Landscape of Elderly Suicide in South Korea: Its Trend According to Age, Gender, and Educational Attainment

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Kim ◽  
H. Y. Jung ◽  
D. Y. Won ◽  
Y. S. Shin ◽  
J. H. Noh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Male Suicide ◽  
The Social ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Suicide Prevention Programs

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and the most alarming suicide rate is among its elders. This study aims to understand the social, historical, and cultural context of the Korean older adults and examine suicide trends based on that understanding. The results show that the suicide risk increases with age, the male suicide rate outweighs that of females, and the suicide rate decreases with educational attainment. In addition, several suggestions for reducing elderly suicide rate are addressed, including differentiating the existing social services for elders by age and expanding suicide prevention programs beyond schools to communities so that all people in need can access them.

Expanding and Democratizing the Agenda for Preventing Youth Suicide: Youth Participation, Cultural Responsiveness, and Social Transformation

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer White
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Cultural Responsiveness ◽  
Youth Participation ◽  
Youth Suicide ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Suicide Prevention Programs

Suicidal behaviours in young people are among the most challenging issues faced by educators, policy makers, and practitioners. A small number of youth suicide prevention programs have been identified as promising. At the same time, many contemporary approaches to youth suicide prevention take insufficient account of the social or cultural context and privilege the expertise of adults and researchers. In large part, this is a consequence of how scientific knowledge is constructed. By engaging young people as knowledgeable collaborators and by paying attention to broader socio-political and cultural contexts in understanding sources of suffering, a more flexible and enriched approach to youth suicide prevention research and practice is envisioned.

Suicide Trends According to Age, Gender, and Marital Status in South Korea

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Woo Kim ◽  
Hee Young Jung ◽  
Do Yeon Won ◽  
Jae Hyun Noh ◽  
Yong Seok Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Social Burden ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Male Suicide ◽  
The World

The purpose of this study is to examine suicide trends in South Korea, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. The results show that the male suicide rate outweighs that of females, the likelihood of committing suicide increases with age, and that, in regard to marital status, nonmarried people are the most at risk. In addition, several methods of reducing suicide rates are identified: the wider use of social networks to reduce social burden, the development of a social atmosphere where aging is accepted as a natural process, and the development of protection factors within families.

South Korean nonprofits under the voucher system: Impact of organizational culture and organizational structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 669-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunae Kwon ◽  
Baorong Guo
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Service Market ◽  
The Social ◽  
Voucher System

The social service industry in South Korea is undergoing significant changes as the Korean government has changed its approach to financing social services from direct funding support for service providers to voucher programs. This market-oriented policy has forced social service nonprofits to adopt the market practice and culture. As a result, nonprofits are becoming business-like entities striving for a share of the social service market. This study examines organizational factors that give competitive advantage to nonprofits in the social service market under the voucher system. Specifically, the study uses data collected from 35 nonprofit organizations in Busan, South Korea, to examine whether voucher revenues, an indicator of market share, is associated with organizational characteristics, including organizational culture and structure. The results may suggest strategies that help nonprofits to gain a greater share in the social service market.

Preventing Elderly Suicide Through Primary Care by Community-Based Screening for Depression in Rural Japan

Crisis ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirofumi Oyama ◽  
Masahiro Goto ◽  
Motoi Fujita ◽  
Hiroshi Shibuya ◽  
Tomoe Sakashita
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Intervention Area ◽  
Elderly Suicide

Depression is a major cause of suicide among the elderly. Few previous community-based interventions against depression have reduced the suicide rate. This study aims to evaluate outcomes of a community-based program to prevent suicide among the elderly using a quasi-experimental design with a neighboring reference group. The program, including depression screening with follow-up and health education through primary care and public health nursing, was implemented for 10 years in Matsudai town, a rural area of Japan (population 6,015; suicide rate per 105 [≥65-year-olds] for males 290.6, and for females 361.3). Changes in the suicide risk were estimated by the incidence rate ratio (IRR). The female risk of completing suicide in the intervention area was reduced by 70% (age-adjusted IRR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.14-0.67), while there was no change in the risk for males in the intervention area nor for males or females in the reference area (Kawanishi town: population 9,425; elderly suicide rate for males 212.2, females 151.9). A ratio of the female IRR in the intervention area to that in its prefecture was also estimated at 0.45 (95% CI: 0.19-0.97), showing that the reduction of suicide risk in the intervention area was greater than the historical trend. A community intervention against suicide using management of depression with nonpsychiatric, primary health care would be effective for elderly females, but not males.

