Korean J Biol Psychiatry.  2015 Feb;22(1):1-6. 10.0000/kjbp.2015.22.1.1.

The Korea National Suicide Survey (KNSS): Rationale and Design

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. aym@snu.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion and Institute for Health Promotion, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Korea Suicide Prevention Center, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
  • 5Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
  • 6Department of Psychology, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea.
  • 7Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 8Korean Association for Suicide Prevention, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Suicide, the fourth leading cause of death in Korea, is a serious national problem. The Korea National Suicide Survey (KNSS) is the result of the first legislation to address this issue, "Article 11 of THE ACT FOR THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE AND THE CREATION OF A CULTURE OF RESPECT FOR LIFE" (the "Act for the Prevention of Suicide"). To overcome the limitations of previous studies, the KNSS was designed by collaborators from a variety of fields : psychology, epidemiology, social welfare, and psychiatry. The KNSS was composed of four substudies that addressed the multifaceted process involved in suicide-related behavior over time, exploring general attitudes toward suicide and suicidal ideation, suicide planning, suicide attempts, and completed suicides. Study 1 examined the risk factors for suicide based on data regarding completed suicides ; Study 2 adopted the approach of a psychological autopsy ; Study 3 focused on suicide attempters ; and Study 4 explored attitudes toward suicide in the general population. The KNSS was designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of suicide from a longitudinal, multifaceted perspective to serve as a basis for policies aimed at suicide prevention.

Keyword

Suicide; Nationwide survey; Rationale; Design

MeSH Terms

Autopsy
Cause of Death
Epidemiology
Korea
Psychology
Risk Factors
Social Welfare
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide*
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