TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - National trends in suicide-related behaviors among youths between 2005-2020, including COVID-19: a Korean representative survey of one million adolescents
JO  - European review for medical and pharmacological sciences
A1  - Kim, N.
A1  - Song, J. Y.
A1  - Yang, H.
A1  - Kim, M. J.
A1  - Lee, K.
A1  - Shin, Y. H.
A1  - Rhee, S. Y.
A1  - Hwang, J.
A1  - Kim, M. S.
A1  - Fond, G.
A1  - Boyer, L.
A1  - Kim, S. Y.
A1  - Shin, J. I.
A1  - Lee, S. W.
A1  - Yon, D. K.
SP  - 1192
EP  - 1202
VL  - 27
IS  - 3
N2  - OBJECTIVE: It is difficult to conclude that COVID-19 is associated with a decrease in the suicide attempts rate by comparing only a short-term period. Therefore, it is necessary to examine attempted suicide rates through a trend analysis over a longer period. This study aimed to investigate an estimated long-term trend regarding the prevalence of suicide-related behaviors among adolescents in South Korea from 2005 to 2020, including COVID-19. <br><br>SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We sourced data from a national representative survey (Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey) and analyzed one million Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (n=1,057,885) from 2005 to 2020. The 16-year trends regarding the prevalence of sadness or despair and suicidal ideation and attempt and the trend changes before and during COVID-19. <br><br>RESULTS: Data of 1,057,885 Korean adolescents was analyzed (weighted mean age, 15.03 years; males, 52.5%; females, 47.5%). Although the 16-year trend in the prevalence of sadness or despair and suicide ideation and attempt consistently decreased (prevalence of sadness or despair between 2005-2008, 38.0% with 95% confidence interval [CI], 37.7 to 38.4 vs. prevalence in 2020, 25.0% [24.5 to 25.6]; suicide ideation between 2005-2008, 21.9% [21.6 to 22.1] vs. prevalence in 2020, 10.7% [10.3 to 11.1]; and suicide attempt between 2005-2008, 5.0% [4.9 to 5.2] vs. prevalence in 2020, 1.9% [1.8 to 2.0]), the downward slope decreased during COVID-19 (βdiff in sadness, 0.215 with 95% CI 0.206 to 0.224; βdiff in suicidal ideation, 0.245 [0.234 to 0.256]; and βdiff in suicide attempt, 0.219 [0.201 to 0.237]) compared with pre-pandemic period. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the observed risk of suicide-related behaviors during the pandemic was higher than expected through long-term trend analysis of the prevalence of sadness/despair and suicidal ideation and attempts among South Korean adolescents. We need a profound epidemiologic study of the change in mental health due to the pandemic's impact and the establishment of prevention strategies for suicide ideation and attempt.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1128-3602
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202302_31226
ID  - ref1
ER  -