Adolescent Suicide Triggered by Problems at School in Korea: Analyses Focusing on Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Plan, and Attempts as Four Dimensions of Suicide

Abstract

This study aims to investigate adolescent suicide triggered by problems in Korean schools, by focusing on four dimensions of suicide: depression, suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts. Data were collected from 664 middle- and high-school students in Korea, and structural equation modeling analyses were utilized. The results reveal that academic stress and school violence, as risk factors, are related to adolescent suicide. Academic stress increases depression, suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt, but decreases family and academic resilience. School violence also increases depression, suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt, but decreases only family resilience. As protective factors, family and ego resilience influence the four dimensions of suicide. While family resilience decreases all of the four dimensions in suicide significantly, ego resilience decreases depression and suicidal ideation, but has no effect on suicidal plan and attempts. This implies that the function of ego resilience as a protective factor becomes relatively weaker for the more acute dimensions, such as suicidal plan and attempts. In addition, family resilience can be a key protective factor for all of the four dimensions of suicide.