Thyago Antonelli-Salgado1, Gabriela Massaro Carneiro Monteiro1, Grasiela Marcon2, Thiago Henrique Roza1, Aline Zimerman3, Maurício Scopel Hoffmann4, Bo Cao5, Simone Hauck6, André Russowsky Brunoni7, Ives Cavalcante Passos8. 1. Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 2. Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Chapecó, SC, Brazil. 3. Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, School of Psychology, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 4. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Avenida Roraima 1000, building 26, office 1446, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil; Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE United Kingdom. 5. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada. 6. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Psychodynamic Psychiatry Research Lab, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 7. Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. 8. Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: ivescp1@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although social distancing is necessary to decrease COVID-19 dissemination, it might also be associated with suicidal ideation. Therefore, we analyzed the impact of social distancing and loneliness in suicidal ideation. METHODS: We performed two waves of a snowball sample, web-based survey in Brazil (W1: from May 6th to June 6th, 2020; W2: from June 6th to July 6th, 2020). We assessed whether risk factors related to social relationships (loneliness, living alone, not leaving home, and the number of days practicing social distancing) at W1 were associated with suicidal ideation at W1 and W2 using multiple regression models. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic, mental health, and lifestyle variables. RESULTS: A total of 1,674 (18-75 years old; 86.5% females) were included in our longitudinal sample. Living alone (OR: 1.16; 95%CI = 1.03 - 1.30; p=0.015), number of days practicing social distancing (OR: 1.002; 95%CI = 1.000 - 1.004; p=0.027), and loneliness (OR: 1.49; 95%CI = 1.32 - 1.68; p<0.001) were associated with suicidal ideation in the cross-sectional analysis of W1. Only loneliness (OR= 2.12; 95%CI = 1.06 - 4.24; p = 0.033) remained significant as a risk factor to suicidal ideation in the longitudinal analysis between both waves. LIMITATION: Snowball, convenience sample design limits outcome estimates. Assessments were not objectively performed. CONCLUSION: Loneliness was consistently associated with the incidence of suicidal ideation, while other variables, such as living alone, not leaving home, and the number of days practicing social distancing, were not. Measures to overcome loneliness are therefore necessary to reduce suicidal ideation during pandemics.
BACKGROUND: Although social distancing is necessary to decrease COVID-19 dissemination, it might also be associated with suicidal ideation. Therefore, we analyzed the impact of social distancing and loneliness in suicidal ideation. METHODS: We performed two waves of a snowball sample, web-based survey in Brazil (W1: from May 6th to June 6th, 2020; W2: from June 6th to July 6th, 2020). We assessed whether risk factors related to social relationships (loneliness, living alone, not leaving home, and the number of days practicing social distancing) at W1 were associated with suicidal ideation at W1 and W2 using multiple regression models. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic, mental health, and lifestyle variables. RESULTS: A total of 1,674 (18-75 years old; 86.5% females) were included in our longitudinal sample. Living alone (OR: 1.16; 95%CI = 1.03 - 1.30; p=0.015), number of days practicing social distancing (OR: 1.002; 95%CI = 1.000 - 1.004; p=0.027), and loneliness (OR: 1.49; 95%CI = 1.32 - 1.68; p<0.001) were associated with suicidal ideation in the cross-sectional analysis of W1. Only loneliness (OR= 2.12; 95%CI = 1.06 - 4.24; p = 0.033) remained significant as a risk factor to suicidal ideation in the longitudinal analysis between both waves. LIMITATION: Snowball, convenience sample design limits outcome estimates. Assessments were not objectively performed. CONCLUSION: Loneliness was consistently associated with the incidence of suicidal ideation, while other variables, such as living alone, not leaving home, and the number of days practicing social distancing, were not. Measures to overcome loneliness are therefore necessary to reduce suicidal ideation during pandemics.
Authors: Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska; Piotr Bialowolski; Matthew T Lee; Ying Chen; Tyler J VanderWeele; Eileen McNeely Journal: Int J Public Health Date: 2022-06-09 Impact factor: 5.100
Authors: Min Eun Jeon; Marielle M Gomez; Anna R Gai; Fallon B Ringer; Katherine Musacchio Schafer; Thomas E Joiner Journal: Int J Cogn Ther Date: 2022-08-19