Association of Body Mass Index with Suicide Behaviors, Perceived Stress, and Life Dissatisfaction in the Korean General Population.
- Author:
Haesoo KIM
1
;
Hong Jin JEON
;
Jae Nam BAE
;
Maeng Je CHO
;
Seong Jin CHO
;
Hyochul LEE
;
Jin Pyo HONG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Suicide; Body mass index; Perceived stress; Life dissatisfaction
- MeSH: Adult; Body Mass Index*; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Education; Humans; Korea; Mental Health; Methods; Obesity; Risk Factors; Suicide*; Thinness; Weights and Measures
- From:Psychiatry Investigation 2018;15(3):272-278
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between Body Mass Index, suicide, perceived stress, and life dissatisfaction in a general population sample of Korean adults. METHODS: A total of 6,022 nationally representative adults aged 18 to 74 were selected using a multistage cross-sectional cluster sampling method. Questionnaires regarding suicide behaviors, perceived stress, and life satisfaction were completed by the participants. They also reported their heights and weights, which were used to calculate BMI. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: The results showed that being underweight was associated with higher risk for suicide ideation [odds ratio (OR), 1.6; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.18–2.05] and suicide attempt (OR, 2.0, 95% Cl, 1.23–3.31). Likewise, obesity also increased the risk of suicide ideation (OR, 1.3; 95% Cl, 1.11–1.56) although not suicide attempt. Furthermore, underweight individuals were more likely to report severe level of perceived stress (OR, 1.7; 95% Cl, 1.26–2.17) and life dissatisfaction (OR, 1.3; 95% Cl, 1.07–1.68). All of the results remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, education, and psychiatric illnesses. CONCLUSION: This study found that being underweight is a significant risk factor for suicide and poor subjective wellbeing in Korea. It suggests that BMI status may be an important modifiable factor for improving mental health in Korea.
