The Effect of Voluntary Staying at Home on Japanese Female Suicide During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In Japan, female suicide increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated how pandemic-related home confinement affected female suicide. We employed a shift-share instrumental variable design to assess whether differential exposure to the pandemic caused changes in suicide incidence. We found that suicide increased among females under 20 years of age as more people stayed at home. Counterfactual analyses showed that at least 35% of these suicides were attributed to home confinement. Our results suggest that a substantial part of the suicide increase among young females was driven by lifestyle changes during the pandemic.