Associations among state‐level physical distancing measures and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among U.S. adults during the early COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify leading sources of stress, describe rates of mental health outcomes, and examine their associations among U.S. adults during the first months of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method In a cross‐sectional, general population survey conducted from March 18 to April 4, 2020, U.S. adults (n=10,625) were recruited through Qualtrics Panels using quota sampling methods. Results Life stressors, probable depression, past‐month suicide ideation, and past‐month suicide attempts were not elevated among participants subject to state‐level stay‐at‐home orders and/or large gatherings bans. Multiple life stressors were associated with increased rates of probable depression. Past‐month suicide ideation was significantly higher among participants reporting ongoing arguments with a partner and serious legal problems. Past‐month suicide attempt was significantly higher among participants reporting concerns about a life‐threatening illness or injury, but was significantly lower among participants reporting an unexpected bill or expense. Conclusions Results failed to support the conclusion that physical distancing measures are correlated with worse mental health outcomes. Concerns about life‐threatening illness or injury was uniquely associated with increased risk of suicide attempt.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns: a review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments

“…Online Supplementary Table S1 provides an overview of all included studies. Thirteen studies were conducted in Europe (Bojanowska, Kaczmarek, Kościelniak, & Urbańska, 2020;Daly & Robinson, 2020;Jackson, Garnett, Shahab, Oldham, & Brown, 2020;Kwong et al, 2020;Niedzwiedz et al, 2020; Ozamiz-Etxebarria, Dosil-Santamaria, Picaza-Gorrochategui, & Idoiaga-Mondragon, 2020; Pierce et al, 2020;Recchi et al, 2020;Schützwohl & Mergel, 2020;Shanahan et al, 2020;Stevenson, Wakefield, Drury, & Felsner, 2020;Zacher & Rudolph, 2020), six in Asia (Guo, Feng, Wang, & van Ijzendoorn, 2020;Lei et al, 2020;Li, Cao, Leung, & Mak, 2020;Liu et al, 2020;Wang & Zhao, 2020;Xin et al, 2020), five in North America (Bryan, Bryan, & Baker, 2020;Gratz et al, 2020;Luchetti et al, 2020;Tull et al, 2020;Zimmermann, Bledsoe, & Papa, 2020), and one in Oceania (Sibley et al, 2020). The majority of the included studies (n = 16) were peer-reviewed.…”

Raising awareness of suicide prevention during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…19 Recently, some studies have reported suicide cases triggered by the adverse effects of mass quarantine, and staying at home could increase suicide risk through thwarted belongingness. [20][21][22][23] It is noteworthy that physical distancing measures themselves were shown not associated with elevated incidence of suicidal behaviors, 24 which indicates that mass quarantine related suicide was probably because of social disconnection. Therefore, keeping socially connected through online platform or apps may help prevent suicide during the pandemic of COVID-19.…”

“…Therefore, keeping socially connected through online platform or apps may help prevent suicide during the pandemic of COVID-19. 24 Second, economic recession induced by COVID-19 itself and anti-epidemic measures has commonly occurred. Worsening economic conditions and increasement of unemployment was another pandemic related factor that has been proven associated with a higher risk of suicide.…”

Efficiency and Quality of Data Collection Among Public Mental Health Surveys Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review

“…Web-based survey platforms using sampling methods could avoid such selection bias. Two published surveys [ 6 , 11 ] used Qualtrics Panels, a web-based survey platform that uses quota sampling methods to identify participants who meet a given study’s eligibility criteria, with a target to recruit a sample that is demographically similar to the 2010 United States census distributions for age, sex, and race or ethnicity (with a ±10% variation). Qualtrics Panels maintains a database of several million US residents who have volunteered to participate in periodic survey-based research.…”