Effect of Subjective Economic Status During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation Among South Korean Adolescents

Purpose: This study identified the relationships between perceived household economic status and household economic downturn due to COVID-19 and adolescent depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Methods: Participants for this study were extracted from the 13th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, conducted from August to November 2020. The participants comprised 54,948 middle and high school students selected by stratified random cluster sampling. Results: The prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were 25.2% and 10.9%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lower perceived household economic status significantly predicted higher prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Participants who perceived that their household economic status had declined because of COVID-19 were more likely to have experienced depression and suicidal ideation. These results were similar regardless of the participants' perceptions of household economic status. Conclusion: This study found that in the ongoing pandemic, there is a need for an active mental health promotion program for adolescents from low-income households, especially those who experienced a recent decline in the household economy.