The association between school holidays and trends in adolescent ambulance attendances for suicidal and non‐suicidal self‐injurious Behaviours

Bibliographic Data

ID21344376
AuthorsRyan Baldwin (0000-0003-1701-0582, Eastern Health Clinical School Monash University Box Hill Vic. Australia, corresponding author), Bosco Rowland (0000-0003-0192-809X, Eastern Health Clinical School Monash University Box Hill Vic. Australia), Glenn Melvin (0000-0002-6958-3908, SEED Lifespan, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia), Ziad Nehme (0000-0003-2432-1645, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University Melbourne Vic. Australia), Dan I Lubman (0000-0002-6747-1937, Eastern Health Clinical School Monash University Box Hill Vic. Australia), Rowan P Ogeil (0000-0002-8476-7123, Eastern Health Clinical School Monash University Box Hill Vic. Australia)
Year2026
Volume67
Issue7
Pages1106-1114
Publication date2026-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.70108
PMID41578439
OpenAlexW7125586224
LanguageEN
References cited29

BACKGROUND: Previous research on the protective effects of school holidays on adolescent suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has relied on hospital records which underestimate self-harm prevalence and has not been explored in the post pandemic environment. This study utilised ambulance attendance data to explore whether protective effects of school holidays on suicidal and NSSI behaviours were present pre- and post-COVID-19 restrictions. METHODS: Using data from the National Ambulance Surveillance System, weekly ambulance attendances for suicidal and NSSI behaviours among adolescents (12-17) and young adults (18-25) in Victoria, Australia, were analysed. Trends in rates per 10,000 population pre- (2015-2019) and post-COVID-19 restrictions (2022-2023) were modelled using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous variables, stratified by age and gender. RESULTS: There were 20,635 suicidal and NSSI related ambulance attendances among adolescents and 36,510 among young adults. Pre-COVID-19 there was a significant decline in weekly rate of attendances per 10,000 population for adolescent females during the December/January (-0.35, p < .001), June/July (-0.46, p = .007) and September/October (-0.41, p = .004) holidays. Similar declines were seen in adolescent males during the December/January (-0.12, p = .003), April/May (-0.22, p = .001), June/July (-0.26, p = .003) and September/October (-0.15, p = .027) holidays. No significant effects were observed for young adults or post-pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Seasonal trends in adolescent suicidal and NSSI harms were evident prior to COVID-19, but were no longer present post-pandemic. Understanding these changes is crucial for informing targeted mental health interventions and support for adolescents

Association (psychology) · Mental health · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Psychological intervention · Suicide prevention · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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