Variables Affecting to Attitudes towards Suicide among General Adult Population in the City of Bucheon

Yonggi Kim; Soyoung Irene Lee; Haejin Kim; Areum Lee; Kyeong Seon Mun; Shin-Gyeom Kim; Han-Yong Jung

doi:10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.4.376

Journal List > J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc > v.55(4) > 1017820

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Kim, Lee, Kim, Lee, Mun, Kim, and Jung: Variables Affecting to Attitudes towards Suicide among General Adult Population in the City of Bucheon

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 2016; 55(4): 376-385.

Published online: 30 November 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.4.376

Variables Affecting to Attitudes towards Suicide among General Adult Population in the City of Bucheon

Yonggi Kim, MD¹, Soyoung Irene Lee, MD, PhD¹, Haejin Kim, MA¹, Areum Lee, MA¹, Kyeong Seon Mun, PNP², Shin-Gyeom Kim, MD, PhD¹, Han-Yong Jung, MD, PhD¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, Bucheon Hospital, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Bucheon, Korea.

²Bucheon Community Mental Health Center, Bucheon, Korea.

Address for correspondence: Soyoung Irene Lee, MD, PhD. Department of Psychiatry, Bucheon Hospital, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon 14584, Korea. Tel: +82-32-621-5241, Fax: +82-32-621-5018, irenelee@schmc.ac.kr

Received 18 August 2016 Revised 20 September 2016 Accepted 11 October 2016

Abstract

Objectives

The goal of this study was to investigate variables affecting attitudes toward suicide among the general adult population in the city of Bucheon, Korea.

Methods

Study participants included 1000 subjects over 18 years old who visited public offices in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Subjects completed a series of questionnaires covering demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and prior suicidal ideation and attempts. The Attitudes Toward Suicide-20 and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scales were used to assess attitudes toward suicide and the severity of depression, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis of the responses was performed.

Results

Analysis of responses on the Attitudes Toward Suicide-20 Scale revealed four important factors : permissiveness and unpredictability, attitudes toward suicide prevention, relationship between suicide causes and processes, and lack of comprehension of suicide. We assessed relationships among clinical and demographic variables by assessing scores on the Attitudes toward Suicide scale. Demographic characteristics (sex, age, marital status, education, economic status, and religion), clinical characteristics (physical and psychological health), and prior suicidal ideation and attempts affected respondents attitudes toward suicide.

Conclusion

The variables identified as affecting attitudes toward suicide in this study were similar to those reported in previous studies (i.e., sex, age, religion, education, physical, and psychological health, prior suicidal ideation and attempts). In support of previous research results, we suggest that identifying groups that exhibit variables associated with attitudes toward suicide is an important step in suicide prevention, as such attitudes may influence subsequent behavior. Educational campaigns aimed at suicide prevention can be enhanced by focusing on attitudes toward suicide.

Keywords: Suicide, Attitude, Suicidal ideation

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Demographic characteristics

SD : Standard deviation

Table 2

Clinical characteristics

SD : Standard deviation, CES-D : Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale

Table 3

Factor analysis pattern matrix for 20 items of ATTS-20

ATTS-20 : Attitudes Towards Suicide-20

Table 4

Comparison between variables and ‘Attitudes Towards Suicide’

Without notations, F and p values were calculated by one-way ANOVA (assuming equal variance). Posthoc comparison was conducted by Scheffe's test when using one-way ANOVA, Games-Howell test when using Welch's one-way ANOVA, or Dunn's test when using Kruskal-Wallis test as appropriate. ^* : p<0.05, ^** : p<0.01, ^*** : p<0.001, ^† : F and p-values were calculated by Welch's one-way ANOVA (assuming unequal variance), ^‡ : χ² and p-values were calculated by Kruskal-Wallis test. SD : Standard deviation, Factor 1 : Permissiveness and unpredictability, Factor 2 : Attitude toward suicide prevention, Factor 3 : Relation caused and suicide process, Factor 4 : Lack of comprehension of suicide

Notes

^{Conflicts of Interest} The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

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