Factors that affect substance users’ suicidal behavior: a view from the Addiction Severity Index in Korea

Min Kwon,Dai-Jin Kim,Soo Yang,Kyongran Park

doi:10.1186/1744-859x-12-35

Min Kwon, Dai-Jin Kim + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-859x-12-35

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Abstract

BackgroundIn South Korea, it has not been easy to negotiate studies that target drug users who are being punished by law, and accordingly, no study on suicidal ideation among substance users has been accomplished yet. In this study, the factors that affect substance users’ suicidal ideation were confirmed.MethodsIt was based on the data collected from 'The 2009 Study on Substance-Dependent Individuals in Korea’ , which was conducted by The Catholic University of Korea in 2010 as a project sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea. This study targeted 523 former hospital inpatients, prison inmates, and persons under protective supervision who had used substances such as psychotropic drugs, marijuana, and narcotic agents, and were in the recovery stage at various treatment/rehabilitation centers. Student’s t and chi-square tests were used, and multivariate analysis was performed to examine the strength of the relationships between suicide ideation and various factors.ResultsAccording to this study, 41% of these substance users planned suicide with suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was confirmed as associated with an unsatisfactory domestic environment, insufficient and unsatisfactory spare time experiences with others, emotional abuse, severe depression, and trouble with controlling violent behavior. Of the substance users who had planned to commit suicide, 56% attempted suicide. Their suicide attempts were shown to have been associated with insufficient protective supervision and the experiences of physical abuse, trouble with controlling violent behavior, and doctors’ prescriptions due to psychological or emotional problems.ConclusionBased on this analysis of the factors that affect suicidal behavior, preventive measures and strategies for substance user were suggested in this study.

Highlights

In South Korea, it has not been easy to negotiate studies that target drug users who are being punished by law, and no study on suicidal ideation among substance users has been accomplished yet
Serious deterioration of human relations of substance users was reported as a common cause of suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation frequently developed in substance abuse patients who experienced emotional abuses in their childhood [6]
Among the items in the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), a statistically significant difference in the detoxification treatment experience was observed between the groups with and without suicidal ideation (p = 0.001)

Summary

Introduction

In South Korea, it has not been easy to negotiate studies that target drug users who are being punished by law, and no study on suicidal ideation among substance users has been accomplished yet. Among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea reported the highest suicide rate [2]. The association between suicide and substance use has been continuously reported and evaluated through psychological autopsies and studies on the suicide rate among people with specific diseases [3]. In a study on substance use disorders that had caused a suicide rate increase, the incidence of suicide among heroin-dependent patients was reported as 20 times higher than that of the general population [4]. Serious deterioration of human relations of substance users was reported as a common cause of suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation frequently developed in substance abuse patients who experienced emotional abuses in their childhood [6]. The relationship between substance use disorders and mood disorders, and the association of resistance to psychological trauma treatments have been explained [7]

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