Age-specific profiles of suicide warning signs among Korean suicide decedents, 2013–2020

IntroductionSuicide warning signs may provide important opportunities for early recognition and intervention, yet their presentation may vary across the life course. However, population-level evidence on age-specific patterns of suicide warning signs remains limited. This study examined age-group differences in the presence and types of suicide warning signs among suicide decedents in South Korea.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Korean National Investigations of Suicide Deaths Through Police Records, 2013–2020. The analytic sample included 96,501 suicide decedents with valid information on age group and warning sign status. Participants were categorized as children/adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, or older adults. Chi-square tests were used to examine age-group differences in the presence of any warning sign, and binary logistic regression was conducted to assess age-group differences in any warning sign. Separate item-level logistic regression models were used for specific warning signs.ResultsOverall, 92.9% of suicide decedents had at least one warning sign. The proportion was highest among older adults (95.1%) and lowest among children/adolescents (87.4%). Compared with older adults, all younger age groups had lower odds of having any recorded warning sign. The types of warning signs also differed by age. Verbal warning signs, particularly complaints of physical discomfort, were more characteristic of older adults, whereas emotional warning signs were more prominent among children/adolescents and young adults. Behavioral warning signs were more frequently observed among younger and middle-aged adults than among older adults.ConclusionSuicide warning signs vary substantially across age groups, suggesting that a uniform approach to warning sign recognition may overlook age-specific patterns. These findings may inform future age-sensitive recognition strategies and improvements in suicide mortality surveillance.