scholarly journals Suicide Rate and Social Environment Characteristics in South Korea: The Roles of Socioeconomic, Demographic, Urbanicity, General Health Behaviors, and Other Environmental Factors On Suicide Rate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyemin Jang ◽  
Whanhee Lee ◽  
Yong-ook Kim ◽  
Ho Kim
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
General Health ◽  
District Level ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
The Social

Abstract Background: Suicide is a serious worldwide public health concern, and South Korea has shown the highest suicide rate among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries since 2003. Nevertheless, most previous Korean studies on suicide had limitations in investigating various social environment factors using long-term nationwide data. Thus, this study aimed to examine how various social environment characteristics are related to the suicide rate on a district-level, using nationwide longitudinal data over 11 years.Methods: We used the district-level age-standardized suicide rate and a total of 12 annual social environment characteristics of socioeconomic, demographic, urbanicity, general health behaviors, and other environmental characteristics from 229 administrative districts in South Korea. A linear mixed-effect model (LMEM) was used to examine the association between the rate of suicide and the social environment indicators selected for the study.Results: In the total population, the indicators “% population aged 65 and older eligible for the basic pension”, “% vacant houses in the area”, “% divorce”, “% detached houses”, and “% current smokers” showed positive associations with the suicide rate. In contrast, “% people who regularly participated in religious activities” and “number of sports facilities per 1,000 persons” showed negative associations with suicide rate. The associations between social environment characteristics and suicide rate were generally more pronounced in males and more urbanised areas, than in females and less urbanised areas; however, associations differed amongst age groups, depending on the social environment characteristic variable under study.Conclusions: This study investigated the complex role of social environments on suicide rate in South Korea and revealed that higher suicide rates were associated with lower values of socioeconomic status, physical exercise, and religious activities, and with higher social isolation and smoking practice. Our results can be used in the development of targeted suicide prevention policies.

Perceptions of a Peer Suicide Prevention Program by Inmates and Professionals Working in Prisons

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Auzoult ◽  
Sid Abdellaoui
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Penal Institutions ◽  
Peer Suicide ◽  
Suicide Prevention Programs ◽  
Methods Of Suicide

Background: Suicide prevention is a major challenge for penal institutions in many countries. The traditional approach relies on the expertise of health professionals and is supplemented by the intervention of other professionals and the inmates themselves. New methods of suicide prevention based on peer support have been developed in recent years. Peer prevention programs rely on the ability of inmates to identify suicide risk. Aims: This study examines perceived suicide risk among inmates and explores possible explanations. Method: 54 inmates and 17 professionals working in prisons responded to a questionnaire. Results: The peer prevention program was found to change inmates’ expectations of support in the event of a suicide crisis. The study also found that the inmates involved in the program tended to underestimate the risk of suicide. The perception of the prevention program and the level of self-consciousness were found to account for the underestimation of suicide risk. Conclusions: Support for inmates involved in suicide prevention programs must take into account their isolation in prison. The training provided to inmates must also consider the biases affecting the assessment of risk.

Re-Increased Male Suicide Rates in the Recovery Phase Following the Great East Japan Earthquake

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatsugu Orui
Keyword(s):  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Great East Japan Earthquake ◽  
Temporary Housing ◽  
Period Analysis ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Male Suicide ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. Background: Monitoring of suicide rates in the recovery phase following a devastating disaster has been limited. Aim: We report on a 7-year follow-up of the suicide rates in the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred in March 2011. Method: This descriptive study covered the period from March 2009 to February 2018. Period analysis was used to divide the 108-month study period into nine segments, in which suicide rates were compared with national averages using Poisson distribution. Results: Male suicide rates in the affected area from March 2013 to February 2014 increased to a level higher than the national average. After subsequently dropping, the male rates from March 2016 to February 2018 re-increased and showed a greater difference compared with the national averages. The difference became significant in the period from March 2017 to February 2018 ( p = .047). Limitations: Specific reasons for increasing the rates in the recovery phase were not determined. Conclusion: The termination of the provision of free temporary housing might be influential in this context. Provision of temporary housing was terminated from 2016, which increased economic hardship among needy evacuees. Furthermore, disruption of the social connectedness in the temporary housing may have had an influence. Our findings suggest the necessity of suicide rate monitoring even in the recovery phase.

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