Departments of Pediatrics and
Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, Texas; and.
Pediatrics. 2021 Mar;147(3). doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-029280. Epub 2020 Dec 16.
Elevated rates of mental health concerns have been identified during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this study, we sought to evaluate whether youth reported a greater frequency of suicide-related behaviors during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as compared with 2019. We hypothesized that rates of suicide-related behaviors would be elevated between the months of March and July 2020 as compared with 2019, corresponding to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Routine suicide-risk screening was completed with youth aged 11 to 21 in a pediatric emergency department. Electronic health records data for suicide-risk screens completed between January and July 2019 and January and July 2020 were evaluated. A total of 9092 completed screens were examined (mean age 14.72 years, 47.7% Hispanic and/or Latinx, 26.7% non-Hispanic white, 18.7% non-Hispanic Black).
Rates of positive suicide-risk screen results from January to July 2020 were compared with corresponding rates from January to July 2019. Results indicated a significantly higher rate of suicide ideation in March and July 2020 and higher rates of suicide attempts in February, March, April, and July 2020 as compared with the same months in 2019.
Rates of suicide ideation and attempts were higher during some months of 2020 as compared with 2019 but were not universally higher across this period. Months with significantly higher rates of suicide-related behaviors appear to correspond to times when COVID-19-related stressors and community responses were heightened, indicating that youth experienced elevated distress during these periods.
在 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，已确定心理健康问题的发生率有所上升。在这项研究中，我们试图评估与 2019 年相比，年轻人在 2020 年 COVID-19 大流行期间是否报告了更高频率的与自杀相关的行为。我们假设，与 2019 年相比，2020 年 3 月至 7 月期间与自杀相关的行为发生率会升高，这与 COVID-19 大流行的开始相对应。
对儿科急诊部门 11 至 21 岁的青少年进行常规自杀风险筛查。评估了 2019 年 1 月至 7 月和 2020 年 1 月至 7 月期间完成的自杀风险筛查的电子健康记录数据。共检查了 9092 份完成的筛查（平均年龄 14.72 岁，47.7%为西班牙裔和/或拉丁裔，26.7%为非西班牙裔白人，18.7%为非西班牙裔黑人）。
将 2020 年 1 月至 7 月期间的阳性自杀风险筛查结果率与 2019 年同期的相应结果率进行比较。结果表明，2020 年 3 月和 7 月自杀意念发生率显著升高，2020 年 2 月、3 月、4 月和 7 月自杀企图发生率也高于 2019 年同期。
与 2019 年相比，2020 年某些月份的自杀意念和企图发生率较高，但并非在整个期间普遍较高。与自杀相关的行为发生率较高的月份似乎与 COVID-19 相关压力和社区应对措施加剧的时期相对应，这表明在这些时期青少年经历了更高的困扰。
