Journal article 405 views 55 downloads
Has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced suicide rates differentially according to socioeconomic indices and ethnicity? More evidence is needed globally
,
Ann John ,
Duleeka Knipe,
Lana Bojanić,
Dana Dekel ,
Emily Eyles,
Amanda Marchant ,
Faraz Mughal ,
Jane Pirkis ,
Lena Schmidt,
David Gunnell
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, Volume: 31
Swansea University Authors:
Ann John , Dana Dekel , Amanda Marchant
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© The Author(s), 2022. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence
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DOI (Published version): 10.1017/s2045796022000543
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed many people's mental health globally. Whilst the evidence generated thus far from high-income countries regarding the pandemic's impact on suicide rates is generally reassuring, we know little about its influence on this outcome in lower- and middle-income...
| Published in: | Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences |
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| ISSN: | 2045-7960 2045-7979 |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2022
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62490 |
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| Abstract: |
The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed many people's mental health globally. Whilst the evidence generated thus far from high-income countries regarding the pandemic's impact on suicide rates is generally reassuring, we know little about its influence on this outcome in lower- and middle-income countries or among marginalised and disadvantaged people. There are some signals for concern regarding the pandemic's potentially unequal impact on suicide rates, with some of the affected demographic subgroups and regions being at elevated risk before the pandemic began. However, the evidence-base for this topic is currently sparse, and studies conducted to date have generally not taken account of pre-pandemic temporal trends. The collection of accurate, complete and comparable data on suicide rate trends in ethnic minority and low-income groups should be prioritised. The vulnerability of low-income groups will likely be exacerbated further by the current energy supply and cost-of-living crises in many countries. It is therefore crucial that reassuring messaging highlighting the stability of suicide rates during the pandemic does not lead to complacency among policymakers. |
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| Keywords: |
Economic issues; epidemiology; social factors; suicide |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
DG is supported by the National Institute for Health and
Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals
Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol;
FM, Doctoral Fellow, NIHR300957 is funded by the NIHR. RTW is supported
by the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR, National Health Service (NHS) or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. |