Abstract
Background: While suicide rates in high- and middle-income countries appeared stable in the early stages of the pandemic, we know little about within-country variations. We sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on suicide in Mexico’s 32 states and to identify factors that may have contributed to observed variations between states.
Methods: Interrupted time-series analysis to model the trend in monthly suicides before COVID-19 (from Jan 1, 2010, to March 31, 2020), comparing the expected number of suicides derived from the model with the observed number for the remainder of the year (April 1 to December 31, 2020) for each of Mexico’s 32 states. Next, we modeled statelevel trends using linear regression to study likely contributing factors at ecological level.
Results: Suicide increased across Mexico during the first nine months of the pandemic (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.01-1.05). Suicides remained stable in 19 states, increase in seven states (RR range: 1.12-2.04) and a decrease in six states (RR range: 0.46-0.88). Suicide RR at the state level was positively associated with population density in 2020 and state level suicide death rate in 2019.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential effect on suicide death within the 32 states of Mexico. Higher population density and higher suicide rates in 2019 were associated with increased suicide. As the country struggles to cope with the ongoing pandemic, efforts to improve access to primary care and mental health care services (including suicide crisis intervention services) in these settings should be given priority.
Methods: Interrupted time-series analysis to model the trend in monthly suicides before COVID-19 (from Jan 1, 2010, to March 31, 2020), comparing the expected number of suicides derived from the model with the observed number for the remainder of the year (April 1 to December 31, 2020) for each of Mexico’s 32 states. Next, we modeled statelevel trends using linear regression to study likely contributing factors at ecological level.
Results: Suicide increased across Mexico during the first nine months of the pandemic (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.01-1.05). Suicides remained stable in 19 states, increase in seven states (RR range: 1.12-2.04) and a decrease in six states (RR range: 0.46-0.88). Suicide RR at the state level was positively associated with population density in 2020 and state level suicide death rate in 2019.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential effect on suicide death within the 32 states of Mexico. Higher population density and higher suicide rates in 2019 were associated with increased suicide. As the country struggles to cope with the ongoing pandemic, efforts to improve access to primary care and mental health care services (including suicide crisis intervention services) in these settings should be given priority.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 460 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-8 |
| Journal | BMC Psychiatry |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Jul 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:JP is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant (GNT1173126). MS is a recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (project number FT180100075) funded by the Australian Government. MS receives salary support from Academic Scholar Awards from the Departments of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. DG is supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. AJ is supported by the Medical Research Council.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Research Groups and Themes
- SASH
Keywords
- Suicide
- Mexico
- COVID-19
- Epidemiology
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