Individuals with depression and anxiety who lived alone were significantly more likely to die by suicide.
The association between suicide risk and living alone was greater among men.
Adults in South Korea with depression or anxiety who were living alone were significantly more likely to die by suicide compared with adults without depression or anxiety who lived with others, according to a study.
Although previous studies have revealed links between suicide risk and both mental health issues and living alone, the combined impact of these two factors had yet to be examined, Daa Un Moon, MD, medical resident and clinical researcher in psychiatry and psychotherapy at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open.
Data were derived from Moon DU, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.1227.
To address this knowledge gap, Moon and colleagues performed a population-based cohort study using 2009 to 2021 data from the South Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database.
The study included 3,764,279 adults (55.8% men; mean age, 47.2 years; standard deviation [SD], 14 years) aged 20 years and older who participated in the NHIS-provided General Health Screening Program in South Korea in 2009.
Moon and colleagues categorized participants as living alone if they were registered as a one-person household for 5 or more years with the NHIS. They identified participants with depression and anxiety using NHIS health care claims and death by suicide through the National Statistical Office.
Overall, 3% of the cohort had depression and 6.2% had anxiety. Most (91.5%) of the participants lived with others but 8.5% lived alone. Regardless of living arrangements, participants with anxiety or depression tended to be female, older, from low-income brackets and have more comorbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Over a mean follow-up of 11.05 (SD, 1.46) years, 235,458 participants in the cohort died, with suicide accounting for 0.3% of all deaths. The incidence of suicide was greater among individuals who lived alone and had depression (1.2%) or anxiety (0.7%).
According to a Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors, individuals with both depression and anxiety who lived alone were significantly more likely to die by suicide compared with the reference group of individuals without depression or anxiety who lived with others (adjusted HR = 6.58; 95% CI, 4.86-8.92).
Among individuals with depression, suicide risk was greater among those who lived alone (aHR = 3.91; 95% CI, 2.96-5.16) or with others (aHR = 2.98; 95% CI, 2.74-3.25), although the risk for the former group was greater.
Similarly, the risk for death by suicide was raised for all individuals with anxiety, but was higher for those who lived alone (aHR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.48-2.43) than for those who lived with others (aHR = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.52-1.76).
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
These associations remained consistent after adjustments for psychiatric comorbidities, including PTSD and schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
The researchers also performed subgroup analyses and found that the association between living alone and suicide risk associated with depression or anxiety was strongest individuals aged 40 years to 64 years compared with other age groups, as well as among and men compared with women.
The researchers observed several limitations to this study, including an inability to determine the causal direction of the relationship between suicide risk and living alone due to the fact it was an observational study.
Future studies should examine the impact of psychosocial factors such as societal perceptions and coping strategies on the association between suicide risk and living situation, they wrote.
“These findings highlight the importance of considering living arrangements in individuals with depression or anxiety, especially for specific demographic groups, such as middle-aged individuals and men, in suicide risk assessments,” Moon and colleagues wrote. “Targeted interventions addressing these factors together are crucial to mitigate risk.”
Please follow and like us:
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
Related
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
