Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May;67(5):403-406.
doi: 10.1177/07067437211036612. Epub 2021 Aug 11.

Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Deliberate Self-harm in Canadian Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Brianna J Turner  1 , Christina L Robillard  1 , Megan E Ames  1 , Stephanie G Craig  2
Affiliations

Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Deliberate Self-harm in Canadian Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Brianna J Turner et al. Can J Psychiatry. 2022 May.

Abstract

Objective: In light of recent evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in marked increases in depression, anxiety, substance use, and other mental health concerns among Canadian adolescents, we investigated the rates of self-harm thoughts and behaviours in this population. Specifically, this study explored: (1) the demographic and geographic distributions of suicidal ideation (SI) and deliberate self-harm (DSH), and (2) the associations of mental health and substance use with SI and DSH.

Method: A total of 809 Canadian adolescents, aged 12-18 years, completed an online survey between June 17, 2020 and July 31, 2020.

Results: 44% of adolescents reported experiencing SI since the pandemic began, while 32% reported engaging in DSH. SI and DSH were more common among youth who: identified as transgender, non-binary or gender fluid; who did not reside with both parents; and who reported psychiatric concerns or frequent cannabis use.

Conclusion: Canadian adolescents appear to be experiencing higher rates of self-harm thoughts and behaviours relative to before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for adults who are likely to interact with distressed youth to be aware of potential warning signs that a youth is struggling with self-harm, and to refer youth to specialty mental health services where appropriate.

Keywords: adolescence; child and adolescent psychiatry; self harm; suicide.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Ellis WE, Dumas TM, Forbes LM. Physically isolated but socially connected: psychological adjustment and stress among adolescents during the initial COVID-19 crisis. Can J Behav Sci. 2020;52(3):177-187.
    1. Statistics Canada. A Portrait of Canadian Youth: March 2019; 2019. Catalogue no. 11-631-X. ISBN 978-0-660-30613-1. [Accessed 2021 Aug 3]. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/statcan/11-631-x/....
    1. Duncan L, Georgiades K, Wang L, et al. The 2014 Ontario child health study emotional behavioural scales (OCHS-EBS) part I: a checklist for dimensional measurement of selected DSM-5 disorders. Can J Psychiatry. 2019;64(6):423-433. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sobell LC, Kwan E, Sobell MB. Reliability of a drug history questionnaire (DHQ). Addict Behav. 1995;20(2):233-241. - PubMed
    1. Pirkis J, John A, Shin S, et al. Suicide trends in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time-series analysis of preliminary data from 21 countries. The Lancet. 2021;8(7):579-588. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types