Perspectives from Pediatric Primary Care Practices About Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Suicide: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth suicide from the perspectives of clinicians and support staff in pediatric primary care.

METHOD: We conducted in-depth interviews following a semi-structured interview guide with 55 clinicians and clinic support staff in 15 pediatric clinics. We used both inductive and deductive coding in our analysis of the qualitative data.

RESULTS

We characterized four themes around how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted youth suicide: negative impacts on patients' mental health, negative impacts on receipt of health care, positive impacts on youth suicide prevention efforts, and lingering effects on mental health and health care.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that the pandemic not only adversely affected youths' mental health but also disrupted pediatric practices' abilities to identify and treat those at risk for suicide. These findings also highlight the urgent need for continued monitoring of the pandemic's long-term effects on youth mental health.