No Cover Image

Journal article 204 views

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review

Dana Dekel Orcid Logo, Emily Eyles Orcid Logo, Amanda Marchant Orcid Logo, Duleeka Knipe, Faraz Mughal Orcid Logo, Lana Bojanić, Lena Schmidt, Luke A. McGuinness, Julian P. T. Higgins, David Gunnell, Keith Hawton Orcid Logo, Roger T Webb, Ann John Orcid Logo

F1000Research, Volume: 15, Start page: 237

Swansea University Authors: Dana Dekel Orcid Logo, Amanda Marchant Orcid Logo, Ann John Orcid Logo

Full text not available from this repository: check for access using links below.

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.12688/f1000research.175018.1

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic brought global disruption, increased mortality, and concern about mental health impacts. Although children and young people (CYP) generally experienced less severe physical symptoms, public health measures such as school closures and restricted social interactions li...

Full description

Published in: F1000Research
ISSN: 2046-1402
Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71504
first_indexed 2026-02-26T11:54:08Z
last_indexed 2026-04-29T05:26:47Z
id cronfa71504
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-04-28T11:06:06.4049320</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71504</id><entry>2026-02-26</entry><title>The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0137-5149</ORCID><firstname>Dana</firstname><surname>Dekel</surname><name>Dana Dekel</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>0776f450dd575004ba7c69930c579cae</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-7013-6980</ORCID><firstname>Amanda</firstname><surname>Marchant</surname><name>Amanda Marchant</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-5657-6995</ORCID><firstname>Ann</firstname><surname>John</surname><name>Ann John</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2026-02-26</date><deptcode>PSYS</deptcode><abstract>Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic brought global disruption, increased mortality, and concern about mental health impacts. Although children and young people (CYP) generally experienced less severe physical symptoms, public health measures such as school closures and restricted social interactions likely had adverse effects. Concerns were raised that risks of suicide and self-harm could increase during and after the pandemic. This review examined the extent to which these concerns were reflected in published evidence. Design: A systematic search of databases was conducted for quantitative observational studies reporting suicide deaths, self-harm (including non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts), or suicidal ideation in individuals aged 24 years and under. Studies published between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2022 were included. Quality was assessed using National Institutes of Health tools. Due to methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Eighty-seven studies met inclusion criteria: 23 reported on suicide, 53 on self-harm, and 27 on suicidal ideation. Two were not peer-reviewed; all were observational. Most were conducted in healthcare settings and presented pre- and post-pandemic data. Half were rated low quality. Suicide data, largely from high-income countries, showed little or no overall change, though some studies reported increases among males. Moderate- or high-quality studies of self-harm indicated increases, especially from late 2020 into 2021/2022, and more pronounced among females. Increases in suicidal ideation were also reported, mainly in cohort or healthcare-based studies, though most were low quality. Conclusions: The pandemic appeared to have minimal immediate impact on suicide rates in CYP. There was limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries, ethnic minorities, low-income households, and marginalised groups. Evidence of increased self-harm, particularly among females, highlights the need for age- and gender-specific policies, care pathways, and prevention strategies that are adaptable during future public health crises and ensure timely access to effective support.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>F1000Research</journal><volume>15</volume><journalNumber/><paginationStart>237</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>F1000 Research Ltd</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2046-1402</issnElectronic><keywords>COVID-19, Living systematic review, Suicide; Attempted suicide, Self-harm, Suicidal ideation, Children, Young people, adolescents</keywords><publishedDay>11</publishedDay><publishedMonth>2</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-02-11</publishedDate><doi>10.12688/f1000research.175018.1</doi><url/><notes>Systematic Review</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Psychology School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>PSYS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>R.T.W. is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (ref. NIHR204295) and by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (ref. NIHR203308). J.P.T.H. is an NIHR Senior Investigator (grant nos., until March 2022: NF-SI-0617-10145; from April 2022: NIHR203807). D.J.G. and J.P.T.H. are both are supported by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol (grant no. BRC-1215-20011). J.P.T.H. and E.E. are supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol (grant no. NIHR200181). L.A.M. was supported by the NIHR through a NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship [DRF-2018-11-ST2-048]. L.S. was supported by the NIHR through a NIHR Systematic Reviews Fellowship [RM-SR-2017-09-028] and is currently supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [HSRIC-2016-10009/Innovation Observatory]. FM is supported by the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (NIHR204295) and Faraz Mughal, Doctoral Fellowship (reference: NIHR300957), is funded by the NIHR. D.K. was supported by the Wellcome Trust through an Institutional Strategic Support Fund Award to the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, University of Bristol (grant no. 204813/Z/16/Z). A.J. and D.D. were funded by Medical Research Council (Grant reference:MR/Z504816/1).</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-04-28T11:06:06.4049320</lastEdited><Created>2026-02-26T11:52:50.8474997</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Dana</firstname><surname>Dekel</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0137-5149</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Emily</firstname><surname>Eyles</surname><orcid>0000-0002-2695-7172</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Amanda</firstname><surname>Marchant</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7013-6980</orcid><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Duleeka</firstname><surname>Knipe</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Faraz</firstname><surname>Mughal</surname><orcid>0000-0002-5437-5962</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Lana</firstname><surname>Bojani&#x107;</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Lena</firstname><surname>Schmidt</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Luke A.</firstname><surname>McGuinness</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Julian P. T.</firstname><surname>Higgins</surname><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>David</firstname><surname>Gunnell</surname><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Keith</firstname><surname>Hawton</surname><orcid>0000-0003-4985-5715</orcid><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>Roger T</firstname><surname>Webb</surname><order>12</order></author><author><firstname>Ann</firstname><surname>John</surname><orcid>0000-0002-5657-6995</orcid><order>13</order></author></authors><documents/><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-04-28T11:06:06.4049320 v2 71504 2026-02-26 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165 0000-0003-0137-5149 Dana Dekel Dana Dekel true false 0776f450dd575004ba7c69930c579cae 0000-0001-7013-6980 Amanda Marchant Amanda Marchant true false ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55 0000-0002-5657-6995 Ann John Ann John true false 2026-02-26 PSYS Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic brought global disruption, increased mortality, and concern about mental health impacts. Although children and young people (CYP) generally experienced less severe physical symptoms, public health measures such as school closures and restricted social interactions likely had adverse effects. Concerns were raised that risks of suicide and self-harm could increase during and after the pandemic. This review examined the extent to which these concerns were reflected in published evidence. Design: A systematic search of databases was conducted for quantitative observational studies reporting suicide deaths, self-harm (including non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts), or suicidal ideation in individuals aged 24 years and under. Studies published between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2022 were included. Quality was assessed using National Institutes of Health tools. Due to methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Eighty-seven studies met inclusion criteria: 23 reported on suicide, 53 on self-harm, and 27 on suicidal ideation. Two were not peer-reviewed; all were observational. Most were conducted in healthcare settings and presented pre- and post-pandemic data. Half were rated low quality. Suicide data, largely from high-income countries, showed little or no overall change, though some studies reported increases among males. Moderate- or high-quality studies of self-harm indicated increases, especially from late 2020 into 2021/2022, and more pronounced among females. Increases in suicidal ideation were also reported, mainly in cohort or healthcare-based studies, though most were low quality. Conclusions: The pandemic appeared to have minimal immediate impact on suicide rates in CYP. There was limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries, ethnic minorities, low-income households, and marginalised groups. Evidence of increased self-harm, particularly among females, highlights the need for age- and gender-specific policies, care pathways, and prevention strategies that are adaptable during future public health crises and ensure timely access to effective support. Journal Article F1000Research 15 237 F1000 Research Ltd 2046-1402 COVID-19, Living systematic review, Suicide; Attempted suicide, Self-harm, Suicidal ideation, Children, Young people, adolescents 11 2 2026 2026-02-11 10.12688/f1000research.175018.1 Systematic Review COLLEGE NANME Psychology School COLLEGE CODE