Suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis of 54 studies

Justin P Dubé; Martin M Smith; Simon B Sherry; Paul L Hewitt; Sherry H Stewart

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113998

Suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis of 54 studies

Psychiatry Res. 2021 Jul:301:113998. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113998. Epub 2021 May 13.

Authors

Justin P Dubé¹, Martin M Smith², Simon B Sherry³, Paul L Hewitt², Sherry H Stewart⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2.
² Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4.
³ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2. Electronic address: Simon.Sherry@dal.ca.
⁴ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2; Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 8th floor, Abbie J. Lane Building, 5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2E2.

Abstract

COVID-19, and efforts to mitigate its spread, are creating extensive mental health problems. Experts have speculated the mental, economic, behavioral, and psychosocial problems linked to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a rise in suicide behavior. However, a quantitative synthesis is needed to reach an overall conclusion regarding the pandemic-suicide link. In the most comprehensive test of the COVID-19-suicidality link to date, we meta-analyzed data from 308,596 participants across 54 studies. Our results suggested increased event rates for suicide ideation (10.81%), suicide attempts (4.68%), and self-harm (9.63%) during the COVID-19 pandemic when considered against event rates from pre-pandemic studies. Moderation analysis indicated younger people, women, and individuals from democratic countries are most susceptible to suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and helping professionals are advised that suicide behaviors are alarmingly common during the COVID-19 pandemic and vary based upon age, gender, and geopolitics. Strong protections from governments (e.g., implementing best practices in suicide prevention) are urgently needed to reduce suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Self-harm; Suicide attempts; Suicide ideation; Suicide prevention.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 / psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Self-Injurious Behavior / psychology
Suicidal Ideation*
Suicide / psychology
Suicide Prevention*
Suicide, Attempted / psychology*
Suicide, Attempted / statistics & numerical data