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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Dec:306:114228.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114228. Epub 2021 Oct 7.

Suicide, self-harm and suicidal ideation during COVID-19: A systematic review

Saeed Farooq  1 , Jessica Tunmore  2 , Malik Wajid Ali  2 , Muhammed Ayub  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Suicide, self-harm and suicidal ideation during COVID-19: A systematic review

Saeed Farooq et al. Psychiatry Res. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

We aimed to do a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies describing suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicide and associated risk factors during COVID-19 pandemic. We searched following electronic databases using relevant search terms: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and CINAHL and systematically reviewed the evidence following PRISMA guidelines. The meta-analysis of prevalence of suicidal ideation was done using random effect model. The search returned 972 records, we examined 106 in full text and included 38 studies describing 120,076 participants. Nineteen studies described suicide or attempted self-harm, mostly in case reports. Out of 19 studies describing suicidal ideations, 12 provided appropriate data for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation in these studies was 12.1% (CI 9.3-15.2). Main risk factors for suicidal ideations were: low social support, high physical and mental exhaustion and poorer self-reported physical health in frontline medical workers, sleep disturbances, quarantine and exhaustion, loneliness, and mental health difficulties. We provide first meta-analytic estimate of suicidal ideation based on large sample from different countries and populations. The rate of suicidal ideations during COVID pandemic is higher than that reported in studies on general population prior to pandemic and may result in higher suicide rates in future.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; isolation; lockdown; pandemic; suicide.

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA 2009 Flow Diagram. Figure legend: Fig. 1 denotes the PRISMA diagram which shows search process that was carried out in selecting texts for final review.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Fig. 2 shows the pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation for different populations.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
shows the pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation across the different study designs.
Fig 4
Fig. 4
shows the pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation across the different countries of publication.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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