Citation

Cho YJ. J. Child Health Care 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Social Welfare, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1367493519874969

PMID

31510783

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and identify the trends and risks, as well as the protective factors of child suicide in Korea. Data from the 10th year Korea Welfare Panel Study in 2016 were used. These data were collected from 458 fourth to sixth grade boys and girls in elementary schools. The results showed that the mean suicidal ideation score was 1.55, the suicide attempt rate was.9%, and the mean number of suicide attempts was.2. Suicidal ideation was more prevalent in children who reported the absence of a parental figure, frequent experiences of school violence, increased Internet use, and decreased guidance and supervision from parents. The presence of parental figure explained the greatest amount of variance. Logistic regression analysis with suicide attempts as the dependent variable demonstrated that family income was a significant variable. Regarding the mediating roles of depression and anxiety, Internet usage directly affected children's suicidal ideation, while the experience of school violence, academic stress, and parents' guidance and supervision affected suicidal ideation, which was mediated by the child's depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety had a positive impact on suicidal ideation. Based on these results, implications and interventions were suggested.

Language: en

Keywords

Korean children; protective factors; risk factors; suicide; transactional–ecological perspective