Long-term COVID-19 pandemic impact on suicide Thoughts and Behaviors (STB): An interrupted time series analysis in Spain 2-year after pandemic outbreak

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 339; p. 116086
• Main Authors: Gómez-Revuelta, Marcos, Sánchez-Lafuente, Carlos Gómez, Yáñez, Javier Sastre, Pindado, Luis Mariano Gaite, Echevarría, Luisa Elvira San Emeterio, Meseguer, Telva Carceller, Ruiz, Elsa Gómez, Bourgon, Javier Vázquez, Simón, Jesús Ángel Artal, Díaz, Ana Isabel de Santiago, Terán, José María Pelayo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024
• Subjects: COVID-19; Psychiatric emergencies; Suicide; COVID-19; Psychiatric emergencies; Suicide
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116086

•The early STB decrease during COVID-19 lockdown reversed, especially affecting young and older populations later.•Economic stress and social isolation during the pandemic may have contributed to rising suicide rates.•Continuous STB trend monitoring is essential to identify at-risk populations and inform proactive interventions. This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) by age and gender in Cantabria, Spain, from January 2019 to March 2022, using interrupted time series analysis. Post-lockdown, STB declined in males (-42 %, p = 0.01) and females (-25 %, p = 0.58), with a gradual increase in both genders. The reduction was most pronounced in older adults (-39 %, p = 0.56), followed by middle-aged (-26 %, p = 0.36) and younger groups (-8.3 %, p = 0.25). Subsequent upward trends in STB were more pronounced in younger (p = 0.15) and older age groups (p = 0.25), likely due to prolonged isolation and economic hardship.