The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns on Self-Poisoning and Suicide in Sri Lanka
An Interrupted Time Series Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15494434 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thilini Rajapakse (0000-0001-9732-4666, University of Peradeniya, corresponding author), Tharuka Silva (University of Peradeniya), Nirosha Madhuwanthi Hettiarachchi (0000-0001-9494-0949, University of Peradeniya), David Gunnell (0000-0002-0829-6470, University of Bristol), C Metcalfe (0000-0001-8318-8907, University of Bristol), Matthew J Spittal (0000-0002-2841-1536, The University of Melbourne), Duleeka Knipe (0000-0002-1040-7635, University of Peradeniya, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1833-1833 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph20031833 |
| PMID | 36767200 |
| OpenAlex | W4317423572 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 27 |
Evidence from high-income countries suggests that the impact of COVID-19 on suicide and self-harm has been limited, but evidence from low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Using data from a hospital-based self-poisoning register (January 2019-December 2021) and data from national records (2016-2021) of suicide in Sri Lanka, we aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on both self-poisoning and suicide. We examined changes in admissions for self-poisoning and suicide using interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. For the self-poisoning hospital admission ITS models, we defined the lockdown periods as follows: (i) pre-lockdown: 01/01/2019-19/03/2020; (ii) first lockdown: 20/03/2020-27/06/2020; (iii) post-first lockdown: 28/06/2020-11/05/2021; (iv) second lockdown: 12/05/2021-21/06/2021; and (v) post-second lockdown: 22/06/2021-31/12/2021. For suicide, we defined the intervention according to the pandemic period. We found that during lockdown periods, there was a reduction in hospital admissions for self-poisoning, with evidence that admission following self-poisoning remained lower during the pandemic than would be expected based on pre-pandemic trends. In contrast, there was no evidence that the rate of suicide in the pandemic period differed from that which would be expected. As the long-term socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic are realised, it will be important to track rates of self-harm and suicide in LMICs to inform prevention
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Environmental health · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Pandemic · Poison control · Population · Socioeconomic status · Suicide prevention · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Demography · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Internal Medicine
Suicide trends in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic
Interrupted time series regression for the evaluation of public health interventions
Long-Term Unemployment and Suicide
Mental health outcomes in times of economic recession
Suicide and self-harm in low- and middle- income countries during the Covid-19 pandemic
Economic recession and suicidal behaviour
Suicide in Sri Lanka 1975–2012
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |