Attitudes Toward Suicide Are Associated With Lifetime History of Depressive Symptoms and Suicide Attempts Among Entertainment Industry Workers in South Korea.

Objective

Entertainment industry workers (EIWs) face unique psychosocial stressors, yet systematic research on the psychological contributors to their suicide risk is scarce.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey of 491 adult EIWs in South Korea (55.0% male; 75.2% aged 20-49 years) assessed lifetime history of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and attitudes toward suicide using the 20-item Attitudes Toward Suicide Scale (ATTS-20). Associations between ATTS-20 subfactors and mental health outcomes were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for key covariates.

Results

Lifetime prevalence of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts was 72.5%, 53.8%, and 13.4%, respectively. In adjusted models, lifetime history of depressive symptoms and lack of social support were significantly associated with both lifetime suicidal ideation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.20-5.89; aOR=2.57, 95% CI: 1.52-4.43, respectively) and suicide attempts (aOR=4.95, 95% CI: 1.88-17.10; aOR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.44-4.96, respectively). Regarding ATTS-20 factors, "permissiveness" and "unpredictability" were significantly associated with lifetime history of depressive symptoms (aOR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.22-2.30; aOR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-1.97, respectively) in multivariable analysis. Notably, the "relation-caused" factor (believing suicide is triggered by external relational problems) was significantly associated with suicide attempts (aOR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.01-2.00).

Conclusion

This study found high prevalence of lifetime depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among South Korean adult EIWs. In multivariable adjusted models, attitudes toward suicide of EIWs were associated with their lifetime depressive symptoms and suicide attempts.