The men's mental health perspective on adolescent suicide in the COVID-19 era

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed society and introduced many new factors to consider in adolescent suicide risk assessment and prevention. One complexity that warrants consideration is the male-specific impacts of the pandemic within adolescence.

Methods: A review of the relevant literature.

Results: Matters of social distancing, virtual education, and substance use may impact adolescent men in fashions that raise their suicide risk more significantly relative to adolescent women. Social distancing may impact adolescents' friendships and generate a regression back to the nuclear family; qualities of male adolescents' friendships and of masculinity suggest that these impacts may be more severe in adolescent men and may directly raise suicide risk. Virtual schooling yields educational and social setbacks; losses of team sports, male mentors, and the implications of diminished educational advancement may more adversely affect adolescent men and raise risk. Substance use has increased in the pandemic, particularly amongst adolescent men. There are direct associations with suicide risk as well as indirectly through increased parental conflict and punishment.

Conclusion: As adolescent men die by suicide at significantly elevated rates relative to adolescent women, a male-specific consideration of these impacts is indicated to address adolescent suicide in our current era. Recommendations are made for integrating these considerations into updated adolescent suicide risk assessment and prevention efforts.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescent; individuation; substance-related disorders; suicide.