Suicidal ideation from parents to their children: An association between parent's suicidal ideation and their children's suicidal ideation in South Korea

Abstract

Background: Suicide has been a major social and public health issue for Koreans, and currently, we are witnessing an increasing rate of teen suicides. This study's purpose was to investigate suicidal ideation in families by examining the associations between suicidal ideation between parents and their offspring using a representative sample of the Korean population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data collected for the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2007 to 2013 and 2015. The study population consisted of 2324 adolescents 12 to 18 years-old and both parents. We used the chi-square test and logistic regression for the data analyses. The outcome variable was suicide ideation among adolescents adjusted for depressive symptoms, stress level, and the parental variables.

Results: In total, 16.1% of the parents had suicidal ideation and 18.4% of the adolescents experienced suicidal ideation that was influenced by their parents. The adjusted odds ratio between the suicidal ideation of the parents and adolescents was 2.01 (95% CI 1.32-3.05). Depressive symptoms (AOR: 5.43, 95% CI 3.66-8.04) and stress level (AOR: 15.51 95% CI 6.14-39.19) were major risk factors for offspring's suicidal ideation. The association of the fathers' suicidal ideation with their offspring's suicidal ideation was greater than that of the mothers.

Conclusion: Knowing the risk factors of the offspring's suicidal ideation can prevent teen suicide and protect adolescents at risk. Thus, suicide prevention at the family level should be examined in relation to traditional risk factors at the individual level.

Keywords: Adolescent; Family behavior; Mental Health; Suicidal behavior; Suicidal ideation.