Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan
Objectives We aim to reveal how loneliness relates to suicidal ideation following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design Cross-sectional online survey.Setting Community cohort study in Japan.Participants The second wave of a large web-based survey, Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, was...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2023-05-01
|
| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/5/e063363.full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832570779822194688 |
|---|---|
| author | Takahiro Tabuchi Ryo Okubo Hirokazu Tachikawa Midori Matsushima Haruhiko Midorikawa Miyuki Aiba |
| author_facet | Takahiro Tabuchi Ryo Okubo Hirokazu Tachikawa Midori Matsushima Haruhiko Midorikawa Miyuki Aiba |
| author_sort | Takahiro Tabuchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives We aim to reveal how loneliness relates to suicidal ideation following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design Cross-sectional online survey.Setting Community cohort study in Japan.Participants The second wave of a large web-based survey, Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, was conducted in February 2021, and we analysed the data of 6436 men and 5380 women who were aged 20–59 years.Main outcome measures The prevalence ratios (PRs) of suicidal ideation due to loneliness, depression, social isolation and decline in income during the pandemic and other sociodemographic and economic information were adjusted in the analysis.Statistical methods Estimations were conducted by separating a male and female sample. The survey weight (inverse probability weighting) was applied for analyses, and a Poisson regression model was used with all the potential confounders adjected.Results Overall, 15.1% of male and 16.3% of female participants were found to have had suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, 23% of male and 20% of female participants experienced suicidal ideation for the first time. The results of the Poisson regression suggested that those who were feeling lonely had higher PRs for suicidal ideation (4.83 for men (95% CI, 3.87 to 6.16) and 6.19 for women (95% CI, 4.77 to 8.45)). The relationship between loneliness and suicidal ideation remained robust even after adjusting for depression, although there were declines in PRs. Additionally, the results showed that those who were lonely, and continued to feel lonely during the pandemic, had the highest PRs of suicidal ideation.Conclusion Loneliness had both direct and indirect effects on suicidal ideation mediated through depression. Those who felt lonelier during the pandemic had the highest risk of suicidal ideation. It is necessary to adopt national measures focused on providing psychological support to people who feel lonely to prevent them from taking their own lives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7372e94137324df0876de7927ed5db20 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-7372e94137324df0876de7927ed5db202025-02-02T14:00:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-05-0113510.1136/bmjopen-2022-063363Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in JapanTakahiro Tabuchi0Ryo Okubo1Hirokazu Tachikawa2Midori Matsushima3Haruhiko Midorikawa4Miyuki Aiba54 Center for Cancer Control and Statistics, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, National Hospital Organization Obihiro Hospital, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan2 Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba, JapanFaculty of Human Science, Toyo Gakuen University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, JapanObjectives We aim to reveal how loneliness relates to suicidal ideation following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design Cross-sectional online survey.Setting Community cohort study in Japan.Participants The second wave of a large web-based survey, Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, was conducted in February 2021, and we analysed the data of 6436 men and 5380 women who were aged 20–59 years.Main outcome measures The prevalence ratios (PRs) of suicidal ideation due to loneliness, depression, social isolation and decline in income during the pandemic and other sociodemographic and economic information were adjusted in the analysis.Statistical methods Estimations were conducted by separating a male and female sample. The survey weight (inverse probability weighting) was applied for analyses, and a Poisson regression model was used with all the potential confounders adjected.Results Overall, 15.1% of male and 16.3% of female participants were found to have had suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, 23% of male and 20% of female participants experienced suicidal ideation for the first time. The results of the Poisson regression suggested that those who were feeling lonely had higher PRs for suicidal ideation (4.83 for men (95% CI, 3.87 to 6.16) and 6.19 for women (95% CI, 4.77 to 8.45)). The relationship between loneliness and suicidal ideation remained robust even after adjusting for depression, although there were declines in PRs. Additionally, the results showed that those who were lonely, and continued to feel lonely during the pandemic, had the highest PRs of suicidal ideation.Conclusion Loneliness had both direct and indirect effects on suicidal ideation mediated through depression. Those who felt lonelier during the pandemic had the highest risk of suicidal ideation. It is necessary to adopt national measures focused on providing psychological support to people who feel lonely to prevent them from taking their own lives.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/5/e063363.full |
| spellingShingle | Takahiro Tabuchi Ryo Okubo Hirokazu Tachikawa Midori Matsushima Haruhiko Midorikawa Miyuki Aiba Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan BMJ Open |
| title | Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan |
| title_full | Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan |
| title_fullStr | Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan |
| title_short | Impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional online survey in Japan |
| title_sort | impact of loneliness on suicidal ideation during the covid 19 pandemic findings from a cross sectional online survey in japan |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/5/e063363.full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT takahirotabuchi impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan AT ryookubo impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan AT hirokazutachikawa impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan AT midorimatsushima impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan AT haruhikomidorikawa impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan AT miyukiaiba impactoflonelinessonsuicidalideationduringthecovid19pandemicfindingsfromacrosssectionalonlinesurveyinjapan |