Age-specific profiles of suicide warning signs among Korean suicide decedents, 2013-2020.
- 1College of Nursing, Jeju National University, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
- 2Health and Nursing Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
- 3College of Nursing, Dongguk University-WISE, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Introduction
Suicide warning signs may provide important opportunities for early recognition and intervention, yet their presentation may vary across the life course. However, population-level evidence on age-specific patterns of suicide warning signs remains limited. This study examined age-group differences in the presence and types of suicide warning signs among suicide decedents in South Korea.Methods
We analyzed data from the Korean National Investigations of Suicide Deaths Through Police Records, 2013-2020. The analytic sample included 96,501 suicide decedents with valid information on age group and warning sign status. Participants were categorized as children/adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, or older adults. Chi-square tests were used to examine age-group differences in the presence of any warning sign, and binary logistic regression was conducted to assess age-group differences in any warning sign. Separate item-level logistic regression models were used for specific warning signs.Results
Overall, 92.9% of suicide decedents had at least one warning sign. The proportion was highest among older adults (95.1%) and lowest among children/adolescents (87.4%). Compared with older adults, all younger age groups had lower odds of having any recorded warning sign. The types of warning signs also differed by age. Verbal warning signs, particularly complaints of physical discomfort, were more characteristic of older adults, whereas emotional warning signs were more prominent among children/adolescents and young adults. Behavioral warning signs were more frequently observed among younger and middle-aged adults than among older adults.Conclusion
Suicide warning signs vary substantially across age groups, suggesting that a uniform approach to warning sign recognition may overlook age-specific patterns. These findings may inform future age-sensitive recognition strategies and improvements in suicide mortality surveillance.
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BibTeX
@article{ahn2026agespecific,
title = {{Age-specific profiles of suicide warning signs among Korean suicide decedents, 2013-2020.}},
author = {Junggeun Ahn and Jiu Kim},
journal = {Frontiers in public health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969435},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910169},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Age-specific profiles of suicide warning signs among Korean suicide decedents, 2013-2020.
AU - Junggeun Ahn
AU - Jiu Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in public health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1969435
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910169
AB - Introduction Suicide warning signs may provide important opportunities for early recognition and intervention, yet their presentation may vary across the life course. However, population-level evidence on age-specific patterns of suicide warning signs remains limited. This study examined age-group differences in the presence and types of suicide warning signs among suicide decedents in South Korea.Methods We analyzed data from the Korean National Investigations of Suicide Deaths Through Police Records, 2013-2020. The analytic sample included 96,501 suicide decedents with valid information on age group and warning sign status. Participants were categorized as children/adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, or older adults. Chi-square tests were used to examine age-group differences in the presence of any warning sign, and binary logistic regression was conducted to assess age-group differences in any warning sign. Separate item-level logistic regression models were used for specific warning signs.Results Overall, 92.9% of suicide decedents had at least one warning sign. The proportion was highest among older adults (95.1%) and lowest among children/adolescents (87.4%). Compared with older adults, all younger age groups had lower odds of having any recorded warning sign. The types of warning signs also differed by age. Verbal warning signs, particularly complaints of physical discomfort, were more characteristic of older adults, whereas emotional warning signs were more prominent among children/adolescents and young adults. Behavioral warning signs were more frequently observed among younger and middle-aged adults than among older adults.Conclusion Suicide warning signs vary substantially across age groups, suggesting that a uniform approach to warning sign recognition may overlook age-specific patterns. These findings may inform future age-sensitive recognition strategies and improvements in suicide mortality surveillance.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -