Posttraumatic embitterment and suicidality among unemployed adults in Korea: Buffering effects of self-compassion

The significant increase in unemployment during the global pandemic led to heightened psychological distress among those who lost their jobs, underscoring the need to assess mental health in this population. This study employed secondary data analysis to identify levels of posttraumatic embitterment and suicidality among unemployed adults in Korea, examine their sociodemographic differences, and determine the buffering effects of self-compassion on the posttraumatic embitterment-suicidality relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subjects were 624 unemployed adults in a region in South Korea. Self-report scales were used to measure posttraumatic embitterment, suicidality, and self-compassion. The data collected were analyzed with SPSS 27.0, and PROCESS macro Model 1 analysis was conducted to determine the moderating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between posttraumatic embitterment and suicidality. The study found that young adults and women exhibited higher levels of posttraumatic embitterment than older adults and men, with long-term unemployment further increasing both embitterment and suicidality. Self-compassion moderated the impact of posttraumatic embitterment on suicidality, suggesting that increased self-compassion buffers this effect. This study emphasizes the importance of proactive prevention strategies targeting high-risk groups, such as women, young adults, and the long-term unemployed. Additionally, the findings suggest that mental health providers should develop vocational and self-compassion-focused interventions tailored to high-risk unemployed individuals, particularly young adults, to enhance resilience and support suicide prevention efforts.