Growing up in South Korea until age 12, Haelim Jeong, assistant professor of social work in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and CSSI researcher affiliate, frequently heard about suicide on the news and knew people affected by it. However, when she asked about suicide, the community didn’t want to talk about it. 

She said, “I think as I got older and became interested in the human mind, I realized: If so many people are dying by suicide in South Korea, why aren't we talking about this?”  

As a young teenager, Jeong moved to Austin, Texas, eventually studying social work at the University of Texas at Austin, becoming a licensed clinical social worker, and earning a PhD from the University of Alabama. Over time, she saw how much suicide impacts people everywhere across the lifespan. 

Jeong studies suicide prevention, including suicidal ambivalence—the co-occurring desire to live and to die—among suicide attempt survivors. In addition, she was recently selected to be part of a research collaboration supported by CSSI’s Research Convergence Residency Program to explore loneliness, sleep disruption, and the use of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT for mental health support. The interdisciplinary team plans to use CSSI’s SurveyHarvest, a tool that enables survey data collection with minimal administrative burden. 

Suicide survivors as research collaborators  

Last year, Jeong completed her PhD dissertation research, a qualitative study examining experiences of suicidal ambivalence among young adult suicide attempt survivors. Her interviews with survivors not only uncovered the complexity of this phenomenon but also revealed how eager they were to share their stories. 

“Because these individuals who made an attempt survived, and they want to share their story and be a part of this society to give back,” she said. “So, I think there's so much hope in knowing that people are much more resilient than we think they are.” 

Jeong is currently collaborating with researchers in the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health to develop a tool for measuring suicidal ambivalence through emergency rooms. Most suicide prevention research, she said, focuses on factors that increase suicide risk, and in clinical settings, risk assessments often rely on dichotomous measures that don’t capture suicidal ambivalence.  

“It's like, ‘Do you want to end your life? Yes or no?’ But then when I talk to these people, they're like, ‘Actually, it's so much more than that,’” Jeong said. 

Most young adult suicide attempt survivors she interviewed said they experienced suicidal ambivalence. One of her study participants, she said, described ambivalence as the moment someone calls the suicide lifeline (988) for help—a sign of a desire to live. 

Jeong said she aims to help suicide attempt survivors thrive long-term by raising awareness that suicidal thoughts aren’t simply black-and-white, but often involve a gray area of ambivalence that needs understanding and support. 

“I think having attempt survivors as collaborators rather than simply seeing them as study participants allows us to better support their long-term well-being,” she said.  

Improving mental health among rural populations 

Last year, Jeong moved to Iowa from Alabama, where she studied social work issues among rural populations, including older adult suicide prevention, older adult perspectives of deprescribing medications and pain management, and substance use disorders among Medicaid recipients. 

While living and working in a primarily rural state, Jeong said she saw how lack of transportation and technology in rural areas made it hard to access mental health and addiction services, as well as telehealth care. 

She said, “I think the most common thing people were saying was, ‘I want to seek services, but where do I go?’” 

Now in Iowa, Jeong hopes to continue her rural-focused work by collaborating with researchers in the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health to prevent suicide among rural workers.

Recently, Jeong participated in CSSI’s research manuscript writing program, Write on Target, and she plans to enroll in CSSI’s Grant Writers’ Circle to further her suicide prevention research. 

If you are in crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. More information on suicide prevention efforts and resources can be found at Your Life Iowa http://www.yourlifeiowa.org.