The impact of sleep quality on suicidal behavior among international students and workers in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

International students and workers in South Korea experience multiple stressors that may increase vulnerability to poor sleep and suicidal behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 824 participants, including 474 workers and 350 students from 10 Asian countries. Sleep quality and suicidal behavior were assessed using the PSQI and the SBQ-R. Poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) was reported by 57.4% of participants, and 9.3% met criteria for high suicide risk (SBQ-R ≥7). A significant association was observed between sleep quality and suicide risk (χ²(1)=20.71, p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that individuals with poor sleep had higher odds of high suicide risk (OR=3.53, 95% CI [1.90, 6.57], p<0.001), after adjusting for demographic factors. Male participants demonstrated significantly lower odds of suicide risk compared to female participants (OR=0.237, p=0.008). Linear regression analysis further showed that poorer sleep quality was significantly associated with higher suicidal behavior scores (β=0.21, p<0.001). These findings suggest that sleep quality is significantly associated with suicide risk among foreign residents in South Korea.