مقاله انگلیسی پاسخ به بحران و الگوهای خودکشی در جوانان ایالات متحده قبل و در طول COVID-19
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ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study characterized the unobserved patterns in crisis response among youth in the U.S. from March to December 2020 and determined the characteristics of vulnerable subgroups who were at increased risk for suicide due to the pandemic. Methods: A latent class analysis of crisis support-seeking from a national text-based crisis platform, (n ¼ 179,497, aged 24 years or younger) for 11 crisis concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety/stress, suicidal thoughts, isolation, abuse, bereavement, relationships) was performed on three study periods: (1) January 2017 to December 2020, (2) prepandemic: 1 January 2017 to 12 March 2020, and (3) pandemic: 13 March to 20 December 2020. Demographic characteristics (age, race/ ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity) were used as predictors for class membership using the three-step method. Results: Four latent classes were identified: (1) depression/isolation/self-harm (D/I/S) (18,694 texters, 10.4%), (2) interpersonal stress/mood-anxiety (I/M) (32,640 texters, 18.2%), (3) suicidal thoughts/depressed (S/D) (34,067, 19.0%), and (4) adjustment/stress (A/S) (94,096 texters, 52.4%). During the pandemic, an increase in suicidal thoughts and active rescues occurred in the D/I/S and S/D higher-risk subclasses. Characteristics of vulnerable groups in higher-risk classes since the pandemic included children, LGBTQ, American Indian, White, Black, Asian, female, and gendernonconforming youth. Conclusions: Results identified a strong association with class membership in more severe risk classes during the pandemic and an increase in suicidal help-seeking, particularly among children and LGBTQ youth. Low-cost and targeted crisis text-based platforms for support-seeking in youth may be one potential safety net strategy to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in youth.School closures, home confinement, grief, family violence, excessive internet use, and pandemic-imposed restrictions to “normal” life have resulted in feelings of isolation and loneliness among youth [1,2]. As the pandemic persists, young people are grappling with the financial insecurity of their parents and unaddressed issues relating to bereavement and other symptoms of mental distress [3,4]. The emerging literature on the psychological consequences of the pandemic in children and adolescents has largely consisted of systematic reviews [5,6]and crosssectional surveys [7,8] with only limited data on young people in the U.S. and in the early phase of the pandemic (MarcheJuly). Experts warn that suicidal behaviors may increase due to the pandemic, but actual suicide rates may not peak until months later [9]. Stress, bereavement, and other mood-related conditions (e.g., depression) are likely to precede suicidal ideation and selfharm [9]. There is a pressing need to study the short- and longterm effects of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health, with a special focus on changes in suicidal thoughts and behaviors.