Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The risk of suicide is higher among health care workers than other workers. This study investigated the association between social support and suicidal ideation and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian health care workers. METHODS: This study used data from 10,885 respondents to the first (time point 1 - between May and June of 2020) and second (time point 2 - between December 2020 and February 2021) cross-sectional online surveys about mental health and quality of life among Brazilian health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relationship between social support as the independent variable (time point 1) and suicidal ideation and behavior as the outcomes (time point 2) was investigated through logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Greater social support was associated with a significantly lower risk of reporting suicidal ideation and behavior in the month prior to follow-up assessment (adjusted OR: 0.71, 95%CI 0.66-0.76 and adjusted OR 0.61, 95%CI 0.54-0.68, respectively). These associations were independent of sex, age, feelings of loneliness, and self-reported psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSION: Social support is associated with a lower risk of suicidality among health care workers, and its protective role appears more closely related to suicidal behavior.