The increase in suicide risk in older adults in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies from Western countries indicated that older adults were more resilient than younger ones to deteriorating mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. As high late-life suicide rates have been reported in East Asia, it is possible that the pandemic impact might differ between East and West. We investigated the pandemic impact on age-specific suicide patterns in Taiwan.

Methods

Interrupted time-series analysis was used to model the overall, and age-stratified, monthly suicide rates before (January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2019) and after (January 1st 2020 to December 31st 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak. Associations between confirmed COVID-19 deaths and suicide rates were also assessed.

Results

There was a significant decrease in overall suicide rates

SUBMITTER: Chen YY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9898058 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature