School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Front Public Health. 2021 Aug 12;9:693153. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.693153. eCollection 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having considerable impacts on population-level mental health, with research illustrating an increased prevalence in suicidal thoughts due to pandemic stressors. While the drivers of suicidal thoughts amid the pandemic are poorly understood, qualitative research holds great potential for expanding upon projections from pre-pandemic work and nuancing emerging epidemiological data. Despite calls for qualitative inquiry, there is a paucity of qualitative research examining experiences of suicidality related to COVID-19. The use of publicly available data from social media offers timely and pertinent information into ongoing pandemic-related mental health, including individual experiences of suicidal thoughts. To examine how Reddit users within the community describe their experiences of suicidal thoughts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws on online posts from within that describe users' suicidal thoughts during and related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from creation of this subreddit on February 12, 2020 until December 31, 2020. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to generate themes reflecting users' experiences of suicidal thoughts. A total of 83 posts from 57 users were included in the analysis. Posts described a range of users' lived and living experiences of suicidal thoughts related to the pandemic, including deterioration in mental health and complex emotions associated with suicidal thinking. Reddit users situated their experiences of suicidal thoughts within various pandemic stressors: social isolation, employment and finances, virus exposure and COVID-19 illness, uncertain timeline of the pandemic, news and social media, pre-existing mental health conditions, and lack of access to mental health resources. Some users described individual coping strategies and supports used in attempt to manage suicidal thoughts, however these were recognized as insufficient for addressing the multilevel stressors of the pandemic. Multiple and intersecting stressors have contributed to individuals' experiences of suicidal thoughts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring thoughtful and complex public health responses. While ongoing challenges exist with self-disclosure of mental health challenges on social media, Reddit and other online platforms may offer a space for users to share suicidal thoughts and discuss potential coping strategies.
新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情对人群心理健康产生了重大影响，研究表明，由于大流行带来的压力，自杀意念的发病率有所增加。尽管人们对大流行期间自杀意念的驱动因素了解甚少，但定性研究对于扩展大流行前工作的预测和细微调整新出现的流行病学数据具有巨大潜力。尽管有人呼吁进行定性研究，但很少有定性研究检查与 COVID-19 相关的自杀意念体验。利用社交媒体上公开提供的数据，可以及时提供有关大流行相关心理健康的相关信息，包括个人自杀意念体验。 本研究旨在探讨 社区的 Reddit 用户如何描述他们在 COVID-19 大流行期间的自杀意念体验。 本研究借鉴了该子版块内描述用户在 COVID-19 大流行期间和与之相关的自杀意念的在线帖子。数据是从该子版块创建于 2020 年 2 月 12 日至 2020 年 12 月 31 日期间收集的。采用定性主题分析生成反映用户自杀意念体验的主题。 分析共纳入了 57 名用户的 83 篇帖子。这些帖子描述了用户在大流行期间与自杀意念相关的各种生活和生活体验，包括心理健康恶化和与自杀思维相关的复杂情绪。Reddit 用户将他们的自杀意念体验置于各种大流行压力源之中：社会隔离、就业和财务状况、病毒暴露和 COVID-19 疾病、大流行的不确定时间表、新闻和社交媒体、先前存在的心理健康状况以及缺乏获得心理健康资源的机会。一些用户描述了用于尝试管理自杀意念的个人应对策略和支持，但这些策略被认为不足以应对大流行的多层次压力源。 多种相互交织的压力源导致了 COVID-19 大流行期间个人的自杀意念体验，需要深思熟虑和复杂的公共卫生应对措施。尽管在社交媒体上自我披露心理健康挑战仍然存在挑战，但 Reddit 和其他在线平台可能为用户提供一个分享自杀意念并讨论潜在应对策略的空间。
