@article{ref1,
title=""I can't see an end in sight." how the COVID-19 pandemic may influence suicide risk",
journal="Crisis",
year="2022",
author="Hwang, I.-Ting and Fu-Tsung Shaw, Fortune and Hsu, Wen-Yau and Liu, Guang-Yi and Kuan, Chen-I. and Gunnell, David and Chang, Shu-Sen",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences may affect population mental health and suicide risk. Aims: To explore the experiences among suicidal individuals who made calls to a suicide prevention hotline and to identify factors and psychological responses that may influence suicide risk. <br><br>METHOD: We identified 60 eligible recorded calls to Taiwan's suicide prevention hotline (January 23, 2020-May 31, 2020) and analyzed the transcripts using a framework analysis. <br><br>RESULTS: We identified three themes: (a) effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society (impacts on local economies, the fear of contagion, and disruptions caused by outbreak control measures); (b) stress experienced by callers, including increased challenges (financial burden, restricted freedom of movement, interpersonal conflicts, feelings of uncertainty, and education/career interruption) and reduced support (reduced access to health services and social support); and (c) the callers' psychological responses to stress, including anxiety, sleep disturbance, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, and entrapment, which may increase suicide risk. Limitations: Only the experiences among those who sought help by calling the hotline during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 were explored. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed the potential process underlying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide risk and have implications for prevention and intervention strategies.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0227-5910",
doi="10.1027/0227-5910/a000877",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000877"
}