[Young journalist Ahin Yi] Research has found that youth suicide rates are closely associated with the residential environment of the regions where young people live. Areas with higher housing prices and larger residential spaces tended to have lower youth suicide rates. It has been pointed out that urgent measures are needed that take spatial characteristics into account, such as improving neighborhood environments in underdeveloped areas and supporting housing stability for households with adolescents.

According to a recently published paper in Health and Social Welfare Review, an academic journal of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, titled “The Effects of Local Environments on Youth Suicide: Focusing on Housing and Commercial Area Characteristics,” housing prices, residential floor area, and the proportion of small-sized housing units in a region showed a statistically significant negative relationship with youth suicide rates. A negative relationship means that as one value increases, the other tends to decrease, indicating an inverse relationship.

The researchers analyzed ten years of youth suicide mortality data, from 2013 to 2022, from 215 regions out of Korea’s 229 cities, counties, and districts, excluding 14 areas where there were no suicide deaths. The analysis showed that the average youth suicide rate was 41.37 deaths per 100,000 people. By region, the rate ranged from a minimum of 6.13 to a maximum of 162.7, showing an extreme regional gap of as much as 26.5 times.

A detailed analysis of residential environment characteristics showed that youth suicide rates were lower in areas with higher housing prices and larger residential spaces. Areas with higher housing prices tend to have better neighborhood infrastructure, such as libraries and parks, which was interpreted as potentially reducing factors associated with suicide risk. Larger living spaces were also found to provide family members with greater physical privacy and a more comfortable residential environment, which may help reduce conflicts within the home and support psychological rest. In addition, a higher proportion of small-sized housing units, which indicates that housing may be relatively easier to secure, also appeared to contribute to greater housing stability and lower suicide rates.

The researchers emphasized that these findings reaffirm the importance of creating supportive socioeconomic environments and well-organized communities as part of efforts to prevent youth suicide. Accordingly, they suggested that areas with lower property values and lower housing prices should prioritize expanding public spaces, such as libraries and youth centers, where young people can safely spend time outside their homes. These spaces could serve as a kind of “shared living room” for adolescents. They also called for the expansion of facilities specifically for adolescents along routes to and from school, along with sufficient installation of CCTV cameras and streetlights, in order to create safer street environments.

At the same time, the need for housing policies tailored to households with adolescent children has also emerged. Researchers pointed out that practical support measures should be established, such as raising minimum living-space standards to ensure that adolescents have sufficient personal space for psychological independence and expanding the supply of public rental housing that meets these standards.

▶원문 기사: "집값·주거면적 높을수록 청소년 자살률 낮아"…지역 주거환경 밀접성 확인

◆이코노미스트가 글로벌 차세대 경제 리더, 청소년 기자단 영 저널리스트와 함께합니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단은 프리미엄 경제지 이코노미스트, 논술 전문 기관 Ni 에듀케이션과 함께 주요 시사 이슈를 팔로우업하고 직접 기획, 취재, 기사 작성 활동을 하며 사회적 문제를 고심하고 해결 방안을 제시하는 과정을 경험하게 됩니다. 이번 기사는 영 저널리스트 기자단이 이코노미스트 기사를 영문으로 번역하며 이슈를 팔로우업한 기사입니다. 차세대 글로벌 경제 리더, <영 저널리스트 with  이코노미스트> 영문 기사는 매주 연재됩니다.

ⓒ이코노미스트(https://economist.co.kr) '내일을 위한 경제뉴스 이코노미스트' 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지