• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the mediating effect of self-esteem and depression in the relationship between perceived health status of the low-income elderly and their suicide ideation. Methods: Participants were 201 elderly people living at home in two cities who were receiving home health services from public health centers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted from October in 2013 to April in 2014. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. Results: Subjects' perceived health status had a direct effect on increasing self-esteem and reducing depression. Subjects' self-esteem and depression had a direct effect on suicide ideation. Perceived health status had an indirect effect on suicide ideation that was mediated by self-esteem and depression. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that to prevent suicide of the elderly, it is critical to increase their health status. Additionally, there is a need to construct and implement strategies to strengthen self-esteem of low-income elderly in order to decrease depression.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.244-254
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to understand the deeper meaning of the experience to explore the essence of latter-aged elderly suicide attempt. To this end, by applying the technology of Giorgi phenomenology to focus on the nature of the experience was described reveal the structure of the developing. By targeting eight people aged 75 years and over in Seoul experience with suicide attempts, open the data was collected through in-depth interviews, participants were analyzed on the basis of the aforesaid materials result, late of suicide in elderly seniors experience semantics was putting down that long for the comfort at the crossroads of life. Analysis of six components were derived 'regrets the harsh years', 'desperate and pathetic beholden', 'useless worthless life', 'body of unbearable pain and lethargy', 'no place to lean loneliness', 'the last select'. Discuss these findings the suicide problem of latter-aged elderly suicide attempt, based on experience and in-depth, Elderly mental health and social welfare presented the practical implications for suicide prevention.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.21-44
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• 2008

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the family instability on the elderly suicide and to examine the change over time. An analytical model of causal structure was set up with residence, family instability and socioeconomic level as explanation variables for this study. The cause of death statistics and micro-data from the vital statistics for 1995, 2000 and 2005 were used. Family instability was measured through divorce, and the rate of elderly(male and female) suicide as well as the suicide rate of the elderly and those in their 20-50's was used for this analysis to examine the effect of divorce. This study hypothesized about family instability and elderly suicide through a literature review. This paper presents maps of the suicide rate by using GIS, and then ANOVA and regression analysis are carried out to verify a difference in the elderly suicide rate affected by residence and divorce. Divorce rate appears in most areas with a high level centering around metropolises except the central inland area. The rate of elderly suicide which stayed in only specific regions with a high level has increased as time went by, and the graph leveled high in most regions except the southwestern coast. In addition, the elderly suicide rate was increased rapidly in rural areas for the most recent 10 years. This shows the seriousness of problems of the aged in rural areas. Through the periods of economic crisis, a sudden increase in divorce causes family instability, which increase the suicide rate increasing. Divorce affects the elderly suicide rate and the 20-50s' suicide rate in the same way, and the stronger effect goes to the elderly rather than those in their 20-50s'. Regarding elderly suicide, the divorce has a different effect by gender, affecting males more than females. With these facts, we can draw the conclusion that family instability has the most significant effect on elderly males' suicide.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.167-187
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• 2000

The rates and numbers of elderly suicide in Korea have been increased during 1985-1998. This indicates the seriousness of the problems which the elderly are faced with. So many late-life problems may push older people across the edges. Those in unbearable situations may call out fur helps, they may try to cope with various ways, or they may commit suicides. Because it is widely believed that suicide among the elderly can be understood as a personal solution or alternative to late-life problems in old age, the elderly\`s suicides seem to be an appropriate indicator in estimating seriousness of late-life problems. A comparison of the history of suicide research with other populations shows that the several late-life problems have been found with placing an individual elder at risks for increasing suicidal behaviors Research has identified such problems as financial insecurity, retirement, loss of social roles, physical illness, lack of social supports, and loneliness as the problems that increase the incidence of suicidal behavior. Though it is difficult far us to explain and understand the phenomenon of the elderly\`s suicide because of its complexity, we need to ascertain problems and social conditions behind suicides and also to prepare for some appropriate policy-tasks in light of social welfare for the aged, through examining the phenomenon. For explaining the elderly\`s suicide, the theoretical orientations are based on sociological perspectives in the paper. From the standpoints of social integration theory and exchange theory, this study is to examine the relationship between late-life problems and suicide. These two may have been fruitfully employed in conjunction with each other. Finally, this study would identify urgent late-life problems related with the elderly\`s suicide and suggest the relevant policies for Korean elders. Sometime in the near future, the government should be required to provide social welfare programs for the elderly, particularly for those at risk for increasing suicidal behaviors.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.179-191
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• 2012

The study thus examined and analyzed 1,478 people aged 65 or older in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2010 to investigate the effects of differences in the elderly's general characteristics and depression & suicide ideation and in their subjective health perceptions and quality of life on their depression and suicide ideation. As a result, Significant differences in their suicide ideation were also caused by such quality of life variables as ill in bed, exercise capacity, self-management, daily activity, pain and uncomfortableness, and anxiety. The logistic analysis results of depression and suicide ideation according to the degree of subjective health perception show a significant finding that the better health perception they had compared with their very poor subjective health perception, the lower the odds ratio became. In the category of quality of life, only experience of uncomfortableness caused significant results on suicide ideation and depression. The results of the study will be of great use as basic data to intervene in the suicide route of the elderly and take measures to prevent suicide.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.59-81
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• 2023

