Changing trends of suicidal ideation, and impact of social trust and social communication during transition from quarantine to non-quarantine in the COVID-19 epidemic in China

Abstract

BackgroundIn order to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented lockdown or quarantine requirements, but little is known about how this impacts suicide ideation. The purpose of this study is to examine changing trends of suicidal ideation, social trust, and social communication from the quarantine to non-quarantine period during the COVID-19 epidemic in China and the effects of quarantine on suicidal ideation. MethodsA prospective longitudinal observation design was utilized. There were six waves of interviews from the quarantine to the non-quarantine period. Two hundred and twenty-one participants completed all observation points and were included in the study. For the continuing variables, the Mann–Kendall test was used to assess changing trends across the six observation points. For categorical variables, the Cochran-Armitage test was used to examine their changing trends. A generalized estimating equation was used to examine the association between several independent variables and suicide ideation. ResultsThe prevalence of suicide ideation was 16.7, 14.5 %, and 14.5 %, respectively, in the quarantine period, and 13.8, 10.9 %, and 10.0 %, respectively in the non-quarantine period, which there was a significant downward trend (T: −4.06, p < 0.01) across the total observation period. Negative behavioral belief, negative social trust, and low levels of social communications were positively associated with suicide ideation, with a β of 0.0310 (P < 0.01), 0.0541 (P < 0.01), and 0.0245 (P < 0.05) respectively. The positive attitude toward lockdown was negatively associated with suicide ideation, with a β of −0.0137 (P < 0.01) among guaranteed classmates and it was −0.0121 (P < 0.01) among unguaranteed classmates. ConclusionsThis study yielded new information and may have important policy implications to design effective intervention strategies to reduce future new infectious diseases while maintaining positive mental health and reducing suicide ideation.