초기 청소년기 다중폭력피해자의 자살시도에 관한 연구: 심리적 불안의 매개효과를 중심으로

A Study on Poly-victimization in Early Adolescents and Suicidal Attempts with Psychological Distress as a Mediator

The concept of poly-victimization of early adolescents has been an important topic of research. This study aims to investigate the early adolescents’ exposure to various types of violence in families, schools and communities. In addition, the study examines the mediating effects of psychological distress on the relationship between poly-victimization and suicide attempts of early adolescents. Cross-sectional data from 6,321 adolescents were obtained by National Youth Policy Institute in 2013. Frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, and logistic regression analysis were conducted utilizing Stata 13.0. The findings of this study are as follows. First, 178 adolescents(5.8%) were revealed to be poly-victims, and all types of violence, crime and abuse except bullying at school had a significant impact on them. Second, 31.2% of poly-victimized group attempted suicide, whereas only 1.9% of non-victimized group, and 9.0% of less victimized group attempted suicide. This demonstrates that the suicidal problem is significant among poly-victimized adolescents. Third, psychological distress had a mediating effect between poly-victimization and suicidal attempts. Based on the results, the roles of poly-victims, homes, school, and communities are suggested. Intervention strategies to address poly-victimized adolescents’ suicidal attempts are discussed as well.