Dataset Information

Suicide trends varied by age-subgroups during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT:

Background/purpose

The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to unprecedented impact on mental health globally. Recent empirical data however, indicated that suicide rates in many countries remained unchanged or even decreased. Existing studies assessed the overall rates and did not stratify by age-subgroups.

Methods

We used an interrupted time-series analysis to model the age-stratified (<25, 25-44, 45-64, ≥65) trends in monthly suicide rates before (January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2019) and after (January 1st 2020 to December 31st 2020) the outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan.

Results

We found a slight decrease in overall suicide rates after the outbreak (annual average rates were 16.4 and 15.5 per 100,000 population, respectively, p = 0.05). Age-stratified analysis indicated that suicide rates increased in younger (<25) and decreased in the middle age group (25-64 years). In older age groups (≥65), an immediate rate decrease was observed followed by a sustained upward trend during the onset of the pandemic.

Conclusion

Although an overall decrease in annual suicide rates was found after the outbreak, the age-specific subgroup analysis reveals a more nuanced picture. Stratified analysis is crucial to identify vulnerable subgroups in the midst of the pandemic.

SUBMITTER: Chen YY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8493279 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Suicide trends varied by age-subgroups during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Taiwan.

Chen Ying-Yeh YY Yang Chi-Ting CT Pinkney Edward E Yip Paul Siu Fai PSF

Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi 20211005 6

<h4>Background/purpose</h4>The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to unprecedented impact on mental health globally. Recent empirical data however, indicated that suicide rates in many countries remained unchanged or even decreased. Existing studies assessed the overall rates and did not stratify by age-subgroups.<h4>Methods</h4>We used an interrupted time-series analysis to model the age-stratified (<25, 25-44, 45-64, ≥65) trends in monthly suicide rates before (January ...[more]

PMID: 34674903

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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic posed many mental health challenges to youth through unprecedented infection control measures such as nationwide school closures. Despite this, few studies have investigated trends in suicide among youth during the pandemic, let alone their reasons.MethodsPopulation-level data on crude monthly suicide rates (2016-2021) and reasons of suicide (2018-2020) among youth aged 10-19 years were obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the National Police Agency, respectively. Using an event study design (with a Poisson regression model to calculate changes-in-changes (CiC) estimates) and interrupted time series analysis, we investigated changes in monthly suicide rates during the first 12 months of the pandemic (May 2020 to April 2021) compared to pre-pandemic levels (May 2016 to March 2020). Additionally, we investigated the changes in reasons of suicide (family-related, mental illness, social concerns, and academic concerns).FindingsIn the event study analysis, suicide rates among youth increased during the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic levels, especially between August-November 2020 (e.g., ratio of the suicide rate in November 2020 relative to previous years, 1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30 to 2.66). Though suicide levels returned closer to pre-pandemic levels by December 2020, they remained slightly elevated into 2021. In the interrupted time series analysis, suicide rates increased from May to August 2020 (0.099 cases per 100,000 youth per month; 95% CI, 0.022 to 0.176), followed by a decrease from September to December 2020 (-0.086 cases per 100,000 youth per month; 95% CI, -0.164 to -0.009). We observed elevated suicide rates for all major reasons from summer to autumn 2020, especially suicides attributed to family-related problems and social concerns. Furthermore, rates of suicides attributed to mental illness remained higher than pre-pandemic levels into December 2020.InterpretationSuicide rates among youth remained slightly elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels into 2021. The reasons of the increase in suicide rates were multifactorial, including mental health issues and disruptions in social relationships. During a pandemic, interventions that provide mental support as well as opportunities for regular social interactions to youth may be beneficial.FundingNorwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education.

Dataset Information

Suicide trends varied by age-subgroups during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Taiwan.

Background/purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Suicide trends varied by age-subgroups during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Taiwan.

Similar Datasets

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