Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada (May 2023)

Suicidal ideation among young adults in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a population-based cross-sectional study

  • Li Liu,
  • Gisèle Contreras,
  • Nathaniel J. Pollock,
  • Lil Tonmyr,
  • Wendy Thompson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.43.5.05
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 43, no. 5
pp. 260 – 266

Abstract

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Using data from the 2020 and 2021 cycles of the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health, we examined suicidal ideation among adults in Canada aged 18 to 34 years. The prevalence of suicidal ideation among adults aged 18 to 34 years was 4.2% in fall 2020 and 8.0% in spring 2021. The subgroup of adults aged 18 to 24 years had the highest prevalence of suicidal ideation, 10.7%, in spring 2021. Prevalence varied by sociodemographic characteristics and tended to be higher among people living in materially deprived areas. Suicidal ideation was strongly associated with pandemic-related stressors respondents experienced.