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. 2015 Jan;48(1):28-37.
doi: 10.3961/jpmph.14.030. Epub 2015 Jan 14.

Factors that affect suicidal attempt risk among korean elderly adults: a path analysis

Junsoo Ro  1 , Jongheon Park  2 , Jinsuk Lee  3 , Hyemin Jung  1
Affiliations

Factors that affect suicidal attempt risk among korean elderly adults: a path analysis

Junsoo Ro et al. J Prev Med Public Health. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Aged; Attempted suicide; Community Health Survey; Path analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest with the material presented in this paper.

Figures

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Figure 1.
Research model.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Competition model.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Coefficient of path analysis. *p<0.05, **p<0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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