Relationship Between Depression and Suicide Attempts: The Moderating Effect of Social Network

Abstract Studies of protective factors regarding the suicidal risk in individuals with depression commonly suggest that social resources are important. However, there are some incoherent results that may be due to the cognitive distortion of depressed people. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship using social network variables, a relatively objective measurement method. The 145 participants were college students who studied in Seoul, South Korea. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES‐D), the Suicide Ideation Scale, and an indicator evaluating the number of social networks were used. In the relationship between depression and suicide attempts, the size of social networks showed a significant moderating effect. In particular, when the size of the social network is fewer than six people, it is found that there is a conditional effect, confirming that the minimum human resources play an important role in identifying the risk of suicide attempts. This study may be meaningful in that it uses social network variables to examine the impact of social resources in more diverse aspects and to present specific goals for suicide crisis intervention.