Autolesão não suicida nas Américas no contexto da pandemia da Covid-19: uma revisão de escopo

Abstract

Introduction: non-suicidal self-injury involves intentionally causing harm to one’s own body without the intent to die, serving as a way to cope with emotional distress. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this behavior intensified due to increased stress, heightened emotional vulnerability, and the weakening of support networks across the Americas. Objective: to map the evidence on nonsuicidal self-injury behavior in the Americas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: the scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, using the PCC mnemonic (COVID-19, non-suicidal self-injury, and the Americas). The search was conducted in the MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, CINAHL®, LILACS®, PsycINFO®, and Web of Science databases. Results: Initially, 1,113 studies were identified, of which 20 were included in this review. The prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury ranged from 2.1% to 45.3%, with peaks during periods of greater social isolation and school closures. Groups with higher vulnerability were identified. Among the factors associated with nonsuicidal self-injury were depressive and anxiety symptoms, loneliness, perceived stress, lack of social support, socioeconomic inequalities, racial discrimination, and limited access to mental health services. In addition, nonsuicidal self-injury was also identified as a risk behavior for suicide. Conclusion: It was found that during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the occurrence of nonsuicidal self-injury increased across the Americas, especially among young and vulnerable populations, revealing a scenario of worsening psychological distress and structural inequalities. Psychosocial and structural factors played a central role in the rise of nonsuicidal self-injury, establishing it as an important marker of collective emotional suffering and the fragility of social protection and care networks.