A Following Wave Pattern of Suicide-Related Pediatric Emergency Room Admissions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and response, which included physical distancing and stay-at-home orders, disrupted the daily lives of children and adolescents, isolating them from their peers, school, and other meaningful contacts. The present study aims to add to the accumulating evidence on the pandemic’s impact on child and adolescent suicidal behavior. Data were extracted from Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel’s pediatric emergency room (ER) admissions for psychiatric consultation for suicidal-risk assessment between 1 January 2020, and 16 April 2022. We applied time-lagged cross-correlation analysis and a Granger causality test to assess the temporal relationships between COVID-19 infection waves and patterns of suicide-related ER admissions. The results revealed a significant lagged correlation between national COVID-19 infection rates and ER admission rates. The highest correlation was above 0.4 and was found with a lag of 80 to 100 days from infection rate to ER admission rate. The findings show that the effects of public crises change over time and may be lagged. This may have important implications for mental health services’ readiness to serve growing numbers of children and adolescents at risk for suicide.

A multidimensional comparative study of help-seeking messages on Weibo under different stages of COVID-19 pandemic in China

“…The situation is relatively better after May, and the daily help messages are maintained within 100. (2) The Time-Lag Cross-Correlation (TLCC) algorithm calculates the time lag between the number of new diagnose and the number of help-seeking messages ( 63 , 64 ). The correlation formula is shown:…”

A 16-month longitudinal investigation of risk and protective factors for mental health outcomes throughout three national lockdowns and a mass vaccination campaign: Evidence from a weighted Israeli sample during COVID-19

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Internet use time and subjective well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak: serial mediation of problematic internet use and self-esteem

“…In attempt to mitigate the transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, many countries took drastic actions to minimize social interactions [ 1 – 5 ]. The repeatedly lockdown and lifting of lockdowns resulted in a sudden and unpredictable loss of many activities that created a radical change in the daily lives of adolescents such as the temporary closure of educational institutions and reorganized leisure time activities, lack of autonomy, and social isolation [ 6 , 7 ]. The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the daily behaviors of adolescents [ 1 , 6 ].…”

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