The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department
Suicide is a significant public health concern, with one million lives lost to it every year. Suicidal ideation and attempts are markers of high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative psychological impact on the population. This study aims to describe and analyze the clinical and sociodemogr...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/3/385 |
| _version_ | 1797318745809485824 |
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| author | Elena Fernández-Martínez Andrea Barros-Martínez María Cristina Martínez-Fernández Marta Quiñones-Pérez |
| author_facet | Elena Fernández-Martínez Andrea Barros-Martínez María Cristina Martínez-Fernández Marta Quiñones-Pérez |
| author_sort | Elena Fernández-Martínez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Suicide is a significant public health concern, with one million lives lost to it every year. Suicidal ideation and attempts are markers of high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative psychological impact on the population. This study aims to describe and analyze the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients who have received medical attention for self-harm attempts in a hospital emergency department, comparing the period before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a descriptive, retrospective study that collected data from medical records of patients who received care for self-harm attempts in the emergency department. The data included cases from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. In total, 529 cases of self-harm attempts were identified, of which 62.8% were female. The number of post-pandemic self-harm attempts significantly increased compared to the period before the pandemic. The most used method for self-harm was medication ingestion. This study revealed that over one-third of the participants had previously attempted suicide. Most self-harm attempts were made by women in the 10–20 or 41–50 age groups, with a history of psychiatric illness and multiple medications. The study results also highlighted an increase in self-harm attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:56:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b1e78357841495d8cd88c6e9b1afe7d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:56:49Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b1e78357841495d8cd88c6e9b1afe7d2024-02-09T15:12:51ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322024-02-0112338510.3390/healthcare12030385The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency DepartmentElena Fernández-Martínez0Andrea Barros-Martínez1María Cristina Martínez-Fernández2Marta Quiñones-Pérez3SALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of León, 24071 León, SpainEmergency Department, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León CAULE, 24008 León, SpainSALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ponferrada Campus, University of León, Ponferrada, 24401 León, SpainEmergency Department, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León CAULE, 24008 León, SpainSuicide is a significant public health concern, with one million lives lost to it every year. Suicidal ideation and attempts are markers of high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative psychological impact on the population. This study aims to describe and analyze the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients who have received medical attention for self-harm attempts in a hospital emergency department, comparing the period before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a descriptive, retrospective study that collected data from medical records of patients who received care for self-harm attempts in the emergency department. The data included cases from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. In total, 529 cases of self-harm attempts were identified, of which 62.8% were female. The number of post-pandemic self-harm attempts significantly increased compared to the period before the pandemic. The most used method for self-harm was medication ingestion. This study revealed that over one-third of the participants had previously attempted suicide. Most self-harm attempts were made by women in the 10–20 or 41–50 age groups, with a history of psychiatric illness and multiple medications. The study results also highlighted an increase in self-harm attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/3/385suicide attemptemergenciesCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Elena Fernández-Martínez Andrea Barros-Martínez María Cristina Martínez-Fernández Marta Quiñones-Pérez The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department Healthcare suicide attempt emergencies COVID-19 |
| title | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department |
| title_full | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department |
| title_short | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on self harm attempts observed in a hospital emergency department |
| topic | suicide attempt emergencies COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/3/385 |
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