Purpose: This study examined the association between stress and suicidal behaviors among adolescents and tested whether depression, anxiety, and happiness function as parallel multiple mediators in this relationship.
Methods: This study analyzed raw d...
Purpose: This study examined the association between stress and suicidal behaviors among adolescents and tested whether depression, anxiety, and happiness function as parallel multiple mediators in this relationship.
Methods: This study analyzed raw data from the 19th (2023) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, including 52,880 middle and high school students nationwide. To ensure representativeness and validity, stratification, clustering, and weighting were applied. Data were analyzed using complex sample Rao–Scott chi-square tests, complex sample logistic regression, and complex sample general linear regression with SPSS 26.0.
Results: As adolescents’ levels of stress increased, the likelihood of experiencing depression (B=0.96) and anxiety (B=2.53) increased, while happiness decreased (B=–0.54). Stress showed significant positive associations with suicidal ideation (B=1.13), suicide planning (B=0.94), and suicide attempts (B=0.82). Stress exerted a direct effect on the likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation (B=0.34) and also demonstrated a partial mediating effect through pathways involving an increased likelihood of experiencing depression (B=1.45), increased anxiety (B=0.10), and decreased happiness (B=–0.46). In contrast, stress did not have a direct effect on the likelihood of experiencing suicide planning or suicide attempts. Instead, its effects on suicide planning and attempts were fully mediated through emotional pathways, including an increased likelihood of depression (planning: B=1.29; attempts: B=1.36), increased anxiety (both B=0.10), and decreased happiness (planning: B=–0.41; attempts: B=–0.38).
Conclusion: Stress influenced adolescent suicidal behaviors through emotional factors. Depression, anxiety, and happiness partially mediated the association between stress and suicidal ideation and fully mediated the associations with suicide planning and attempts. These findings underscore the importance of addressing adolescents’emotional states, alongside stress management, in efforts to prevent suicidal behaviors.