Hopelessness and Suicidal Behavior among Chinese, Thai and Korean College Students and Predictive Effects of the World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF

The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of suicide behavior and to examine the association between hopeless feelings, suicidal behavior and components of the WHO Quality-of-Life-BREF instrument among college students (n=1,217) in China, Thailand, and Korea. Results showed 3.7% Thai, 10% Chinese, and 13.2% Korean students exhibited suicidal behavior in the past 12 months. Most components of the Quality-of-Life-BREF were significantly associated with hopeless feelings among Chinese, Thai, and Korean students. Also, all components were significantly associated with suicidal behavior among Chinese, Thai, and Korean students except the psychological domain among Thai students. In conclusion, these findings may help university administrators better understand the current status of suicide behavior and reduce potential suicide attempts among college students in certain Asian countries.