Authors : Jiwoo Park

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yev6zswn

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/3yduk64p

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun1668

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : South Korea records some of the highest adolescent suicide rates among OECD nations, with depression driven primarily by three interconnected triggers: intense academic competition, school violence and social isolation, and poor parent-child relationships. Drawing on Seligman's theory of learned optimism, this paper argues that the Korean education system structurally encourages depressive attributional styles, leading students to interpret failure as personal, permanent, and pervasive. In response, the paper evaluates two evidence-based interventions — the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) as a universal prevention tool and the Coping with Depression–Adolescent Course (CWD-A) as a targeted treatment for symptomatic students — and proposes a five-part policy framework combining these programs with educator training, parental coaching, and community-based.

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