Short-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal ideation: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Few studies have examined the effect of pandemics on suicide-related outcomes. Aims: We examined whether suicidal ideation levels among the general population changed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic by tracking individuals between January and April 2020. Method: We used a prospective observational longitudinal design (n = 6,683) to conduct online surveys of the general adult population in Japan before (baseline) and during the pandemic (follow-up). Results: Suicidal ideation levels were significantly lower during than before the pandemic; however, the effect size was small (r = .07). Participants who were younger, with unstable employment, without children, with low income, and receiving psychiatric care were more likely to have higher suicidal ideation levels during the pandemic. Limitations: The dropout rate may have affected the results. COVID-19 cases and deaths in Japan were relatively lower than in other developed countries. Conclusion: Although the short-term impact of COVID-19 on suicidal ideation is limited, relatively young and economically vulnerable individuals are more likely to show exacerbated suicidal ideation during the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic suicidal ideation and preventive behavior during COVID-19: A prospective cohort study

“…In this study, we present a re-analysis of data used in a previous longitudinal study (Anonymous, 2020). The purpose of the previous study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal ideation, which differs from the present study that examined the impact of suicidal ideation prior to a pandemic on COVID-19 prevention behavior.…”

“…The T2 survey (during the COVID-19 pandemic) was conducted between April 27 and April 30, 2020. Details of the association between the timing of the survey and the number of people infected with COVID-19 are provided in the previous study (Anonymous, 2020).…”

“…Stabilized employment status, increased household income, and psychiatric treatment can reduce suicidal ideation in these individuals (Anonymous, 2020). Measures like these will not only reduce the risk of suicide mortality for the population as a whole, but also help to combat infectious disease.…”

The impact of COVID-19 employment shocks on suicide and safety net use: An early-stage investigation

“…Note that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socio-economic outcomes including unemployment has been extensively studied (see, among others, Chetty et al (2020), Adams-Prassl et al (2020) and Kikuchi et al (2021)). There are also several epidemiological studies that investigate suicide under the COVID-19 shocks (Tanaka and Okamoto 2021;Nomura et al 2021;Sakamoto et al 2021;Ueda et al 2020;Isumi et al 2020;Sueki and Ueda 2020). Some studies also point out that the rise in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to lead to an increase in the suicide rate (Kawohl and Nordt 2020;Gunnell et al 2020).…”

“…Isumi et al (2020) shows that the suicide rate among children and adolescents did not increase during the school closure but increased in May. Using online survey data, Sueki and Ueda (2020) found suicidal ideation in April 2020 decreased compared with January 2020. They also found suicidal ideation levels among young and economically vulnerable people in Japan have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis.…”