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Roman Scott

Dr. Laura Finan

Psych 21

4/28/2018

Factors for the increasing suicide ideation among South Korean youth

Over the past few decades, South Korea has witnessed a rapid increase in its suicide rates

and currently holds the highest rate among Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) countries. This especially holds true for adolescents and youth living in

Korea today with suicide being the number one cause of death for individuals of this

demographic. What are the reasons for this increasing epidemic? Could it be related to a rigorous

and severe academic culture? Or society’s attitude towards the ideation of suicide? In this paper,

I will be drawing data from three studies. First, Suicidal deaths in elementary students in Korea.

Second, Attitudes towards suicide among college students in Korea and the U.S. Lastly, the

effect of high-stakes testing on suicidal ideation of teenagers.

In the first study, the objective was to determine the characteristics and possible factors

that contributed to the suicidal deaths among 19 elementary students that occurred from 2011 to

2015 in South Korea. With there being little literature about suicidal ideation among adolescents,

this study helped provide great qualitative data to help further our understanding. It has been

assumed that children lack the cognitive ability to fully understand death and to engage in