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The COVID-19 pandemic's mental health impact is well-established. While early evidence suggested suicide deaths remained stable or declined, suicidal ideation (SI) became more prevalent than before the pandemic. Our study: (1) examined the prevalence and distribution of SI among Canadian adults, (2) compared SI among those with and without pre-existing mental illnesses, and (3) evaluated associations between pandemic-related stressors (i.e., unemployment, insecure employment, loss of income, medical vulnerability, COVID-19 exposure) with SI, and whether such associations were mediated by depression, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, or perceived discrimination.The sample was comprised of data gathered at three timepoints (Wave 1 08/18/2020-10/01/2020, n = 6629; Wave 2 12/21/2020-03/31/2021, n = 5920; Wave 3 09/07/2021-12/07/2021, n = 7354). Quota-based responses from survey research panels which matched the geographic, age, and sex distribution of the Canadian population were supplemented with convenience-sampled responses.The prevalence of SI was 4.1 % (Wave 1), 5.3 % (Wave 2), and 5.8 % (Wave 3). Odds of SI were higher for respondents under the age of 35 years and with pre-existing mental illnesses. SI was associated with quarantining due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 exposure, potential COVID-19 exposure at work, medical vulnerability toward COVID-19, insecure employment or unemployment, and income loss. These associations were mediated by psychological experiences, particularly depression and thwarted belongingness.This cross-sectional, observational study cannot establish temporality or causality.Results highlight groups who may benefit from enhanced screening for depression and suicide risk. Reducing depression and increasing sense of belonging should be prioritized.

Integrating across motivational models suggests that different self-damaging behaviors (SDBs) are enacted for similar reasons. However, it remains unclear whether some motives are more relevant to certain SDBs than others. To answer this question, the present study compared the salience of 8 potentially shared motives across 3 exemplar SDBs, selected to represent different points along the internalizing and externalizing spectra: binge drinking, disordered eating (binge eating, purging, fasting), and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Seven hundred and four first-year university students (73% female, Msubage/sub = 17.97) completed monthly surveys assessing their engagement in and motives for SDBs. Motives were conceptualized as either interpersonal (bonding with others, conforming with others, communicating strength, communicating distress, reducing demands) or intrapersonal (reducing negative emotions, enhancing positive emotions, punishing oneself). Multilevel models compared endorsement of each motive across SDBs. Results revealed that SDBs were motivated by similar goals, albeit to different degrees. Although some exceptions emerged, interpersonal motives were most salient to binge drinking, followed by disordered eating, and then NSSI. In contrast, intrapersonal motives were most salient to NSSI, followed by disordered eating, and then binge drinking. Motivational differences were also found within disordered eating. For example, punishing oneself was more relevant to purging and fasting than binge eating, whereas relieving negative emotions was more relevant to binge eating and purging than fasting. Similar to dimensional models that position SDBs on internalizing or externalizing spectra, the salience of motives for binge drinking and NSSI may fall on distinct spectra (i.e., interpersonal and intrapersonal, respectively), with motives for disordered eating exhibiting elements consistent with both spectra. This study supports a common motivational framework for investigating and potentially treating a variety of topographically distinct SDBs.

This chapter focuses on the use of fine-grained assessment approaches in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) research. Fine-grained assessment has enabled researchers to collect near real-time information about the proximal precipitants, consequences, and correlates of NSSI; test theoretical models in ecologically valid contexts; and further our understanding of the temporal sequencing of NSSI-related events. The chapter begins by discussing the need to balance benefits against the potential costs in the context of choosing the frequency, timing, and duration of study assessments, as well as measurement strategies for NSSI and other variables. It then considers some of the unique ethical and technical challenges that are inherent within fine-grained assessment studies. The chapter also offers recommendations for maximizing participant compliance and retention, navigating technological challenges, limiting recruitment or selection biases, and implementing effective risk assessments. Finally, this chapter explores frontiers in the area of fine-grained NSSI assessment, providing recommendations for future work and summarizing potential clinical applications of these methods.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound consequences on collective mental health and well-being, and yet, older adults appear better off than younger adults. The current study examined mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups in a large sample (n = 5,320) of Canadians using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest older adults are experiencing better mental health and more social connectedness relative to younger adults. Loneliness predicted negative mental health outcomes across all age groups, while the negative association between social support and mental health was only significant at average and high levels of loneliness in the 65–69 age group. Results point towards differential mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups and indicate that loneliness and social support may be key intervention targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further examine mechanisms of resiliency among older Canadian adults during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: We examined how personality traits are associated with eating pathology across a range of severities and symptom subtypes. METHOD: The National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (N = 10,148) was used to compare personality across severities (i.e., clinical Eating Disorders [ED], subclinical disordered eating, pre-clinical weight concerns, or no weight/eating pathology [No W/EP]), subclinical subtypes (i.e., Binge Eating Only, Binge-Purge, Binge-Restrict, Restrict-Purge, or No W/EP), and clinical subtypes (i.e., Anorexia Nervosa [AN]), Bulimia Nervosa [BN], Binge Eating Disorder [BED], internalizing disorders, or no ED or internalizing disorder) of eating pathology. RESULTS: More severe eating pathology was associated with more extreme personality trait endorsements. Impulsivity-related traits did not consistently distinguish binge eating/purging from restricting subtypes, although Behavioral Disinhibition differentiated adolescents with BN or BED from AN. CONCLUSION: Personality traits related to affectivity and impulsivity were more consistently associated with severity rather than subtype of eating pathology.