Kang Gyeong A, Yoon Ju Young, Shin Ji Hye
College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Center for Human-Caring Nurse Leaders for the Future by Brain Korea 21 (BK 21) Four Project, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Arch Public Health. 2025 Apr 4;83(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s13690-025-01574-8.
During the lockdown period, the challenges faced and their consequences differed by age group, making it necessary to understand the factors influencing suicidal behaviors, such as suicide planning, across different ages. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for suicide planning in middle-aged and older adults.
A cross-sectional analysis was performed by combining KNHANES 2020-2021 data for people aged 40 and older with National Mental Health Statistics 2020-2021 data on the number of mental health professionals per capita. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify demographic, health behavior, health status, and health access factors that affected suicide planning by dividing the participants into the middle-aged (40-64 years old) and older adult (65 years old or older) groups.
The proportion of suicide planning among middle-aged and older adults was 1.21% and 1.36%, respectively. The proportion of participants with suicide plans who had attempted suicide was 20.52% among older adults and 14.09% among middle-aged adults. In both groups, a diagnosis of depression and high stress were consistently associated with suicide planning. In the middle-aged group, current smoking (OR = 2.27, p = 0.023) and unmet healthcare needs (OR = 2.32, p = 0.024) increased the risk of suicide planning. In the older adult group, living alone (OR = 2.72, p = 0.002) increased this risk.
The prevalence of suicide attempts was higher among those with a suicide plan than among those without a suicide plan. For both middle-aged and older adult groups, it is important to provide mental health care aimed at suicide prevention, especially for those with depressive disorders or high stress levels. Additionally, providing alternative stress management resources for middle-aged smokers and monitoring isolated older adults could be effective prevention strategies.
在封锁期间，不同年龄组面临的挑战及其后果有所不同，因此有必要了解影响自杀行为（如自杀计划）的因素在不同年龄段的情况。本研究旨在确定中年和老年人自杀计划的风险因素。
通过将2020 - 2021年韩国国家健康与营养检查调查（KNHANES）中40岁及以上人群的数据与2020 - 2021年国家心理健康统计数据中人均心理健康专业人员数量相结合，进行横断面分析。通过将参与者分为中年（40 - 64岁）和老年（65岁及以上）组，进行逻辑回归分析，以确定影响自杀计划的人口统计学、健康行为、健康状况和医疗服务可及性因素。
中年人和老年人中自杀计划的比例分别为1.21%和1.36%。有自杀计划的参与者中，老年人自杀未遂的比例为20.52%，中年人为14.09%。在两组中，抑郁症诊断和高压力与自杀计划始终相关。在中年组中，当前吸烟（OR = 2.27，p = 0.023）和未满足的医疗需求（OR = 2.32，p = 0.024）增加了自杀计划的风险。在老年组中，独居（OR = 2.72，p = 0.002）增加了这种风险。
有自杀计划者的自杀未遂患病率高于无自杀计划者。对于中年和老年组，提供旨在预防自杀的心理健康护理非常重要，特别是对于患有抑郁症或压力水平高的人群。此外，为中年吸烟者提供替代压力管理资源以及监测独居老年人可能是有效的预防策略。
