Suicidal ideation among Canadian adults during the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre- and early pandemic periods

Purpose

This study examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation among adults in Canada during the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic comparing to the pre- and early pandemic periods, and assessed sociodemographic and pandemic-related factors.

Methods

We estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) conducted between February and May, 2023 (11,526 respondents, response rate 46.5 %), and compared with the prevalence in the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey (57,034 respondents, response rate 54.9 %) and the 2021 SCMH (5,742 respondents, response rate 51.2 %). We used logistic regressions to assess the likelihood of reporting suicidal ideation.

Results

In 2023, 3.8 % of adults reported suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, which was not significantly different from the 4.2 % in 2021, but higher than the 2.7 % in 2019. Adults aged 35-64 years and females 65 years or older had significantly higher prevalence in 2023 compared to 2019. Higher prevalence compared to the pre-pandemic baseline was also observed in other subpopulations, but none of them significantly differed from the prevalence in 2021. Adults who were aged 65 years or younger, White, Indigenous, born in Canada, with low income, without a spouse or child, LGBTQ2, with disability, or had experienced pandemic-related impacts had higher risk of suicidal ideation than their peers.

Conclusion

Prevalence of suicidal ideation remained elevated compared to the pre-pandemic baseline among most adults in Canada during the late pandemic period. Continued surveillance to evaluate middle and long-term impacts of the pandemic on mental health is needed.