Influence of Physical Symptoms and Lifestyle on Suicidal Ideation of Senior Grade Students in Elementary School

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze physical symptom-related and life-style factors affecting suicidal ideation of senior grade students in elementary school. METHODS: Physical symptom-related and life-style factors were used to investigate suicidal ideation among 663 elementary school students. From February 11 to 15, 2018, data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using the χ² test, Pearson correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis in SPSS for Windows version 22.0. RESULTS: The factors affecting suicidal ideation were gender, family structure, economic status, academic performance, exposure to school violence during the past year, physical symptoms, drinking experience, smoking experience, sleeping time, and ramen noodle consumption. The regression analysis showed that exposure to school violence during the past year (odds ratio [OR] 102.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 51.19~207.19, p=.001), number of physical symptoms (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.12~1.41, p=.001), drinking experience (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.66~6.06, p=.001), and game and internet usage time (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.08~4.01, p=.029) affected suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that physical symptoms and life-style significantly influenced suicidal ideation. Therefore, interventions to reduce suicidal ideation in children must focus on improving children's physical symptoms and life-style.