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Effects of student human rights ordinances on mental health among middle and high school students in South Korea: a difference-in-differences analysis
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Sang Jun Eun
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Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025011. Published online March 1, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025011
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 Abstract
Summary
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To actively protect and enhance students’ human rights, student human rights ordinances (SHROs) have been enforced in seven provinces in South Korea at different times since 2010. Although human rights are closely linked to mental health, there has been no research on the effectiveness of human rights legislation on adolescent mental health. This study evaluated the effects of SHROs on the mental health of middle and high school students.
METHODS Repeated cross-sectional data were used, including 1,148,257 respondents from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey between 2006 and 2023. Probabilities of perceived stress, sleep insufficiency, depressive mood, suicide ideation, and suicide attempt in treated provinces were estimated through a difference-in-differences approach that accounts for treatment effect heterogeneity across groups over time.
RESULTS SHROs had no consistently significant effects on any mental health outcomes, except for slightly increased suicide ideation in total students (0.7%, 95% confidence interval 0.3% to 1.1%). Suicide attempts in total and male students and perceived stress and sleep insufficiency in female students tended to decrease, while other mental health outcomes tended to increase. Uncertainty in the effect estimates of SHROs increased for all mental health outcomes with possible violations of parallel trends, rendering originally significant effects insignificant.
CONCLUSIONS SHROs failed to improve mental health of middle and high school students in treated provinces, possibly due to the absence of enforcement mechanisms. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of and effect mechanisms for legal measures to improve human rights on adolescent mental health.
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Summary
Korean summary
학생의 인권을 포괄적으로 보장하기 위해 학생인권조례가 시행되었지만 학생인권조례 시행 지역에서 중고등학생의 정신건강은 향상되지 않았는데, 이는 조례에 벌칙 조항 같은 강제성 기전이 없었기 때문이었을 수 있다. 학생인권조례는 중고등학생의 정신건강에 대해 효과가 없었지만 이 연구는 인권 법제의 청소년 정신건강에 대한 효과를 처음으로 평가했다. 인권증진을 위한 법적 수단의 청소년 정신건강에 대한 효과성과 효과 기전에 관하여 추가 연구가 필요하다.
Key Message
Although student human rights ordinances have been enforced in South Korea to comprehensively guarantee human rights for students, they failed to improve the mental health of middle and high school students in treated provinces, possibly due to the absence of enforcement mechanisms such as penalty provisions. Despite the ineffectiveness of student human rights ordinances, this study first estimated the effects of human rights legislation on adolescent mental health. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of and effect mechanisms for legal measures to improve human rights on adolescent mental health.
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Trends and disparities in avoidable, treatable, and preventable mortalities in South Korea, 2001-2020: comparison of capital and non-capital areas
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Sang Jun Eun
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Epidemiol Health. 2022;44:e2022067. Published online August 16, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022067
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Abstract
Summary
PDFSupplementary Material
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to describe the regional avoidable mortality trends in Korea and examine the trends in avoidable mortality disparities between the Seoul Capital Area and non-Seoul-Capital areas, thereby exploring the underlying reasons for the trend changes.
METHODS Age-standardized mortality rates from avoidable causes between 2001-2020 were calculated by region. Regional disparities in avoidable mortality were quantified on both absolute and relative scales. Trends and disparities in avoidable mortality were analyzed using joinpoint regression models.
RESULTS Avoidable, treatable, and preventable mortalities in Korea decreased at different rates over time by region. The largest decreases were in the non-Seoul-Capital non-metropolitan area for avoidable and preventable mortality rates and the non-Seoul-
Capital metropolitan area for treatable mortality rates, despite the largest decline being in the Seoul Capital Area prior to around 2009. Absolute and relative regional disparities in avoidable and preventable mortalities generally decreased. Relative disparities in treatable mortality between areas widened. Regional disparities in all types of mortalities tended to improve after around 2009, especially among males. In females, disparities in avoidable, treatable, and preventable mortalities between areas improved less or even worsened.
CONCLUSIONS Trends and disparities in avoidable mortality across areas in Korea seem to have varied under the influence of diverse social changes. Enhancing health services to underserved areas and strengthening gender-oriented policies are needed to reduce regional disparities in avoidable mortality.
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Summary
Korean summary
2001년부터 2020년까지 회피가능, 예방가능 사망률의 수도권과 비수도권 대도시, 비수도권 비대도시 지역 간 절대적, 상대적 격차는 대체로 감소했지만, 치료가능 사망률의 상대적 격차는 커졌다. 회피가능, 치료가능, 예방가능 사망률의 지역 간 격차는 2009년경 이후에 특히 남성에서 개선됐지만, 여성의 경우 덜 개선되거나 오히려 악화되기도 했다.
Key Message
Regional disparities in avoidable, treatable, and preventable mortalities tended to improve after around 2009, especially among males, but, in females, disparities in all types of mortalities between areas improved less or even worsened.
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Citations
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