A systematic review on suicide because of social isolation/and loneliness: does COVID-19 make a difference?

Abstract

Background Suicide is a significant cause of death worldwide. Various purposes can explain why people choose to attempt or commit suicide such as mental-health disorders, income-related-factors, quality of life or issues related to social context. This study aims to identify an updated association between ‘isolation’ and suicides. Methods In this regard, we had made a systematic review of the most recent papers, published from January 2016 to March 2022, thought the most acknowledged databases. This review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews. To the best of our knowledge, this issue is very important due to the indirect relationship between COVID-19 and suicides. Results Our analysis demonstrates that suicide and -social isolation and loneliness- have a positive and direct relationship although these findings varied slightly by areas. Moreover, most of the attention is focused on the youth during the most recent period and this is a real problem because economies cannot afford losing (young) population. Conclusions In order to prevent suicides, public policies should prevent suicidal thoughts that it could induce to terminate the lives of individuals in their most productive years and harmful outcomes to their families and friends.

The importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent mental health problems during crisis situations: evidence from Corona Immunitas Ticino

“…These findings align with the results of systematic reviews (Dalekou et al 2023;Zhao et al 2023;Bozzola et al 2023) and can be explained by the heavy impact of strict confinement measures put in place by public health authorities at the onset of the pandemic, which led to school closures, the interruption of extracurricular sports activities, and the need to organize a healthy routine at home. For many parents of children and adolescents, this was a major challenge as they had to balance childcare, domestic and work activities (Fadda et al 2023;Blázquez-Fernández et al 2023). The consequences were that children and adolescents were oftentimes left to themselves but did not yet have the means to effectively structure their day and care for themselves.…”

Students’ psychological state and its associated factors during an outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan: a web-based survey

“…Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has badly impacted the social life of students as it has resulted in less interaction with friends, classmates and tutors. This isolated environment has limited their activity and intensified feelings of laziness and worthlessness leading to negative repercussions on their psychological well-being (Blázquez-Fernández, Lanza-León, & Cantarero-Prieto, 2023; Fawaz & Samaha, 2021). A multicenter study conducted during the COVID-19 crisis on participants aged 15 to 24 years showed that the overall prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression was 38.1%, 40.5% and 57%, respectively (Al Omari et al ., 2020).…”