Soo Kyung Park1, Chung Kwon Lee2, Haeryun Kim3. 1. School of Social Welfare, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 2. Department of Social Welfare, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ckl1@inha.ac.kr. 3. Department of Social Welfare, Seoul Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous studies in Eastern as well as Western countries have shown a relationship between marital status and suicide mortality. However, to date, no Korean study has calculated national suicide rates by marital status for specific genders, ages, and education levels. This study investigated whether the relationship between marital status and suicide differs by age, gender, and educational attainment, and analyzed the effect of marital status on suicide risk after controlling for these socio-demographic variables. METHODS: Using national mortality data from 2015, and aggregated census data from 2010 in South Korea, we created a virtually individualized dataset with multiple weighting algorithms, including individual socio-demographic characteristics and suicide rates across the entire population. RESULTS: The findings show that the following groups faced the highest relative suicide risks: 1) divorced men of all ages and men aged more than 75 years, particularly divorced men aged more than 75; and 2) never-married men aged 55-64 years, and never-married women of lower education status. LIMITATIONS: We did not account for important variables such as mental health, substance abuse, employment insecurity, social integration, perceived loneness, and family income which we were unable to access. CONCLUSIONS: This current research extends prior theoretical and methodological work on suicide, aiding efforts to reduce suicide mortality in South Korea.
BACKGROUND: Previous studies in Eastern as well as Western countries have shown a relationship between marital status and suicide mortality. However, to date, no Korean study has calculated national suicide rates by marital status for specific genders, ages, and education levels. This study investigated whether the relationship between marital status and suicide differs by age, gender, and educational attainment, and analyzed the effect of marital status on suicide risk after controlling for these socio-demographic variables. METHODS: Using national mortality data from 2015, and aggregated census data from 2010 in South Korea, we created a virtually individualized dataset with multiple weighting algorithms, including individual socio-demographic characteristics and suicide rates across the entire population. RESULTS: The findings show that the following groups faced the highest relative suicide risks: 1) divorced men of all ages and men aged more than 75 years, particularly divorced men aged more than 75; and 2) never-married men aged 55-64 years, and never-married women of lower education status. LIMITATIONS: We did not account for important variables such as mental health, substance abuse, employment insecurity, social integration, perceived loneness, and family income which we were unable to access. CONCLUSIONS: This current research extends prior theoretical and methodological work on suicide, aiding efforts to reduce suicide mortality in South Korea.
Authors: Jimin Lee; Hyerim Kim; Jungmin Woo; Sung Man Chang; Jin Pyo Hong; Dong Woo Lee; Bong Jin Hahm; Seong Jin Cho; Jong Ik Park; Hong Jin Jeon; Su Jeong Seong; Jee Eun Park; Byung Soo Kim Journal: J Korean Med Sci Date: 2020-09-21 Impact factor: 2.153