• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aims to examine the effect of adolescent suicide survivors' experience on suicide death risk, and the effect of referral to mental health services (hereafter referral) in this regard. Methods: This study used the data of 878 suicide-deceased and suicide-attempted adolescents aged 8-19 years, managed by the Suicide and School Mental Health Institute from 2016 to 2018. Results: Regression analysis for main effects showed that although suicide experience had no direct effect on suicide death, non-referral status was associated with a greater risk of death by suicide. While the "non-suicide survivor with non-referral" and "suicide survivor with non-referral" groups showed 1.87 [adjusted odds ratio=1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-2.89] and 4.59 (adjusted odds ratio=4.59, 95% CI=2.02-10.42) times higher odds of suicide death, respectively, the "suicide survivor with referral" group showed no difference compared to the "non-suicide survivor with referral" group. Conclusion: From these findings, there is a need to strengthen referral to mental health services and apply complicated grief treatment to improve the mental health of adolescent suicide survivors.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.623-641
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• 2016

The psychological autopsy is a method to estimate causes of suicidal death by collecting data from interviewing suicide victim's family added with additional life records. Recently, local governments and suicide prevention centers have been trying to implement psychological autopsy. but there is paucity of efforts examining the validity and effectiveness of the psychological autopsy. Therefore, this paper reviewed psychological autopsy studies and risk factors in Western and Asia countries. and then a methodology for the Korean version of psychological autopsy was suggested. After investigating the specific risk factors for korean suicide through psychological autopsy, then it can be possible to grasp the intervention point for effective suicide prevention. We also propose future directions for psychological autopsy study and interventions in Korea.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

Objective : This study aims to examine the association between exposure to suicide events and suicide ideation by analyzing the levels of suicide ideation among the groups with exposure to suicide death, non-suicide death, and no death in their social relationships. Methods : Data were derived from Wave I of the Longitudinal Study of Suicide Survivors' Mental Health. 1,998 adults nationwide selected using a stratified sampling method based on the Korean Census Data, were categorized into 3 groups with exposure to suicidal death, non-suicidal death, and no death. The levels of depression (Brief CES-D), subjective health status, and suicidal ideation (SSI) were measured. To examine the association between exposure to suicide and the level of suicide ideation, multiple regression analysis was used after controlling the socio-demographic and clinical factors including subjective health status and depression. Results : 32% reported their exposure to suicide. Compared to the other groups, the suicide-exposed group's level of depression and suicide ideation were significantly higher but the subjective health status was lower. Multiple regression model revealed that suicide exposure had a statistically significant association with suicidal ideation at p=0.000 even after controlling the clinical characteristics. Conclusion : HThe findings suggest that exposure to suicide is a risk factor for suicidal ideation. In the clinical field, it is necessary to consider patients' experience in exposure to suicide while treating and intervening in suicide-related cases. At the policy level, a mental health system for suicide prevention should consider this risk factor for those exposed to suicide in their family and social relationships.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.5-29
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• 2012

This study aimed to express the experiences of the parents who lost their children by suicides in their own words from their own perspectives by van Manen(2000)'s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The analysis of the words expressed by the research participants led to the following five fundamental themes. These are 'broken heart, sinner's grief, land of exile and time stood still, pains to be comforted, and days ahead with half-stitched wounds'. Several distinctions are found due to cultural differences from Korean parents. First, whereas the Western parents see the cause of their child's suicide as his/her independent issue, the Korean parents blame themselves entirely. This may have stemmed from the overly inter-dependency between the parents and the child. Second, whereas the Western perspective views the suicide as a type of illness from the individual's depression. The Korean perspective views the suicide as a shame that disgraces the parents or the family. This negative social perspective intensifies the self-blame and social isolation. Third, the Westerners recognize the prevention and responsibility of suicide resting with the society and government, but the Korean society recognize suicide as personal or family matter. Based on the finding above, I proposed a number of practical measures to aid the surviving parents who belong to a group with extremely high suicidal rates.

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

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.59
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• pp.207-275
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• 2019

This archiving project of the survivors of suicide was done with the survivor supporting team of the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center. The survivor supporting team was operating a Self-help Support Group for the emotional support of the survivors of suicide. A Self-help Support Group is a place for the survivors of suicide to regularly meet and share their suffering by talking of topics hard to discuss elsewhere. As the Self-help Support Group progressed members who acted as the leader of the group appeared. They formed an essay group that writes together. Two fathers who lost their sons, two mothers who lost their daughters, a mother who lost her son, a wife who lost his husband. The essay group met each week in a place facing Sajik Park. Through the windows that took up the whole side of the room, evening was coming in. The things that happened during the day went away towards Inwang mountain following the setting sun. Ten people (six members of the essay group, three from the survivor support team, a historian for unique conversation) sat around a table, facing each other. "Now, what shall we do?" History for unique conversation is a time that archives life by sharing conversations. At times a complete stranger, and other times people who share their ordinary lives sit around together (3-9 people, sometimes about 15). On the table there is coffee, bread, fruits and salads, and sometimes a dish someone heartily prepared. When a bottle of wine is placed on the table, each takes a glass. Morning, afternoon, the time the evening is welcomed in, late night. It does not matter which. For six months, 3 hours when meeting every week, 6 hours when at every other week. A room where the ambience is like that of a kitchen where sunlight enters, or a cozy living room is the best location. However, there are many times when it is held in a multipurpose room in the suburbs where many meetings are held, or in a classroom of a school. The meeting place is decided according to different situations of the time. There are no participation requirements as it is said to be for themselves to write down according to archiving form while looking back their lives thoroughly, and they are the only ones to stop themselves. The archives landscape from far away would seem like trying to do some talking. However, when going into a microscopic situation one must leave themselves to the emotional dynamics. It is because it archives the frustration and failures one experienced through life. A participator of history for unique conversation must face the sufferings of their life. The archiving project took place in 2013 to 2014. Many years have passed. Has the objective distance for archiving the situation of that time been secured? That may be uncertain, but I will speak of a few stray thoughts on archiving while depicting the process and method of operation.