Suicide during COVID-19 and other major international respiratory outbreaks: A systematic review

Kahil, Karine; Cheaito, Mohamad Ali; Hayek, Rawad El; Nofal, Marwa; Halabi, Sarah El; Kudva, Kundadak Ganesh; Pereira-Sánchez, Víctor; Hayek, Samer El

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102509

Cited by 52 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Concerningly, this study also documented Reddit users' perceptions about how their preexisting mental health challenges -including suicidal thinking -are being exacerbated in the pandemic context, with previous 'work' toward addressing mental health challenges and suicidal thoughts potentially being 'undone' by pandemic-related stressors. These findings align with literature from prior to the pandemic demonstrating that having a pre-existing mental health condition is a strong predictor for suicide (53)(54)(55), as well as more recent scholarship identifying baseline (i.e., pre-pandemic) mental ill health as a contributor to poor(er) mental health within the context of COVID-19 (3,56,57). More generally, findings from this study paint a complex picture illustrating associations between Reddit users' suicidal thoughts and various stressors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that there are multiple and intersecting contributors to this experience.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Reddit Users' Experiences of Suicidal Thoughts During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of r/Covid19_support Posts

Slemon

McAuliffe

Goodyear

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is having considerable impacts on population-level mental health, with research illustrating an increased prevalence in suicidal thoughts due to pandemic stressors. While the drivers of suicidal thoughts amid the pandemic are poorly understood, qualitative research holds great potential for expanding upon projections from pre-pandemic work and nuancing emerging epidemiological data. Despite calls for qualitative inquiry, there is a paucity of qualitative research examining experiences of suicidality related to COVID-19. The use of publicly available data from social media offers timely and pertinent information into ongoing pandemic-related mental health, including individual experiences of suicidal thoughts.Objective: To examine how Reddit users within the r/COVID19_support community describe their experiences of suicidal thoughts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This study draws on online posts from within r/COVID19_support that describe users' suicidal thoughts during and related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from creation of this subreddit on February 12, 2020 until December 31, 2020. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to generate themes reflecting users' experiences of suicidal thoughts.Results: A total of 83 posts from 57 users were included in the analysis. Posts described a range of users' lived and living experiences of suicidal thoughts related to the pandemic, including deterioration in mental health and complex emotions associated with suicidal thinking. Reddit users situated their experiences of suicidal thoughts within various pandemic stressors: social isolation, employment and finances, virus exposure and COVID-19 illness, uncertain timeline of the pandemic, news and social media, pre-existing mental health conditions, and lack of access to mental health resources. Some users described individual coping strategies and supports used in attempt to manage suicidal thoughts, however these were recognized as insufficient for addressing the multilevel stressors of the pandemic.Conclusions: Multiple and intersecting stressors have contributed to individuals' experiences of suicidal thoughts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring thoughtful and complex public health responses. While ongoing challenges exist with self-disclosure of mental health challenges on social media, Reddit and other online platforms may offer a space for users to share suicidal thoughts and discuss potential coping strategies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Reddit Users' Experiences of Suicidal Thoughts During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of r/Covid19_support Posts

Slemon

McAuliffe

Goodyear

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the Czech Republic, the prevalence of suicide risk tripled from 3.9% in 2017 to 11.9% in 2020 [ 60 ]. However, a recent systematic review on suicidal outcomes during major international respiratory outbreaks, including COVID-19, found weak support for an association between pandemics, suicide, and suicide-related outcomes [ 65 ], underscoring the need for longitudinal studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicidal Ideation and Predictors of Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Eswatini: A Population-Based Household Telephone Survey

