South Korean teens have more suicidal thoughts in high school than they did in middle school, with such tendencies peaking in the second year, a recent case study showed Sunday.
Second-year high school students on average scored 1.58 out of 4 in terms of having suicidal thoughts, in the study published by the National Youth Police Institute. This was higher than the 1.56 for first years or 1.57 for the third and final year of the high school.
The research tracked down 2,590 teens throughout six years of middle and high school, from 2018 to 2023.
The study showed that the subjects had just as many suicidal thoughts in their first year of middle school as they did in the first year of high school, at 1.56. This gradually decreased to 1.53 and 1.52 in the second and third year of middle school.
It is possible that the transition from middle to high school, which entails an increase in academic pressure, and greater struggles about identity and relationships with other students, has an impact on the subject students, the researchers noted.
Self-respect affects negativity
The study also suggested that teens with low self-esteem tend to have significantly higher level of suicidal thoughts than those with high self-esteem, a trend which persists throughout their development.
Another significant factor was the level of aggressiveness, as aggressive teens showed higher tendency to have suicidal thoughts compared to others throughout the six years.
Being socially withdrawn and parental rejection — persistent denial of approval, affection or care toward child — both substantially affected teens' suicidal thoughts in the early stages.
Researchers suggested that teens with low self-esteem or aggressive behavior should be watched closely from the young ages. They said suicidal thoughts of teens is a dynamic process that undergoes changes through time, not a status at a certain point.
The study is titled "Trajectories of adolescent suicidal ideation: Longitudinal effects of early psychosocial characteristics."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
