Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
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Effect of Sociodemographic Factors, Cancer, Psychiatric Disorder on Suicide: Gender and Age-specific Patterns

인구사회적 요인, 암, 일부 전신질환 등이 자살에 미치는 영향: 성별, 연령별 분석

  • Park, Jae-Young (Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Chae, Yoo-Mi (Department of Occupational Medicine, Dankook University Hospital) ;
  • Jung, Sang-Hyuk (Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Moon, Ki-Tae (Policy and Information Research Department, Health Insurance Review Agency)
  • 박재영 (이화여자대학교 의학전문대학원 예방의학교실) ;
  • 채유미 (단국대학교병원 산업의학과) ;
  • 정상혁 (이화여자대학교 의학전문대학원 예방의학교실) ;
  • 문기태 (건강보험심사평가원 진료정보분석실)
  • Published : 2008.01.31
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Abstract

Objectives : We examined the effect of sociodemographic factors, cancer, and psychiatric disorders on suicide by gender and age-specific patterns in South Korea. Methods : The study is a case-control study. Claim data was obtained from the national health insurance database and national death registration database. The number of people who committed suicide was 11,523, which was matched with a control group consisting of ten times as many people at 115,230 selected from the national health insurance and medical aids beneficiaries. The medical utilization of the case group was one year before death and that of the control group was from July 1,2003 to June 30, 2004. Four variables-address, economic status, presence of a psychiatric disease, and cancer-were used in multiple logistic regression analyses. Results : Living in cities or in rural areas showed a greater risk for suicide than living in a metropolitan city. Low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were also statistically meaningful risk factors for suicide. The three major psychiatric diseases, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, and bipolar disorder, were meaningful in all age groups, but the scale of the odds ratio differed by the age group. Only the psychiatric disorder variable was meaningful in the adolescent group, whereas a psychiatric disorder and economic status were meaningful for the young adult group, and all variables were meaningful for the middle-aged group. A psychiatric disorder and cancer were meaningful in the elderly group, economic status was meaningful for male subjects, and address was meaningful for female subjects. Conclusions : Factors such as living in city or rural areas, low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were statistically meaningful risk factors in suicide. These factors also differed by age group. Therefore, policymakers should establish policies for suicide prevention that are relevant for each age group.

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