Risk of Self-Harm After COVID-19 Hospitalization
Author Information
Author(s): Pirard Philippe, Decio Valentina, Pignon Baptiste, Bouaziz Olivier, Perduca Vittorio, Kovess-Masfety Viviane, Corruble Emmanuelle, Chin Francis, Geoffroy Pierre A., Strat Yann Le, Messika Jonathan, Regnault Nolwenn, Tebeka Sarah
Primary Institution: Non Communicable Diseases and Trauma Division, Santé publique France, Paris, France
Hypothesis
Does COVID-19 particularly affect the risk of suicide attempts after hospitalisation?
Conclusion
Hospitalisation for COVID-19 during the early pandemic was linked to a lower risk of subsequent self-harm than hospitalisation for other reasons.
Supporting Evidence
- Of the 96,313 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 336 were subsequently admitted for self-harm within 12 months.
- 20,135 of 2,797,775 patients admitted for other reasons were subsequently admitted for self-harm.
- The adjusted odds ratio for self-harm after COVID-19 hospitalization was 0.66 after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.
Takeaway
People who were hospitalized for COVID-19 were less likely to hurt themselves later compared to those who were hospitalized for other reasons.
Methodology
Logistic regression models were used to analyze data from patients admitted to hospitals in metropolitan France between January and June 2020.
Potential Biases
Potential biases include selection bias due to the focus on hospital admissions and the possibility of underreporting self-harm.
Limitations
The actual number of admissions for self-harm was relatively small, and the study only considered self-harm that led to hospitalization.
Participant Demographics
The study included adults aged 18 years or older, with a focus on those hospitalized for COVID-19 and other reasons.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.63–0.78
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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