Increased rates of suicide ideation and attempts in rural dwellers following the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. Issue 1 (16th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Salt, Elizabeth; Wiggins, Amanda T.; Cerel, Julie; Hall, Claire‐Marie; Ellis, Misty; Cooper, Gena L.; Adkins, Brian W.; Rayens, Mary Kay
• Is Part Of: Journal of rural health. Volume 39:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 30
• Page End: 38
• Publication Date: 2022-06-16
• Subjects: demographics -- emergency department -- inpatient -- rural -- suicide attempt -- suicide ideation -- urban; Rural health -- Periodicals; Rural health -- United States -- Periodicals; Medicine, Rural -- Periodicals; Medicine, Rural -- United States -- Periodicals; 362.104257
• DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12686
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-765X

Abstract

Abstract: Purpose: Those factors identified to increase the risk of suicide in rural dwellers were exacerbated by the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, specifically economic factors, substance use, access to health care, and access to lethal weapons. Because the effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 on suicide ideation and attempts in rural populations have not been fully characterized in published literature, this study compares: (1) the rates of suicide ideation and attempts between the 6 months affected by SARS‐CoV‐2 to same months of the preceding year (3/18/2020‐9/18/20; 3/18/2019‐9/18/19), (2) demographics (ie, age, sex, residence, race, and ethnicity), and (3) the locations in which the encounters were billed (inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department). Methods: Deidentified claims data associated with patient encounters billed for Suicide Ideation and Suicide Attempt were grouped based on time period and analyzed using descriptive statistics, incidence rate ratio (IRR), 2‐sample t ‐test, chi‐square test of association, or Fisher's exact test. Findings: Suicidal ideation encounters increased in the 6 months post‐SARS‐CoV‐2 when compared to the 6 months of the prior year ( IRR = 1.19; P < .001). Males ( IRR = 1.27, P < .001), those residing rural areas ( IRR = 1.22, P = .01), and Black, non‐Hispanic ( IRR = 1.24, P = .024) were found to have increased rates of suicide ideation post‐SARS‐Cov‐2. In adults, White, non‐Hispanics ( IRR = 1.16; P < .001) had increased rates of post‐SARS‐CoV‐2. In the pediatric subset, those who were aged 14‐17 ( IRR = 1.50; P < .001), resided in rural areas ( IRR = 1.61, P = .009), and idenitifed as Hispanic ( IRR = 1.89; P = .037) or Black, non‐Hispanic ( IRR = 1.61, P = .009) had increased rates post‐SARS‐CoV‐2. Conclusions: Our study identified rural dwellers to be at increased risk for suicide ideation.