Understanding the Life Experiences of Older Adults in Korea Following a Suicide Attempt

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe life experiences following suicide attempts from the perspective of older Korean adults. Both field notes and in-depth interviews with 35 elderly Koreans who had attempted suicide were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. With an underlying theme of “life with no way out for those who believe they do not even have any luck in dying,” I classified the experiences of participants in the wake of a failed suicide attempt into four categories: (a) facing additional hardships including deteriorating physical health, (b) having more sadness and loneliness than before the suicide attempt, (c) deepening dependency on tranquilizers, and (d) seesawing between despair and faint hope. Based on these research findings, I make four recommendations regarding secondary preventive interventions for elderly suicide attempters.