Danielle Richardson

Introduction: Over 90% of all adolescent suicides occur in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC), yet the majority of suicide research has focused on primarily high‐income countries (HIC).Method: Using nationally representative data on 82,494 adolescents from thirty‐four LMIC, this research employed machine learning to compare the predictive effects of multiple determinants of suicidal behaviors previously identified in the literature.Results: Results indicate that distinct predictors are present for suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts in youth living in LMIC as well as shared predictors common to all three behaviors.Conclusion: These findings provide insights into the unique needs in global mental health policy and efforts within and across adolescents in LMIC.

Korea’s suicide rate has increased steadily in recent years and it has become the leading cause of death among Korean youth. This paper aims to propose suicide risk identification strategies for South Korean youth by identifying profiles of suicide risk alongside reported somatic complaints. For several reasons, somatic complaints are more commonly reported than mental health concerns in Korea, where somatic complaints are likely to be representative of larger mental health worries. Nationally representative data of Korean first-year middle school students were used to identify mental health profiles by examining reported suicidal ideation, depression, and social anxiety and the prediction effect of reported somatic symptoms within these profiles. Results indicated that female students reported a greater level of suicidal ideation, depression, and social anxiety compared to male students. Each gender (females and males) exhibited five different mental health profile groups, which ranged from low risk to high risk. Somatic symptoms (sleep, stomach ache, tiredness, breathing, appetite, headache, fever, nausea) significantly predicted each profile group, with sleep issues serving as the strongest predictor for risk across both genders and all groups. Therefore, for mental health professionals working with Korean youth, it is encouraged to identify and recognize somatic complaints as potentially representative of mental health concerns and suicidality risk.