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Suicidal ideation and attempt among young people living in gosiwons in South Korea

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A Correction to this article was published on 07 March 2024

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Abstract

Introduction

Young people living in gosiwons could be at high risk for suicide owing to inadequate living conditions and the social stigma towards them. However, this topic has not received adequate academic attention. Gosiwon is a type of small residence consisting of several tiny rooms densely packed together and usually does not meet minimum housing standards. However, gosiwons are favored by low-income groups, especially young people, because they are cheaper than other residences. This study aimed to examine the factors that increase the risk of suicidal ideation and attempt among young people living in gosiwons.

Methods

A sample of 300 young people aged 19–34 years living in gosiwons for over 6 months was analyzed. A set of multinomial logistic regression was conducted to examine the factors that differentiate the suicidal ideation and attempt group from the no-suicidal risk group.

Results

Approximately 30% of the study participants experienced suicidal ideation or attempted suicide. Among several risk factors, social exclusion and depressive symptoms distinguished the group with suicidal ideation from the no-risk group. Depressive symptoms were the only factor that differentiated the group with suicide attempts history from the no-risk group.

Conclusion

The results emphasize the need to focus on social exclusion and depressive symptoms among young people living in poor housing conditions. Interventions to address social exclusion and depressive symptoms may help prevent suicide risk among young people exposed to housing exclusion.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions.

Change history

Notes

  1. Suicide rate = (number of deaths from suicide / number of registered residents) * 100,000.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Hayoung Choi, Somin Lee, Hwajin Chun & Ja Hyun Shin

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  1. Hayoung Choi
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Contributions

All authors wrote the main manuscript text and reviewed the manuscript. Choi was in charge of method and results. Lee managed research and writing manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Somin Lee.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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The original online version of this article was revised: In this article included “Yonsei” on the underline of page 3.

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Choi, H., Lee, S., Chun, H. et al. Suicidal ideation and attempt among young people living in gosiwons in South Korea. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02615-3

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