Relationship Between Severity and Length of Exposure to COVID-19 Parameters and Resulting Government Responses and the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS).

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a globally devastating psychosocial impact. A detailed understanding of the mental health implications of this worldwide crisis is critical for successful mitigation of and preparation for future pandemics. Using a large international sample, we investigated in the present study the relationship between multiple COVID-19 parameters (both disease characteristics and government responses) and the incidence of the suicide crisis syndrome (SCS), an acute negative affect state associated with near-term suicidal behavior. METHODS: Data were collected from 5528 adults across 10 different countries in an anonymous web-based survey between June 2020 and January 2021. RESULTS: Individuals scoring above the SCS cut-off lived in countries with higher peak daily cases and deaths during the first wave of the pandemic. Additionally, the longer participants had been exposed to markers of pandemic severity (eg, lockdowns), the more likely they were to screen positive for the SCS. Findings reflected both country-to-country comparisons and individual variation within the pooled sample. CONCLUSION: Both the pandemic itself and the government interventions utilized to contain the spread appear to be associated with suicide risk. Public policy should include efforts to mitigate the mental health impact of current and future global disasters.

The role of interpersonal stressors and connectedness in acute suicide risk and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The global COVID-19 pandemic rapidly and drastically impacted everyday life and relationships. Fear of contracting and spreading the virus brought governments and individuals to adopt strict social distancing measures. These changes have had a significant negative impact on mental health, including a suggested increase in suicidal behaviors. The present study examined the role of interpersonal stress and connectedness in suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, suicide attempts, and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An international sample of 7837 adult participants was recruited across ten participating countries to complete an anonymous online battery of self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires assessed suicide-related outcomes, stressful life events (SLE), and connectedness. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the associations between SLE and connectedness on suicide-related outcomes within the past month. RESULTS: Interpersonal SLEs and low connectedness were associated with an increased likelihood of suicide-related outcomes and increased severity of suicide crisis syndrome. Specifically, higher rates of SLEs and lower levels of connectedness were associated with more suicide-related outcomes. LIMITATIONS: The use of a cross-sectional design and snowball sampling method may restrict the ability to establish causal relationships and limit the representativeness of the findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest elevated suicide-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals experiencing multiple interpersonal stressful life events and low connectedness with others. The circumstances of social life during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the urgency of implementing preventive programs aimed at mitigating potential suicide risks that may arise in the aftermath of public stress situations.