Frey L M, Venugopal Devi, Dev Varsha S
School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam District, Kerala, India.
Department of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, India.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 5;19(12):e0311403. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311403. eCollection 2024.
Student suicide ideation increased globally during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. There is scarce literature addressing suicide ideation during global health crises. Therefore, this study investigates prevalence and predictors of suicide ideation during India's COVID-19 Second Wave. We also examine the 3-Step Theory's assertion that both pain and hopelessness are necessary to have suicidal thoughts. Sample recruitment was through an online anonymous questionnaire. Inclusion criteria included students aged 18 or older, living in India during the time of the study (N = 535). Data collection was through the online questionnaire. Three categories of variables were investigated as potential predictors of suicide ideation: Sociodemographic (e.g., age, gender, education, economic status), COVID-19-specific (e.g., online classes, fear of virus contagion, vaccination status) and Clinical (e.g., sad mood, fear, loneliness, hopelessness). Data analysis (using SPSS-26) included descriptive statistics for describing data characteristics, Spearman Rho Correlation (assess the strength and direction of association between variables), and Binary Logistic Regression to help identify predictors of suicide ideation. Ordinal variables were measured using Likert scales with some recoded into binomial variables for the Regression analysis. Clinical variables predicted suicidal ideation, including fear of failure (OR = 4.17, 95% CI:2.51-6.94; p < .001), sleep disturbance (OR = 3.04, CI:1.67-5.52; p < .001), loneliness (OR = 2.77, CI:1.21-6.32; p < .01), sadness (O = 2.89, CI:1.59-5.32), and loss of interest (OR = 2.60, CI:1.37-4.93). Suicidal thoughts were reported by 48.7% of the student-participants. The Three-Step Theory was partially supported, as students feeling psychological pain but not hopelessness still reported suicidal ideation. Anticipating future global health crises, policy-supported mental health mitigation strategies are critically needed for youth, designed to reduce suicidal ideation, enhance resiliency, and to foster mental skills. These should enable them to successfully manage unexpected life challenges.
在严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）大流行期间，全球范围内学生的自杀意念有所增加。关于全球卫生危机期间自杀意念的文献很少。因此，本研究调查了印度第二波新冠疫情期间自杀意念的患病率及预测因素。我们还检验了三步理论的断言，即痛苦和绝望都是产生自杀念头的必要条件。样本招募通过在线匿名问卷进行。纳入标准包括年龄在18岁及以上、在研究期间居住在印度的学生（N = 535）。数据收集通过在线问卷进行。研究了三类变量作为自杀意念的潜在预测因素：社会人口统计学变量（如年龄、性别、教育程度、经济状况）、新冠疫情特定变量（如在线课程、对病毒传播的恐惧、疫苗接种状况）和临床变量（如悲伤情绪、恐惧、孤独、绝望）。数据分析（使用SPSS-26）包括描述数据特征的描述性统计、Spearman Rho相关性分析（评估变量之间关联的强度和方向）以及二元逻辑回归分析，以帮助确定自杀意念的预测因素。有序变量使用李克特量表进行测量，部分变量重新编码为二项变量用于回归分析。临床变量可预测自杀意念，包括害怕失败（比值比[OR]=4.17，95%置信区间[CI]：2.51 - 6.94；p <.001）、睡眠障碍（OR = 3.04，CI：1.67 - 5.52；p <.001）、孤独感（OR = 2.77，CI：1.21 - 6.32；p <.01）、悲伤情绪（OR = 2.89，CI：1.59 - 5.32）以及兴趣丧失（OR = 2.60，CI：1.37 - 4.93）。48.7%的学生参与者报告有自杀念头。三步理论得到了部分支持，因为感到心理痛苦但不绝望的学生仍报告有自杀意念。鉴于未来可能出现全球卫生危机，迫切需要制定政策支持的心理健康缓解策略，以减少青少年的自杀意念，增强心理韧性，并培养心理调适能力。这些策略应使他们能够成功应对意外的生活挑战。