Elderly suicide problem has become worse in South Korea. With a rapid aging of the population, the trend of suicide among the elderly is expected to accelerate, preventing elderly suicide has been considered an important societal problem. Thus, we aim to investigate various factors that explain suicidal ideation and to develop a predictive model for suicidal ideation in the context of elderly people in South Korea. To this end, this study contributes to addressing the elderly suicide problem. By using seven-year panel data from the Korea Welfare Panel Survey, we extract various potential causal factors for elderly suicidal ideation based on interpersonal theory of suicide and social disorganization theory. Then a panel logit model was employed to assess the impacts of potential factors on suicidal ideation and deep learning and machine learning algorithms were used to develop a predictive model for suicidal ideation of elderly people. The results of our study provide practical implications for preventing elderly suicide by identifying causal factors of suicidal ideation and a high suicidal risk group of the elderly. This study sheds light on synergy of mixed methodology and provides various academic implications.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 2015

Objectives: Among the Korean elderly (those 65 years of age and older), the suicide rate is 80.3/100 000 people, which is ten times higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average. Because South Korea is rapidly becoming an aging population, this high elderly suicidal rate will only get worse. Although the size of the elderly suicide problem is quite large, previous research in South Korea has surveyed restricted areas and not the entire country. Even though the factors that affect elderly suicide are complicated, there has been little research into these influencing factors. Thus, this research uses the national survey data (Community Health Survey) that was obtained in 2009. Additionally, we analyze factors affecting elderly suicidal ideation and attempts as well as the paths of these effects. Methods: Community Health Survey data obtained by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009 was used for this study. We additionally examined the factors that affect suicide with chi-squared tests, t-tests, Pearson's correlation test, and path analysis. Results: Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are the only factors that directly affect suicidal attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors have indirect effects on suicidal attempts. Conclusions: Depression has the strongest influence on suicidal ideation and attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts mostly through depressive symptoms. In addition, there is a path that suggests that demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts not through depression symptoms but only through suicidal ideation. This means that the elderly who do not have depression symptoms attempt suicide according to their own situations and characteristics.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.325-334
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• 2015

Elderly suicide rates tend to be high in Korea. Suicide by the elderly is no longer a personal problem; consequently, further research on risk and regional factors is necessary. Disease mapping in epidemiology estimates spatial patterns for disease risk over a geographical region. In this study, we use a simultaneous conditional autoregressive model for spatial correlations between neighboring areas to estimate standard mortality ratios and mapping. The method is illustrated with cause of death data from 2006 and 2010 to analyze regional patterns of elderly suicide in Korea. By considering spatial correlations, the Bayesian spatial models, mean educational attainment and percentage of the elderly who live alone was the significant regional characteristic for elderly suicide. Gibbs sampling and grid method are used for computation.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.49-57
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between household types and suicide ideation among elderly people in Korea. We collected information on 220 elderly individuals(aging over 60), 171 of whom were living alone and 49 of whom were living with their families. The results showed that; 1) number of children, health status, level of stress, and depressive symptoms were all related to the suicide ideation among both groups, and 2) individuals living alone had lower sense of control, were more stressed, and more likely to suffer from depression. Based on these results, various implications were discussed and practical suggestions provided.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.91-102
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• 2014

Purpose - Today, the importance of the service industry has increased. Social welfare businesses that follow the non-profit principle have neglected the distribution of the service. However, an intangible service, when produced and consumed, has a similar service delivery system to common service distribution and social welfare. Therefore, the author has assumed the efficiency of the service delivery system of social welfare to be equivalent to the service distribution industry. Hence, various kinds of social welfare services for the prevention of elderly suicide, from the perspective of distribution, are discussed. Studies on generational relations have thus far investigated depression from parent-children conflict, and satisfaction with their lives. Studies on the relationship between family solidarity and elderly suicide by analyzing existing social problems are rare. This study investigated the effects of family solidarity between old parents and adult children upon elderly suicide by analyzing serious psychological and social problems. This study revealed basic measures for elderly suicide prevention through services that could elevate family solidarity from the perspective of social welfare service distribution. Research design, data, and methodology - The subjects were 468 elderly, 65 years or older, at 18 senior welfare centers and halls for the elderly at Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Questionnaire surveys, excluding invalid answers, were analyzed. Convenience sampling was used from February 5, 2014 to March 5, 2014. The findings were: First, women and those having spouses with advanced educational backgrounds and social activities had primary solidarity such as contact solidarity, affectionate solidarity, functional solidarity (giving help), and functional solidarity (receiving help). In addition, those who had good health, from a subjective point of view, had more solidarity. Second, the elderly who were men and single, and who had poorer educational backgrounds thought of suicide, lacked social activities, and had poor health, from a subjective point of view. Third, family solidarity between old parents and adult children had significantly negative influence on the suicidal ideation of the elderly. Results - The study revealed the following implications. First, the preparation for old age should consider not only economic welfare but also the psychological welfare due to the relationship with children. Second, the phenomenon of elderly suicide because of a lack of family solidarity could increase national loss and have great influence upon welfare in old age. Therefore, planning of welfare services for the elderly should consider the value of relationships with children to improve the psychological welfare of the elderly. Third, the social expenses of government-oriented support for parents should be discussed from the people's point of view. Conclusions - The subjects of the study comprised the elderly at Seoul and Gyenggi-do; therefore, it would be difficult to extrapolate the findings to all the elderly in the nation. The subject visited senior welfare centers as well as halls for the elderly; therefore, it would be difficult to assume that the trends were representative of the elderly in the nation.