Suicide before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Author(s)
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Detail(s)
Original language | English |
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Article number | 3346 |
Journal / Publication | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 4 |
Online published | 14 Feb 2023 |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2023 |
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DOI | DOI |
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Attachment(s) | Documents
Publisher's Copyright Statement
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Link to Scopus | https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85148964829&origin=recordpage |
Permanent Link | https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/publications/publication(39115aa5-6ba1-4139-9b8a-71fb6d8bdb56).html |
Abstract
Synthesizing evidence to examine changes in suicide-related outcomes before and during the pandemic can inform suicide management during the COVID-19 crisis. We searched 13 databases as of December 2022 for studies reporting both the pre- and peri-pandemic prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, or rate of death by suicide. A random-effects model was used to pool the ratio of peri- and pre-pandemic prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt (Prevalence Ratio—PR) and rate of death by suicide (Rate Ratio; RR). We identified 51, 55, and 25 samples for suicidal ideation, attempt, and death by suicide. The prevalence of suicidal ideation increased significantly among non-clinical (PR = 1.142; 95% CI: 1.018–1.282; p = 0.024; k = 28) and clinical (PR = 1.134; 95% CI: 1.048–1.227; p = 0.002; k = 23) samples, and pooled estimates differed by population and study design. Suicide attempts were more prevalent during the pandemic among non-clinical (PR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.053–1.233; p = 0.001; k = 30) and clinical (PR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.17–1.489; p = 0.000; k = 25) participants. The pooled RR for death by suicide was 0.923 (95% CI: 0.84–1.01; p = 0.092; k = 25), indicating a nonsignificant downward trend. An upward trend of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite suicide rate remaining stable. Our findings suggest that timely prevention and intervention programs are highly needed for non-clinical adult population and clinical patients. Monitoring the real-time and long-run suicide risk as the pandemic evolves is warranted. © 2023 by the authors.
Research Area(s)
- COVID-19 pandemic, death by suicide, meta-analysis, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt
Citation Format(s)
Suicide before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. / Yan, Yifei; Hou, Jianhua; Li, Qing et al.
In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 20, No. 4, 3346, 02.2023.
In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 20, No. 4, 3346, 02.2023.
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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