Association between neighborhood environments and suicidal ideation among Korean adults

Background: The relationship between neighborhood environments and suicide has not been well studied. In the present study, relations between suicidal ideation and social and physical environments were investigated in Korean adults. Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2013 Korea Community Health Survey. The final analysis included 221,038 individuals aged >= 19 years. A multivariate regression model was used to examine the independent effects of environments on suicidal ideation. Results: Approximately 9.4% of participants had experienced suicidal ideation. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis showed that trusting neighbors and all five physical environments were independently associated with suicidal ideation. As regards physical environments, relations with suicidal ideation varied across subgroups: satisfaction with overall safety was to be strongly and consistently related to less suicidal ideation. Limitations: Causality and the impact of unmeasured confounders were not addressed. Conclusion: Neighborhood environments may reduce suicidal ideation.