Effect of stressful life events in suicidal behavior in women during the Covid-19 pandemic in Mexico

Objective. To assess the factorial structure and convergent and divergent validity of the Columbia Suicide Severity Scale (CSSRS) and the Questionnaire of Stressful Life Events (SLE) in a sample of Mexican women and to analyze the association between stressful life events (SLE) and suicidal behavior (SB) in Mexican women during the Covid-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. Data from 2 398 women who participated in a multicenter study were used.The study was carried out in Mexico between May and October 2021.The information was collected through an online questionnaire that included the CSSRS and the SLE. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the goodness of fit of both questionnaires. Results. The final model showed an association between CB and SLE and identified violence as the central variable. The model had a good fit (CFI = 0.950, IFI = 0.950, MFI = 0.975, RMSEA = 0.031, CI RMSEA = 0.026-0.036). Conclusions. The Covid-19 pandemic evidenced the need to create and implement strategies to promote mental health care, reduce exposure to violence, and facilitate mourning processes to prevent SB in Mexican women.