The suicidal ideation of disaster victims: A nationwide cross-sectional study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Various natural and human made disasters occur worldwide. Individuals are affected economically and psychologically, and the persistence of these disasters for a long period may cause suicidal ideation. It is necessary to identify the factors that may cause suicidal ideation among the people affected by these disasters. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify the factors affecting suicidal ideation in victims of disasters such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, fires, and earthquakes. METHODS Data were obtained from a long-term survey on life changes among disaster victims conducted in 2019 by the National Disaster Management Research Institute. The study included 2,234 victims of natural and social disasters occurring in Korea between 2012 and 2018. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview developed by the World Health Organization. The participants’ demographic characteristics, disaster-related characteristics (disaster type, disaster duration, injury/disease damage), physical characteristics (subjective health status), psychological characteristics (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, resilience), and social characteristics (social support and social adaptation) were analyzed as the influencing factors. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression. RESULTS The results showed that the factors affecting suicidal ideation included disaster-related injury/disease, depression, and social support. The odds ratio of suicidal ideation was higher when there was injury/disease (OR=1.89, CI=0.07-0.48), with higher depression levels (OR=1.31, CI=1.18-1.47) and with lower social support (OR=0.94, CI=0.90-0.99). CONCLUSIONS It is necessary to implement psychosocial support strategies and health promotion programs aimed at reducing suicidal ideation in disaster victims.