Gender Differences in the Relationship between Binge Drinking―depression Comorbidity and Suicidality among Adolescents

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate gender differences in the relationship between the types of binge drinking―depression comorbidity and suicidality among Korean adolescents. Methods: The current study used The 18th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (n=51,847) to examine the association between binge drinking―depression comorbidity and suicidality across gender. Results: Logistic regression analyses revealed that binge drinking―depression comorbidity was associated with suicidality in females (OR=9.51, 95% CI: 8.00–11.30) and in males (OR=8.25, 95% CI: 6.82–9.97). Binge drinking was associated with suicidality in females (OR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.28–2.12) but not males (OR=1.22, 95% CI: 0.94–1.58). Conclusion: When establishing policies for the youth suicide prevention, screening high-risk groups such as binge drinking and depression, and the development of gender-specific prevention education programs should be considered.