Association Between Employment Status and Suicidal Ideation in Korean Adults

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Employment status is a crucial socioeconomic indicator linked to social well-being.
• Limited research exists on employment status and mental health, specifically suicidal ideation, in Asian populations.
• Unstable employment conditions can precipitate various societal issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between employment status and suicidal ideation within the general population of South Korea.
• To address the research gap concerning employment and mental health in Asian demographics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) spanning 2015, 2017, and 2019.
• Analyzed 6,509 participants aged 20 years and older, defining suicidal ideation as serious consideration of suicide within the past year.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression and stratified analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic, health behavior, and mental health covariates to assess effect modification.

Main Results:

• Unemployed individuals exhibited 1.85 times higher odds of reporting suicidal ideation compared to their employed counterparts (aOR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.41-2.44, p<0.001).
• Effect modification on the employment status-suicidal ideation link was observed across most covariates, with exceptions for women and individuals with low body mass index.

Conclusions:

• Unemployed status is a significant risk factor associated with increased suicidal ideation.
• Findings underscore the necessity for further research and policy development to address the mental health challenges faced by unemployed populations.