전라북도 청년층의 우울감 및 자살생각 결정요인

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to examine sex differences in determinants of depression and suicidal ideation risks among young adults in Jeollabuk-do before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, with focused on variables related to socioeconomic status and social isolation. Towards this end, we used the sample of twenties and thirties from the Korean Community Health Survey data in 2017 and 2021. During the pandemic, we found 1) the greater gradient in moderate or stronger depressive symptoms along educational attainment and the principle economic status regardless of gender and in suicidal ideation among economically inactive women during the pandemic; 2) the wider difference in the risk of suicidal thought between the married and the single due to divorce, separation, or non-marriage; and 3) solitary living and residing in urban areas as independent risk factors for both depression and suicidal ideation among women and for depression regardless of sex, respectively. In addition, good environmental amenities in neighborhood serves as a resource factor for mental health, whereas high risk drinking is more likely to suppress the association between depression and suicidal ideation among women than among men. From the perspective of the internal inequalities within the same group of young adults, we provide overarching principles to overcome their health disparities for local policy makers and practitioners based on our main findings.