The Relationship between Daily Life Changes and Suicidal ideations experienced by the Adolescents due to the COVID-19 Pandemic : Data from the 2021 Youth Health Behavior Survey

Purpose: This study aims to identify the relationship between daily life changes and suicidal ideation among adolescents who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to detect mental health issues early and develop effective interventions for suicide prevention. Method: The study utilized secondary analysis of raw data from the 2021 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, with a total sample of 54,848 participants. Changes in daily life were categorized into six items: physical activity, breakfast skipping, drinking, smoking, depression, and perceived stress. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS WIN 22.0, including frequency, cross and logistic regression analysis. Results: Suicidal ideations showed significant differences based on gender, school level, academic performance, economic status, subjective health status, anxiety, experiences of sadness and despair within the past 12 months, suicide planning, and suicide attempts. The relationship between changes in daily life and suicidal ideations among adolescents indicated that, compared to a decrease, an increase in physical activity(OR=1.118, p<.01) and no change(OR=1.163, p<.001), no change in skipping breakfast(OR=.905, p<.05), an increase in drinking(OR=1.664, p<.001), an increase in depression(OR=2.536, p<.001) and no change (OR=.847, p<.05), and high levels of stress(very high: OR=21.653, p<.001; high: OR=8.443, p<.001; moderate: OR=2.716, p<.001) were associated with higher suicidal ideations. Conclusion: Changes in daily life of adolescents who have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic have been identified as a significant related factor in suicidal ideations, and stress is a major variable in suicide, so education to identify and cope with stress factors early is necessary.