title: Factors affecting stigma toward suicide and depression: A Korean nationwide study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide attempts and depression are considerably misunderstood by Korean society. Studies regarding factors should provide basic information concerning the factors that should be considered when examining stigmatization.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic factors related to the social stigma toward people with a history of suicide attempts or depression in a Korean nationwide community sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants selected via a multi-stage cluster sampling method; 779 respondents completed Link's Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination (PDD) scale to assess the social stigma they attached to suicide attempts, and another 743 completed PDD scale to assess the social stigma they attached to depression. Multiple regression analysis, including socioeconomic and psychiatric variables, was performed to identify the factors predictive of social stigma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of multiple regressions revealed that age (β = .12, p = .018), sex (β = .08, p = .038), years of education (β = -.31, p = .006) and history of suicide attempts (β = -.11, p = .009) significantly predicted the degree of stigma toward people who had made suicide attempts, whereas age (β = .15, p = .003) and education (β = -.40, p = .001) also predicted the social stigma toward people with depression, sex and history of a depressive episode did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older men with less education and no experience with suicide perceived suicide attempts more negatively. Similarly, older people with less education placed a greater stigma on people suffering from depression. These results suggest that greater access to higher education may reduce stigma toward people with mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soowon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Ji
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Maeng Je
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea benji@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jun-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D056910:Republic of Korea; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Stigma; depression; education; suicide attempt