Risk of hospitalization for self-harm among adults hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 in France: A nationwide retrospective cohort study

While much work has shown a link between the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and poor mental health, little is known about a possible association between hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent hospitalization for self-harm. Analyses performed on the French national hospital database between March 2020March 2021 in 10,084,551 inpatients showed that hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with hospitalization for self-harm in the following year. However, hospitalization with SARS-Cov-2 was related to an increased risk of self-harm in patients with a suicidal episode at the inclusion (aHR=1.56 [1.14-2.15]), suggesting an effect of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with a recent history of self-harm.

Automated summary

A study suggests that hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with subsequent hospitalization for self-harm, but it increases the risk of self-harm in patients with a recent history of self-harm.