TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of interpersonal stressors and connectedness in acute suicide risk and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Blum, Yarden
AU - Akhavan, Shannel
AU - Rogers, Megan L.
AU - Astudillo-García, Claudia I.
AU - Çinka, Elif
AU - Kantas Yilmaz, Fatma
AU - Peper-Nascimento, Jefté
AU - Streb, Judith
AU - Chistopolskaya, Ksenia
AU - Cohen, Lisa J.
AU - Dudeck, Manuela
AU - Lutz, Maximilian
AU - Lee, Ming Been
AU - Husain, Muhammad I.
AU - Kuśmirek, Oskar
AU - Valvassori, Samira S.
AU - You, Sungeun
AU - Menon, Vikas
AU - Galynker, Igor
AU - Barzilay, Shira
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2024/6/1
Y1 - 2024/6/1
N2 - Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic rapidly and drastically impacted everyday life and relationships. Fear of contracting and spreading the virus brought governments and individuals to adopt strict social distancing measures. These changes have had a significant negative impact on mental health, including a suggested increase in suicidal behaviors. The present study examined the role of interpersonal stress and connectedness in suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, suicide attempts, and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An international sample of 7837 adult participants was recruited across ten participating countries to complete an anonymous online battery of self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires assessed suicide-related outcomes, stressful life events (SLE), and connectedness. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the associations between SLE and connectedness on suicide-related outcomes within the past month. Results: Interpersonal SLEs and low connectedness were associated with an increased likelihood of suicide-related outcomes and increased severity of suicide crisis syndrome. Specifically, higher rates of SLEs and lower levels of connectedness were associated with more suicide-related outcomes. Limitations: The use of a cross-sectional design and snowball sampling method may restrict the ability to establish causal relationships and limit the representativeness of the findings. Conclusions: Our findings suggest elevated suicide-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals experiencing multiple interpersonal stressful life events and low connectedness with others. The circumstances of social life during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the urgency of implementing preventive programs aimed at mitigating potential suicide risks that may arise in the aftermath of public stress situations.
AB - Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic rapidly and drastically impacted everyday life and relationships. Fear of contracting and spreading the virus brought governments and individuals to adopt strict social distancing measures. These changes have had a significant negative impact on mental health, including a suggested increase in suicidal behaviors. The present study examined the role of interpersonal stress and connectedness in suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, suicide attempts, and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An international sample of 7837 adult participants was recruited across ten participating countries to complete an anonymous online battery of self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires assessed suicide-related outcomes, stressful life events (SLE), and connectedness. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the associations between SLE and connectedness on suicide-related outcomes within the past month. Results: Interpersonal SLEs and low connectedness were associated with an increased likelihood of suicide-related outcomes and increased severity of suicide crisis syndrome. Specifically, higher rates of SLEs and lower levels of connectedness were associated with more suicide-related outcomes. Limitations: The use of a cross-sectional design and snowball sampling method may restrict the ability to establish causal relationships and limit the representativeness of the findings. Conclusions: Our findings suggest elevated suicide-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals experiencing multiple interpersonal stressful life events and low connectedness with others. The circumstances of social life during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the urgency of implementing preventive programs aimed at mitigating potential suicide risks that may arise in the aftermath of public stress situations.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Deliberate self-harm
KW - Suicide
KW - Suicide crisis syndrome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188166549&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.087
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.087
M3 - Article
C2 - 38423366
AN - SCOPUS:85188166549
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 354
SP - 19
EP - 25
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -