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Regional Variation of Suicide Mortality in South Korea

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  • Minjae Choi

    (Department of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea)

  • Yo Han Lee

    (Graduate School of Public Health, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea)

Abstract

South Korea’s suicide rate is the highest among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This study seeks to verify regional variation in suicide rates in South Korea and to identify correlating factors. We used age-adjusted suicide rates for 252 administrative districts, and a Community Health Survey, national representative data, and other national representative data such as censuses were used to obtain information on socioeconomic, health related and social integration variables according to each administrative district. Regional variation in suicide rates was analyzed by using Extremal Quotient (EQ), and multiple linear regression analyses were used to investigate associations between variation in suicide rates and regional socioeconomic, public service factors and health related factors. The average suicide rate from 252 regions was 142.7 per 100,000 people. The highest region was Hongchun-gun (217.8) and the lowest was Gwachen-si (75.5). The EQ was 2.89, meaning that there is significant regional variation in suicide rates. Financial independence (β = −0.662, p < 0.001), social welfare budget (β = −0.754, p < 0.001) and divorce rates (β = 17.743, p < 0.001) were significant, along with other adjusted variables. This study suggests considering these factors in order to reduce suicide rates in South Korea.

Suggested Citation

  • Minjae Choi & Yo Han Lee, 2020. "Regional Variation of Suicide Mortality in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-8, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5433-:d:391068
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Antonakakis, Nikolaos & Collins, Alan, 2014. "The impact of fiscal austerity on suicide: On the empirics of a modern Greek tragedy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 39-50.
    4. Jayeun Kim & Ho Kim, 2017. "Demographic and Environmental Factors Associated with Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kate Mobley & Gita Taasoobshirazi, 2022. "Predicting Suicide in Counties: Creating a Quantitative Measure of Suicide Risk," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-14, July.

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