Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior
Open Access

Child Abuse; Mental Health; Disorder; Dysfunction

Introduction

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, despite significant concerns about an increased risk of suicide, there has been little research into how public health emergencies affect suicidal thoughts and actions. The Great Influenza Epidemic (one study), the Russian Influenza (one study), the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (four studies), Ebola (one study), and one unidentified influenza in the United States are the only eight studies that have documented such relationships prior to COVID-19. An early review conducted following the COVID-19 pandemic showed that the difficulties experienced during the epidemic did not necessarily result in an immediate increase in suicide-related deaths. Recent research has shown that different cultures and time periods had different rates of suicidality. Suicidality in Japan decreased in early 2020 in comparison to data before the COVID-19 pandemic, but increased as the pandemic continued. Before the pandemic and in 2020 and 2021, data from South Korea showed no significant changes in sociality. According to Charpignon suicide counts from 14 states in 2021 showed an overall increase, but a decrease in Montana and Alaska, 2022). Scholars have been urging attention to the long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health and suicide since the pandemic and countermeasures, such as social isolation and quarantine requirements, lasted almost three years and enhancing the well-being of vulnerable groups like children and adolescents, people with mental health disorders, and people who have previously attempted suicide [1, 2].

Discussion

Children and adolescents are among the most susceptible to suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to global evidence. Tanaka and Okamoto examining records in various emergency rooms across the United States showed that children and adolescents were more likely to consider and attempt suicide. Additionally, a text analysis of a crisis help-seeking platform in the United States prior to and during COVID-19 revealed a rise in suicidal help-seeking, particularly among LGBT youth and children. Between July and October 2020, children and adolescents’ monthly suicide rates in Japan increased by 49%, compared to a population-wide increase of 16%. Taking into account the fact that suicide is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents, the COVID-19 pandemic may increase children’s and adolescents’ stress levels, increasing their likelihood of suicidal ideation and behavior [3, 4].

There are at least three ways that children and adolescents can be affected by disasters or pandemics: the physical impact, the psychological impact caused by the negative information, and the indirect impact caused by social or community disruptions. According to a few SARS and Ebola studies, the primary conditions associated with suicide ideation and attempts were exposure to the pandemic, risk perception, and social isolation 2021. Examination from India showed that online entertainment Coronavirus data openness, apprehension about contamination, monetary strain, forlornness, social shame related disease and quarantine, business related pressure, lockdown-related limitations, and inaccessibility of liquor all prompted conceivable selfdestruction. Through spillover stress from other family members, shifts in parent-child relationships, and disruptions in social support, the pandemic may harm children’s and adolescents’ mental health, which may lead to attempts and thoughts of suicide. As a result, the goal of this study is to address the relative lack of research on COVID-19-induced suicide among adolescents [5, 6].

A useful framework for comprehending the connection between COVID-19 and sociality among children and adolescents is the interpersonal theory of suicide. According to this theory, the factors that lead to lethal suicidal behaviors are perceived burden, thwarted belongingness, and the capacity for suicide and others, The COVID-19 pandemic caused physical infection, financial burden, social disruption, mental and behavioral problems for individuals, in addition to the wellestablished risk factors for suicide, such as a history of suicide attempts, mental health disorders, serious physical illness, substance abuse, and adverse childhood experiences. Psychological abuse has the strongest association with suicidal thoughts and actions among the general population. During COVID-19, the primary stressors that influence child and adolescent maltreatment are the effects on education, family, and access to services. Notwithstanding, a new survey including 12 investigations showed that the linkage between disease of Coronavirus on self-destruction and self-hurt can’t be surmised. In the meantime they found that the correlation between suicide rates and school closures was insignificant, at least in Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic has a complicated effect on teen suicide. The dynamics and interactions of both parents’ and children’s coping strategies determine the ultimate consequence of suicidality together, despite the fact that unemployment and school closures can be risk factors for children’s and adolescents’ maltreatment and suicidal behavior [7, 8].

Conclusion

Using data from a recent nationally representative sample of American children and adolescents (Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey), we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on suicidality (intention, planning, attempt, and serious consequence) in children and adolescents. Van Orden interpersonal theory of suicide is used in this study. 2010) and the most recent empirical evidence on child abuse and COVID-19 protection, we propose a conceptual framework in which the direct impact of COVID-19, as measured by job losses among parents and children and school closures, will be linked to domestic violence (that is, physical and psychological abuse of children) and mental health conditions among children and adolescents, which in turn leads to suicidal intentions and behaviors. By using one of the most recent national surveys taken during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and taking into account the complex connections between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child abuse, mental health, and sociality, this study adds to the existing body of knowledge [9, 10].

Acknowledgement

None

Conflict of Interest

None

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