A population-based analysis of increasing rates of suicide mortality in Japan and South Korea

A population-based analysis of increasing rates of suicide mortality in Japan and South Korea

Article Analysis

Article: Jeon, S., Reither, E., & Masters, R. (2016). A population-based analysis of increasing rates of suicide mortality in Japan and South Korea, 1985–2010. BMC Public Health, 16 (536). Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3020-2

Where: The article appeared on the BMC Public Health Website. On this site, journal articles published by the organizations are viewed. The location of the text is respectable because BMC is renowned for publishing research in the field of health. That to access some of BMC’s articles requires subscriptions but this one was free access shows the exclusivity of the content.

Who: Three authors created the article. Jeon Sun and Reither Eric work in the Department of Sociology and the Yun Kim Population Research Laboratory in Utah State. Comparatively, Masters, Ryan is affiliated with the Department of Sociology in the University of Colorado. The qualifications and affiliations of the authors make their work trustworthy as they seem equipped with the skills and experience to complete the research.

When: Although it was published on the website in 2016, the article was submitted in 2015. As the source is less than five years old, it suffices to be current information, hence, reliable.

What: The article compares the suicide rates between Japan and South Korea from 1985 to 2010. The researchers concluded that in Japan, suicides are driven by period effects, which escalated in the financial crisis that struck Asia in the 1990s. Conversely, in South Korea, various factors are responsible for suicide like age. The researchers found that despite similar geographic and demographic aspects, the two nations were unalike concerning suicide.

How: The researchers used national statistics from the two nations. They also used cohort models to estimate the impact of factors like age, secular changes, and even birth patterns.  Summary: To summarize, this is an excellent article to use in research. The text is comprehensive and simple to understand. I find it reliable because it is younger than five years. Again, it is bias-free because the same procedures to acquire information were applied to both nations, which also have similar geographical and demographical traits.