Suicidal ideation in Korean persons with spinal cord injury

Cross-sectional survey.

To investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt in Korean persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the factors related with suicidal ideation in comparison with a control group (CG).

Community-dwelling persons with chronic SCI in Korea.

A total of 382 persons with chronic SCI and 1104 able-bodied persons randomly selected from the general population and matched for age, sex and education level were compared. Suicidal ideation and attempt were recorded positive if the subjects had that experience during the past year. Psychosocial variables and injury-related factors were also evaluated.

Suicidal ideation was found in 34.8% (127/365) of SCI persons and 10.4% (115/1104) in the CG (P<0.001). The rate of suicidal attempt among those with suicidal ideation was 17.3% (22/127) in SCI and 8.7% (10/115) in CG (P=0.048). Multiple logistic regression revealed that SCI itself (odds ratio (OR) 2.865) was a significant risk factor of suicidal ideation. However, completeness of injury and injury level were not significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Depressive mood (OR 11.194, P<0.001) and female gender (OR 3.706, P<0.001) were significant risk factors of suicidal ideation in the SCI group with a predictive percentage of 77.5%.

Suicidal ideation was more frequent among Korean persons with SCI compared with able-bodied peers and closely related to psychosocial adjustment. The results support the need for active intervention to prevent suicide regardless of injury severity.