A cross-sectional study of suicidal ideation and behaviour, depression, anxiety and stress in a Spanish sample. Mental health in young people after the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on mental health, especially among young people. A cross-sectional study was carried out (N = 450, mean age = 24) using an online questionnaire from march to may 2022 collecting different sociodemographic and clinical variables. The 42.2% of the sample presented symptoms of depression, 41.6% of anxiety, and 21.1% of stress. 8.9% of the young people reported suicide attempts, while 39.1% declared having had suicidal ideation. Youth with lower socioeconomic status reported worse symptomatology and higher rates of suicidal ideation and behaviour. The main predictor of suicide was depression, along with lower socioeconomic status and being male in more severe cases. Depression and anxiety were associated variables in cases with a history of suicide attempts. More attention needs to be paid to the mental health of young people, especially those with worse socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms. Possible measures to address the problem are proposed.

KEYWORDS:

• Covid-19
• suicidal ideation
• suicidal behaviour
• depression
• anxiety
• young

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [CGS], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eva Sanchez Merino

Eva Sanchez Merino. Social Educator (University of Burgos, 2020), Master in Psychopedagogy (University of Valladolid, 2022). She works as a social educator in the third sector and mental disorders.

Carmela Martínez Vispo

Carmela Martínez Vispo. Assistant Professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology of the University of Santiago de Compostela. Degree in Psychology (University of Santiago de Compostela, 2007), accreditation as General Health Psychologist (2013) and Master's Degree in Research in Psychology (National Distance Education University, 2016). PhD in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience (University of Santiago de Compostela, 2019). Main lines of research on addictive behaviors and mental health psychological intervention and prevention.

Clara González Sanguino

Clara González Sanguino. Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Valladolid. Degree in Psychology (University of Salamanca, 2013), accreditation as General Health Psychologist (2014) and Master's Degree in Teaching (International University of Valencia, 2019). PhD in Psychology (Complutense University of Madrid, 2021). Main lines of research on stigma and mental health.