@article{ref1,
title="The role of interpersonal stressors and connectedness in acute suicide risk and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic",
journal="Journal of affective disorders",
year="2024",
author="Blum, Yarden and Akhavan, Shannel and Rogers, Megan L. and Astudillo-Garcia, Claudia I. and Çinka, Elif and Yilmaz, Fatma Kantas and Peper-Nascimento, Jefté and Streb, Judith and Chistopolskaya, Ksenia and Cohen, Lisa J. and Dudeck, Manuela and Lutz, Maximilian and Lee, Ming-Been and Husain, Muhammad I. and Kuśmirek, Oskar and Valvassori, Samira S. and You, Sungeun and Menon, Vikas and Galynker, Igor and Barzilay, Shira",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The global COVID-19 pandemic rapidly and drastically impacted everyday life and relationships. Fear of contracting and spreading the virus brought governments and individuals to adopt strict social distancing measures. These changes have had a significant negative impact on mental health, including a suggested increase in suicidal behaviors. The present study examined the role of interpersonal stress and connectedness in suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, suicide attempts, and the suicide crisis syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br><br>METHODS: An international sample of 7837 adult participants was recruited across ten participating countries to complete an anonymous online battery of self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires assessed suicide-related outcomes, stressful life events (SLE), and connectedness. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the associations between SLE and connectedness on suicide-related outcomes within the past month. <br><br>RESULTS: Interpersonal SLEs and low connectedness were associated with an increased likelihood of suicide-related outcomes and increased severity of suicide crisis syndrome. Specifically, higher rates of SLEs and lower levels of connectedness were associated with more suicide-related outcomes. LIMITATIONS: The use of a cross-sectional design and snowball sampling method may restrict the ability to establish causal relationships and limit the representativeness of the findings. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest elevated suicide-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals experiencing multiple interpersonal stressful life events and low connectedness with others. The circumstances of social life during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the urgency of implementing preventive programs aimed at mitigating potential suicide risks that may arise in the aftermath of public stress situations.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0165-0327",
doi="10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.087",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.087"
}