Comparison of Suicide Attempts and Suicide Deaths by Jumping from a High Place in Korean Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Jumping from a high place is the most common method of suicide among Korean children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the personal, family, and school life of Korean children and adolescents who chose jumping from a high place, among suicide attempts and suicide deaths, based on teachers’ reports. Data on suicide attempts and suicide deaths by jumping from a high place in children and adolescents were collected through the Ministry of Education in South Korea from 2016 to 2018. We compared sociodemographic variables, suicide-related variables, emotional and behavioral status, school life related variables, and variables related to family problems among suicide deaths (n = 262), actual suicide attempts (n = 50), and interrupted or aborted suicide attempts (n = 210). There were differences in educational stage (p < 0.001), place of suicide (p < 0.001), presence of suicide note (p < 0.05) and previous suicide attempt (p < 0.001) among the three groups. The total difficulty score on the Strength Difficulty Questionnaire of interrupted or aborted suicide attempts was higher than that of the other two groups. Our study suggests that the suicide death group tend to present fewer personal and family pathologies and better school adjustment than the suicide attempt group.

Suicide warning signs that are challenging to recognize: a psychological autopsy study of Korean adolescents

“…This percentage is similar to or slightly higher in other countries than that in Korea [24,28,29,75,95,96]: 22.9% in Singapore [29], 26.6% in rural China [75], 13.1% in New Zealand [24], 20% in Canada [95], 14.3% in Mexico [28], and 30% in Finland [96]. As most adolescents who die by suicide (approximately 80%) use lethal methods during their first suicide attempt, the rate of previous suicide attempts (13.1-30%) is lower than that of adolescents who make repeated suicide attempts (37.9-53.5%) [97][98][99][100][101][102][103]. The rate of death by suicide after a first attempt is higher in adolescents than in adults [28,38,104].…”

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Correlates of Interrupted and Aborted Suicide Attempts Among U.S. Active Duty Service Members Seeking Treatment for Suicidal Symptoms

“…One study found that patients hospitalized for an interrupted SA were approximately 3 times more likely to die by suicide compared with patients with an uninterrupted SA (Steer et al, 1988). Another recent study showed that children and adolescents with interrupted and aborted SAs exhibited greater overall difficulties with relationships, conduct problems, and hyperactivity/inattention relative to those with SAs and those who died by suicide (Song et al, 2021). In contrast, other studies have found that compared with those with SAs, adolescent psychiatric inpatients with interrupted and aborted SAs reported less severe depression and suicidal thinking (Hill et al, 2017), and civilian and military psychiatric patients with interrupted and aborted SAs reported less alcohol use (Luk et al, 2020).…”

Comments on the Article “Orthopedic Patients with Mental Disorder: Literature Review on Preoperative and Postoperative Precautions”: To the Editor

“… 8) However, in South Korea, jumping from heights has been the most utilized method of suicide amongst children and adolescents. 9) The reason for this likely lies in the differing national policies towards firearms. Additionally, living in an urban area with high-rise buildings has been correlated with a higher number of intentional fallers, making local infrastructure an important factor to consider when discussing prevention strategies.…”