Suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis of 54 studies.
Psychiatry Res
; 301: 113998, 2021 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1475002
ABSTRACT
COVID-19, and efforts to mitigate its spread, are creating extensive mental health problems. Experts have speculated the mental, economic, behavioral, and psychosocial problems linked to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a rise in suicide behavior. However, a quantitative synthesis is needed to reach an overall conclusion regarding the pandemic-suicide link. In the most comprehensive test of the COVID-19-suicidality link to date, we meta-analyzed data from 308,596 participants across 54 studies. Our results suggested increased event rates for suicide ideation (10.81%), suicide attempts (4.68%), and self-harm (9.63%) during the COVID-19 pandemic when considered against event rates from pre-pandemic studies. Moderation analysis indicated younger people, women, and individuals from democratic countries are most susceptible to suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and helping professionals are advised that suicide behaviors are alarmingly common during the COVID-19 pandemic and vary based upon age, gender, and geopolitics. Strong protections from governments (e.g., implementing best practices in suicide prevention) are urgently needed to reduce suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Suicide, Attempted
/
Suicidal Ideation
/
COVID-19
/
Suicide Prevention
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Reviews
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatry Res
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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