Cultural Stigma Manifested in Official Suicide Death in South Korea.

This article examines the cultural sources of underreported suicide deaths in South Korea. It analyzes two sets of suicide data compiled by two different government agencies. Noting the considerable undercounting of suicide deaths compiled by the National Statistical Office, it explores how the underreporting is linked to the Confucian norm of familism. Despite an effort to improve the quality of official suicide data, a reform in the death system is needed in order to gather accurate data for a better understanding of the increased suicides as well as for the development of more effective suicide prevention and intervention strategies.

Rising youth suicide and the changing cultural context in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: South Korean society faces a serious challenge in the increasing rates of youth suicidal behavior. There is a need both to gain a better understanding of the causes of this behavior and to develop strategies for responding to this critical public health issue. AIMS: This article analyzes how psychological, sociopsychological, and subcultural factors influence suicidal proneness among Korean youth as well as makes suggestions for developing social policies that could reduce Korean youth suicidal behaviors. METHOD: Correlation and multivariate regression analyses on suicide proneness and depression were employed using a sample of 172 South Korean youths (aged 18-24) selected from the 2009 General Social Survey collected through face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Young people's suicidal proneness is associated with depression, a tolerant attitude toward suicide, strained family relations, living in rural areas, being female, and being closely related to survivors of suicide or potential suicides. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study reveal the significance of social and cultural factors as influences on recent youth suicidal behavior in Korea. The analysis suggests that the underlying risk factors of suicidal behavior are embedded in the changing social and cultural context of Korean society. Thus, suicide prevention efforts should involve more than merely treating any underlying psychiatric disorders.

Rural and urban suicide in South Korea.

Suicide rates in 2005 in South Korea were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Those in rural areas more often used pesticides and chemicals as a method for suicide, and there was a greater proportion of men and the elderly, both groups at higher risk for suicide in South Korea. These three factors may account for the high rural suicide rate in South Korea.

Correlates of a Taoist orientation among Korean students.

Associations of .35 and -.34, respectively, were found for a measure of having a Taoist orientation to life with death anxiety and the perception that one's self is unified (versus fragmented) in samples of 41 Korean high school and 145 Korean university students.