Interaction effect between exposure to suicide and high-risk drinking on suicidal ideation among suicide survivors

Abstract

Exposure to suicide in social relationships is known to affect suicide survivors’ suicide ideation, and high-risk drinking is known to be a risk factor in increasing suicidal ideation. By utilizing data from 1,385 Korean adults who responded to “A Longitudinal Study on the Mental Health of Suicide Survivors Who Experienced Suicide in Social Relationships,” we examined the association between experiences exposed to suicide and suicidal ideation and its interaction effect of high-risk drinking on suicide ideation. The study participants who answered that they had been exposed to suicide in social relationships was 22.4%, and the interaction effect between exposure to suicide and high-risk drinking was found to be statistically significant. Therefore, high-risk drinking was confirmed as a risk factor for negatively affecting the relationship between exposure to suicide and suicidal ideation. Based on these results, we suggest clinical and policy interventions to reduce risky behaviors among suicide survivors.