The Role of Stress in Suicide Contemplation from Adults with Developmental Disability: With Emphasis on the Mediation Effect of Counseling

Abstract

This study examines the role of stress on suicide contemplation from adults with developmental disability and the mediation effect of counseling. In doing so, this paper uses mediation analysis based on the 7th Disability Survey Report conducted by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2020. The findings can be summarized as follows. First, the counseling rate depended on age, eating habits, and the level of balanced nutrient consumption. Meanwhile, suicide contemplation was only found to be different across eating habits. The level of stress did not differ across focal variables. Second, it is found that stress has a direct effect on suicide contemplation. That is, the higher level of stress was positively correlated with a higher rate of suicide contemplation. Third, stress directly affects suicide contemplation, and that counseling negatively mediates suicide contemplation.