Have deaths of despair risen during the COVID-19 pandemic?: A systematic review

Hania Rahimi-Ardabili; Xiaoqi Feng; Phi-Yen Nguyen; Thomas Astell-Burt

doi:10.3390/ijerph191912835

Have deaths of despair risen during the COVID-19 pandemic? A systematic review

Hania Rahimi-Ardabili, Xiaoqi Feng, Phi-Yen Nguyen, Thomas Astell-Burt

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

This systematic review synthesized literature on potential impacts of protracted isolation and other disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair (suicide, overdoses, and drug-related liver diseases). Five electronic databases were searched yielding 70 eligible articles. Extant evidence mostly from high-income countries indicates COVID-19-related disruption may not have influenced suicide rates so far, but there have been reports of increased drug-related and liver disease mortality. Minority groups and women were more vulnerable, indicating the need for stronger equity focus on pandemic recovery and resilience strategies. Further high-quality studies with longer-term follow-up, especially from low-income countries, will inform these strategies.

Original language	English
Article number	12835
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Number of pages	12
Journal	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume	19
Issue number	19
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912835
Publication status	Published - 7 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

deaths of despair
overdose
suicide
COVID-19
systematic review

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10.3390/ijerph191912835Licence: CC BY

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 875 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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AU - Feng, Xiaoqi

AU - Nguyen, Phi-Yen

AU - Astell-Burt, Thomas

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Have deaths of despair risen during the COVID-19 pandemic? A systematic review

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Have deaths of despair risen during the COVID-19 pandemic? A rapid systematic review

Cite this