predicting the elderly's suicidal ideation, male gender and social group variables were entered as predictors in the first step(adjusted $R^2$=0.107, P<0.05). Pain, ADLs, family support variables were not entered in the second step. Depression variable was the only predictor in the third step(adjusted $R^2$=0.384, P<0.001). Conclusions: Although this study confirmed the impact of depression on the suicidal ideation, elderly with risk factors including male gender and social isolation should receive a special attention from community health care professionals.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.325-335
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of physical activity on suicidal ideation according to gender in South Korean adolescents. Methods: This study is designed as a cross-sectional study. Using the statistics from the 12th (2016) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted. The study sample comprised 62,558 middle and high school students aged primarily 12 to 17. Results: The rate of engaging in physical activity more than three times a week was 39.6% for boys and 28.8% for girls and the rate of suicide ideation was 9.35% for boys and 14.9% for girls. Male students were 1.42 times more likely to commit suicide when they did not engage in physical activity than when they do more than three times a week but it was found to have no significant effect on female students. Conclusion: Physical activity should be encouraged in the physical education curriculum and the school health area to reduce suicidal ideation in adolescents. Differentiated interventions are required according to gender. It is suggested that intervention programs involving physical activity be implemented more actively for male students and intervention programs centering on obesity and smoking prevention be implemented for female students.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.516-526
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• 2018

Purpose: This study is to identify how depression, anxiety and social support influence on suicidal ideation of Parkinson disease patients related to general characteristics. Methods: This descriptive correlative study was conducted through an organized and structured questionnaire and 120 sampled Parkinson disease patients. Collected data was analyzed by t-tests, ANOVA, and Preason's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 19.0. Results : Finding revealed 1) The degrees of suicidal ideation were significantly different upon the martial status(F=3.37, p=.021) among groups, drinking(F=4.97, p=.008) and smoking history(F=4.77, p=.010): 2) Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated significant association among the depression, anxiety, social support and suicidal ideation 3) Multiple regression analysis showed depression(${\beta}=.58$ t=7.77, p<.001), social support(${\beta}=-.21$, t=-2.69, p=.008) and alcohol drinking(${\beta}=.17$ t=2.61, p=.010). Depression was the major influencing factor and it has 54% of explanation power. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, health professionals should provide parkinson disease patients with comprehensive and appropriate management method to prevent suicide ideation upon factors: depression, anxiety and social support to prevent suicide ideation. Especially, implement of self-help group program to parkinson disease patients is very needed.