Research Trend on Adult Suicide in South Korea

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the trend of research on suicide among adults in Korea and future directions for research on this topic. Using Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Korea Citation Index (KCI), Korean studies Information Service System (KISS), and National Assembly Library, 79 studies related to suicide among adults were identified. Years published ranged from 2004 to 2018. Following is the results of the study. Following is the results of the study. Research on suicide among adults started from 2004 and the number of publications was the largest in 2016, but since then it has gradually decreased. The most frequent research question in those studies was about the variables related to suicide among adults. The most frequent academic field in which studies were published was psychological counseling. The research subjects were mostly general public samples rather than individuals at risk or individuals whose occupations are reported to have higher suicide rates. In addition, only 20 of the 79 studies belonging to the typology of the course of suicide. The most frequent methodology utilized was quantitative research design with structured surveys. Based on the results of this study, implications for future research were suggested.