Effects of School Violence on Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Multicultural Adolescents

BACKGROUND: This study investigated how experiencing school violence affects depression and suicidal ideation in multicultural adolescents. METHODS: Overall, 63444 adolescents from grades 7–12 (ages 12–18 yr) who participated in the 11th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS-XI) were enrolled from Jun 1 to Jun 30, 2015. Adolescents with at least one parent of non-Korean nationality were classified as multicultural adolescents. A logistic regression analysis of depression and suicidal ideation on the experience of violence was conducted with age, gender, city size, academic achievement, economic status, and level of stress as control variables. RESULTS: Multicultural adolescents were found to have low grades, low economic status, come from smaller cities, and experience more school violence and stress compared to non-multicultural adolescents. Multicultural adolescents who experienced school violence were 5.41 times (95% CI 3.22, 9.11) more likely to be depressed than those who did not experience violence, whereas, non-multicultural adolescents were 3.75 times (95% CI 3.34, 4.20) more likely to be depressed. The effect of school violence on suicidal ideation was also stronger for multicultural adolescents. Multicultural adolescents who experienced school violence were 7.78 times (95% CI 4.34, 13.96) more likely to have suicidal ideation than those who did not experience violence, while non-multicultural adolescents were 4.17 times (95% CI 3.64, 4.78) more likely to have suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Adolescents who experience school violence more frequently showed a higher risk for depression and suicidal ideation, and the effect of school violence on depression and suicidal ideation was relatively stronger in multicultural adolescents.