Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT
Studies on gender differences in suicidal ideation and anger are limited. Furthermore, these studies focused on linear relationships, which limits the full understanding of the complex relationships and hampers identification of high-risk groups for suicidal tendencies. Hence, this study aims to assess the gender differences in: (1) the level of suicidal ideation and anger; (2) predictors for suicidal ideation; and (3) the varying association between suicidal ideation and anger. The target population for this cross-sectional, correlational study was adolescents aged 13 to 15 years living in South Korea. A total of 258 adolescents (160 boys and 98 girls) completed the Multidimensional Anger Inventory and Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, multiple linear, and spline regression analysis. Girls reported significantly higher scores in both anger and suicidal ideation. While anger was a significant predictor for suicidal ideation only in boys, both school life satisfaction and anger were significant predictors of suicidal ideation in girls. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, the spline regression revealed a significant threshold point in the relationship between anger and suicidal ideation, particularly among girls. At the threshold anger point of 117.67, 12.5% of girls belonged to the high-risk group. The gender-specific patterns of the relationship between suicidal ideation and anger and the existence of threshold points confirmed the need for targeted suicidal preventive programs focusing on controlling anger.
INTRODUCTION
Suicide is an overarching social concern that affects all age groups. In recent years, there has been growing concern regarding the increasing rates of suicidal tendencies among adolescents. The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in the United States showed that 8.4% of high school students attempted suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). In Korea, 11.6% of middle and high school students reported attempting suicide, which is a higher rate than that for their U.S. counterparts (H.S. Kim & Kim, 2008). Suicide was one of the two most prevalent causes of death in Korean adolescents, and the first leading cause of death among girls in 2006 (Korea National Statistical Office, 2007).
Persons with suicidal tendencies are categorized into three groups: those with suicidal ideation, those who attempted suicide, and those who have completed suicide (Linehan, 1986). In...