Shongwe

Huang

2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic can induce psychological distress in individuals. We investigated perceived stressors, prevalence of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, and predictors of psychological distress among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini. This study was a cross-sectional, population-based household telephone survey of 993 conveniently sampled adults (18+ years) from all the four administrative regions of Eswatini. Data were collected between 9 June and 18 July 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the country was under a partial lockdown. COVID-19-related psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale (K6). We performed weighted modified Poisson regression analyses to identify significant predictors of moderate/severe psychological distress (K6 scores: ≥5). The weighted prevalences of moderate (K6 scores: 5–12) and severe psychological distress (K6 scores: ≥13) were 41.7% and 5.4%, respectively. Participants reported several perceived COVID-19-related stressors, including worries and fears of the contagion-specific death, serious need for food and money, and concerns about loss of income or business. The weighted prevalence of suicidal ideation was 1.5%. Statistically significant predictors of increased risk for moderate/severe psychological distress included living in the Hhohho and Manzini regions; feeling not well informed about COVID-19; feeling lonely; having received COVID-19 food or financial relief from the government; feeling burdened by the lockdown; being married; and being youth (18–24 years). The results call for the government to urgently augment the provision of mental health services during the pandemic. Mental health practitioners and programs may use several stressors and risk factors identified in this study to inform interventions and government policies aimed at reducing psychological distress induced by the pandemic.

show abstract

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide mortality rate increment is being observed as consistent with the prior pandemics (7). However, four major types of suicide stressors have been identified in the prior pandemics, whereas fear of being infected was regarded as the prominent suicide factor followed by social isolation, disruption of normal life, and burden of longterm illness (8,9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…However, four major types of suicide stressors have been identified in the prior pandemics, whereas fear of being infected was regarded as the prominent suicide factor followed by social isolation, disruption of normal life, and burden of longterm illness (8,9). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of COVID-19 infection is also reported as the main suicide mediating factor (1,7,10,11). Studies have identified various domains of fear related to the fear of COVID-19 infection, such as fear of oneself or their family members getting infected, fear of having economic losses and being unemployed, or fear of avoidance behaviors toward gaining knowledge about the pandemic or fear of making decisions on showing or not showing actions like whether to visit parents or not, whether to look for information on death rates or not, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of COVID 19 Infection Across Different Cohorts: A Scoping Review

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Psychological stressors like panic, fear, phobia, etc., are being substantially reported during the COVID-19 outbreak. In the prior outbreaks, fear of being infected was reported as the prominent suicide stressor. Therefore, fear of infection has become a concern in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because it worsens emotion, cognition, and behavioral responses. Understanding the extent of fear of COVID-19 infection in various cohorts would aid in gauging the mental health services, which was a remedy in the present review.Methods: Adhering to Arksey and O'Malley's framework for conducting a scoping review, a systematic search was performed in the month of September 2020 in several databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, etc. Considering the inclusion criteria, a total of 14 articles were included in the present review.Results: All of the included studies were conducted via online platforms, whereas all but one of the studies were cross-sectional in nature (including a mixed-method study, and a comparative study). Most of the studies were conducted among the general population (n = 12), within March and May 2020 (n = 9), from Asian countries (n = 7), and considered a self-developed item for fear of COVID-19 assessment (n = 8; whereas the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used in 6-studies). The prevalence of fear of COVID-19 was reported to be 18.1–45.2%, although no cutoff point or criteria was mentioned for such a prevalence estimation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. However, females, younger adults, urban residents, divorcees, healthcare workers, those in quarantine settings, those in suspicion of being infected, and those with mental health problems, etc., were found to be at an increased risk of COVID-19 fear.Conclusions: Being one of the first reviews in this context, the findings are anticipated to be helpful to predict the possible solutions for reducing fear of COVID-19 and facilitate further studies on strategies of how to alleviate such a stressful situation.

show abstract

Suicide during COVID-19 and other major international respiratory outbreaks: A systematic review

Cited by 52 publications

References 56 publications

Reddit Users' Experiences of Suicidal Thoughts During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of r/Covid19_support Posts

Reddit Users' Experiences of Suicidal Thoughts During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of r/Covid19_support Posts

Suicidal Ideation and Predictors of Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Eswatini: A Population-Based Household Telephone Survey

Fear of COVID 19 Infection Across Different Cohorts: A Scoping Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About