Suicide among women in their twenties has emerged as an important public health concern in South Korea, yet empirical studies focusing specifically on this population remain limited both in South Korea and internationally. This study examined factors associated with suicidal ideation among unmarried Korean women in their twenties using a literature-informed exploratory framework that considered psychological distress and economic stress as potential risk correlates, and resilience, religion, and gender-related beliefs as potential protective or context-dependent correlates. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted using a structured online questionnaire. The participants consisted of 209 unmarried South Korean women in their twenties. Convenience sampling was used through online communities, and recruitment was monitored to obtain an approximately balanced distribution of participants with and without labor income. Measures included suicidal ideation, psychological distress, economic stress, gender sensitivity, and resilience. Hierarchical binary logistic regression was used to examine associations with suicidal ideation. Data were collected from October 2, 2023, to March 10, 2024, using a structured self-report online survey. Thirty participants (14.4%) reported suicidal ideation. In the final model, greater psychological distress, greater economic stress, and absence of religion were associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation, whereas higher benevolent sexism scores were associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation; the model explained 41.2% of the variance. Suicidal ideation among unmarried Korean women in their twenties appears to be associated with psychological, economic, sociocultural, and religious factors. These findings support the need for multifaceted prevention strategies that strengthen psychological support, reduce economic strain, and take into account the broader sociocultural context surrounding young women’s lives.
Myeong-Hui Choe (Sun,) studied this question.