PSYS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) R.T.W. is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (ref. NIHR204295) and by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (ref. NIHR203308). J.P.T.H. is an NIHR Senior Investigator (grant nos., until March 2022: NF-SI-0617-10145; from April 2022: NIHR203807). D.J.G. and J.P.T.H. are both are supported by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol (grant no. BRC-1215-20011). J.P.T.H. and E.E. are supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol (grant no. NIHR200181). L.A.M. was supported by the NIHR through a NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship [DRF-2018-11-ST2-048]. L.S. was supported by the NIHR through a NIHR Systematic Reviews Fellowship [RM-SR-2017-09-028] and is currently supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [HSRIC-2016-10009/Innovation Observatory]. FM is supported by the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (NIHR204295) and Faraz Mughal, Doctoral Fellowship (reference: NIHR300957), is funded by the NIHR. D.K. was supported by the Wellcome Trust through an Institutional Strategic Support Fund Award to the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, University of Bristol (grant no. 204813/Z/16/Z). A.J. and D.D. were funded by Medical Research Council (Grant reference:MR/Z504816/1). 2026-04-28T11:06:06.4049320 2026-02-26T11:52:50.8474997 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science Dana Dekel 0000-0003-0137-5149 1 Emily Eyles 0000-0002-2695-7172 2 Amanda Marchant 0000-0001-7013-6980 3 Duleeka Knipe 4 Faraz Mughal 0000-0002-5437-5962 5 Lana Bojanić 6 Lena Schmidt 7 Luke A. McGuinness 8 Julian P. T. Higgins 9 David Gunnell 10 Keith Hawton 0000-0003-4985-5715 11 Roger T Webb 12 Ann John 0000-0002-5657-6995 13
title The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
spellingShingle The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
Dana Dekel
Amanda Marchant
Ann John
title_short The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
title_full The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
title_fullStr The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
title_full_unstemmed The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
title_sort The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children and young people: a systematic review
author_id_str_mv 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165
0776f450dd575004ba7c69930c579cae
ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55
author_id_fullname_str_mv 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165_***_Dana Dekel
0776f450dd575004ba7c69930c579cae_***_Amanda Marchant
ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55_***_Ann John
author Dana Dekel
Amanda Marchant
Ann John
author2 Dana Dekel
Emily Eyles
Amanda Marchant
Duleeka Knipe
Faraz Mughal
Lana Bojanić
Lena Schmidt
Luke A. McGuinness
Julian P. T. Higgins
David Gunnell
Keith Hawton
Roger T Webb
Ann John
format Journal article
container_title F1000Research
container_volume 15
container_start_page 237
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2046-1402
doi_str_mv 10.12688/f1000research.175018.1
publisher F1000 Research Ltd
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic brought global disruption, increased mortality, and concern about mental health impacts. Although children and young people (CYP) generally experienced less severe physical symptoms, public health measures such as school closures and restricted social interactions likely had adverse effects. Concerns were raised that risks of suicide and self-harm could increase during and after the pandemic. This review examined the extent to which these concerns were reflected in published evidence. Design: A systematic search of databases was conducted for quantitative observational studies reporting suicide deaths, self-harm (including non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts), or suicidal ideation in individuals aged 24 years and under. Studies published between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2022 were included. Quality was assessed using National Institutes of Health tools. Due to methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Eighty-seven studies met inclusion criteria: 23 reported on suicide, 53 on self-harm, and 27 on suicidal ideation. Two were not peer-reviewed; all were observational. Most were conducted in healthcare settings and presented pre- and post-pandemic data. Half were rated low quality. Suicide data, largely from high-income countries, showed little or no overall change, though some studies reported increases among males. Moderate- or high-quality studies of self-harm indicated increases, especially from late 2020 into 2021/2022, and more pronounced among females. Increases in suicidal ideation were also reported, mainly in cohort or healthcare-based studies, though most were low quality. Conclusions: The pandemic appeared to have minimal immediate impact on suicide rates in CYP. There was limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries, ethnic minorities, low-income households, and marginalised groups. Evidence of increased self-harm, particularly among females, highlights the need for age- and gender-specific policies, care pathways, and prevention strategies that are adaptable during future public health crises and ensure timely access to effective support.
published_date 2026-02-11T08:22:43Z
_version_ 1863969840380772352
score 11.104692

Similar Items