Introduction
Milner et.al (2013) article attempts to examine the well-being of the South Korean elderly to assess how the prevalence of suicidal attempts is connected to the poverty rate and economic growth. The piece derives most of its evidence from previous manuscripts and national reports such as The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging and the National Pension Scheme. Their empirical evidence is also obtained from research done by authors like Feldstein, Becker, and McGarry. The writers of the previous articles discuss the inequalities that exist in South Korea and the citizens’ sensitivity towards cultural, economic, and social contexts. This article gives a detailed overview of the ideas provided by Milner et.al (2013) in their study called Social-Environmental Factors and Suicide Mortality: A Narrative Review of over 200 Articles.
The writers’ article uses data that is relevant based on the longitudinal and empirical research conducted in the country concerning the elderly, their poverty rate, and health outcomes. The old individuals mostly depend on the income of their kids or other family members. The rise in their population in the country has introduced a crowding effect in the welfare transfers for the elderly with low incomes (Lee and Phillips, 2011). The authors aim to cover the gap in policy reforms concerning the household incomes of the aged to reduce the prevalence of suicidal behavior. The article investigates the well-being and sources of resources for the elderly and how the government and various organizations have assisted in making life easier for them. Studies that cover the inequalities amongst the aged population are rare; hence, it is essential to pay attention to their rising numbers.
Methods
The article procures an empirical investigation concerning the suicide mortality rates that are a disconcerting trend amongst the elderly in South Korea by developing a country-oriented time analyses and panel data. The review examines the connections between suicide mortality and social-environmental variables that have been documented over the years in national reports in the region. The primary areas that the procedure covers include unemployment, the location of stay, income, the economy, relationship status, modernization, amongst others (Hong, 2012). The authors formulate a search strategy to obtain the information concerning suicide mortality in South Korea through five fundamental databases: Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, Proquest, and Scorpus.
The five databases are chosen due to the content of data and the number of journals they have indexed. The search phrases utilized focus on the interrelationship between indicators of financial strain, social bonds, and suicide. The economic pressure entails unemployment and national income while the social connections include the household status and relationships with family members. The selection of the search words is based on past research and reviews. They include suicide rates and mortality in relation to unemployment, income, and the economy. Most journals they obtain conduct quantitative research amongst the aged population that indicates a prevalence of the factors that contribute to suicide behaviors amongst the elderly. Leading the pack is the income and economy with over 35 researches followed by unemployment with 30, relationship status with 27, and modernization with 18.
Discussion
Milner et.al (2013) covers an extensive range of studies with different methodologies and approaches that examine the interconnection between suicide mortality and social-environmental factors amongst the elderly in South Korea. The overall outcomes show that low levels of economic adversity and social integration can explain the suicidal trend. The aspect is influenced by various factors that have already been mentioned such as unemployment and family bonds (Chan et. al, 2015). The methodological comment indicates that the research under discussion was conducted using distinct designs at both individual and aggregate level. Most studies utilized an ecological design that can measure the state and social phenomena in relation to demise in the population.
Various limitations are present in the findings of Milner et.al (2013). First, is the holistic depiction of the review suggests that the article did not discuss the analytic and methodological aspects of the research journals. The purpose of Milner et.al (2013) was to give an outline of the general findings on the subject rather than providing specific information on a particular topic. Another failure is that the authors do not distinguish the contextual effects and composition traits of the individuals. Finally, several aspects and relevant information may have been missed because of the selection of the search terms. The details expose the high suicide risk amongst the elderly in South Korea to show the government and organizations that they need to invest in prevention programs to eliminate the suicidal behaviors.
Opinion
The research given by Milner et.al (2013) proves that the economy and poverty rates in South Korea are taking a devastating toll on the aged population in the country. They take it upon themselves to reduce their dependency on others by committing suicide. With suitable programs such as pension schemes and welfare transfers, the individuals can start saving for their future while they are still young to avoid problems during their old age. The range of environmental and social contexts that influence mortality in suicide should be evaluated so that substantial interventions can be created to control the rising epidemic (Khang and Lee, 2012). Aside from capturing the interests of scholars in sociology, the findings can prove useful to the persons in the policy reform departments so that they can identify the essence of social-environmental and economic factors as protective mechanisms against suicides in the population.
References
Chan C. et.al. (2015). Changes in South Korean urbanicity and suicide rates, 1992 to 2012. BMJ, Volume 5.
Hong J. (2012). Socio-economic Inequalities in Mental Health and Their Determinants in South Korea. The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Khang Y. and Lee S. (2012). Health Inequalities Policy in Korea: Current Status and Future Challenges. Korean Medical Science Journal, Volume 27.
Lee J. and Phillips D. (2011). Income and Poverty among Older Koreans Relative Contributions of and Relationship between Public and Family Transfers. Labor and Population.
Milner et.al (2013). Social-Environmental Factors and Suicide Mortality: A Narrative Review of over 200 Articles. Sociology Mind, Volume 3, Number 2, 137-148.
