Resource Tag: GHANA

Background: Suicide represents a major public health concern, affecting a significant portion of individuals. However, there remains a gap in understanding the age and sex disparities in the occurrence of suicide. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the sex-related inequalities in suicide rates in Ghana from 2000 to 2019. Methods: We utilized data from the WHO Health […]

This study examined the reasons for suicide attempts among patients in Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 30 informants who had been hospitalized for attempted suicide. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the transcribed narratives, and five main themes emerged: 1) lack of support; 2) abandonment; 3) shame; 4) existential struggles; and 5) […]

A major gap in the extant research literature on suicide in Ghana is lack of a systematic study of patterns and trends in elderly suicides. To address the lack of scholarship on the topic, this exploratory, descriptive study  presents the results of an epidemiological analysis of 40 media-reported suicides involving persons aged 60 years and […]

Recently, there have been calls for the decriminalization (or depenalization) of nonfatal suicidal behavior (attempted suicide) in Ghana, India, Uganda, and other societies that currently criminalize nonfatal suicidal behavior. Despite this, there is a dearth of systematic studies that examine the extent, nature, and characteristics of attempted suicide prosecutions in countries that currently criminalize nonfatal […]

Background: Attempted suicide is still considered a crime in Ghana. Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes toward this law held by health workers and police officers in Ghana so as to provide culture-sensitive arguments to aid in abolishing the law. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with eight clinical psychologists, eight emergency ward nurses, […]

Background: Suicidal behavior receives considerable coverage in African media. Yet, there has been limited empirical research that focuses explicitly on suicidal behavior in African societies, while comprehensive and reliable official data on the phenomenon are limited. Aims: This article contributes to the empirical research on suicidal behavior in African societies by examining police-recorded data on suicidal behavior […]

Purpose We know little about the epidemiology of suicide among middle school students in Ghana, including the years preceding high school. This study explores the onset, characteristics, and recent patterns of suicide among Ghanaian middle and high school students. Methods This study used the World Health Organization Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS, 2012), which […]

Background Religion performs a doubled edged role in a suicide crisis. On the one hand, it elicits empathic responses towards suicidal persons. On the other, it condemns and shames them. Although there is evidence that religion promotes better health and general wellbeing, little attention has been given to its role in recovery, especially after a […]

Rates of suicide have been recorded among the police in some parts of the world. Despite the attention that this topic has received, it appears that not much is being researched on it in Africa. Besides, research on suicide in Ghana has been skewed towards the public, to the neglect of the police. The sparse […]

Background: Care of people with serious mental illness in prayer camps in low-income countries generates human rights concerns and ethical challenges for outcome researchers. Aims To ethically evaluate joining traditional faith healing with psychiatric care including medications (Clinical trials.gov identifier NCT02593734). Method: Residents of a Ghana prayer camp were randomly assigned to receive either indicated medication for schizophrenia […]

Background: Despite recent media reports showing disturbing trends of police suicides in Ghana, no published studies are available from the country. Aims: We sought to estimate the prevalence and describe some of the correlates of suicidal behaviors among police officers in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Method: We surveyed a convenience sample of 268 police officers, using the Suicide […]

Background: Emerging research on suicidal behaviors among adolescents in Ghana has been conducted mainly among senior high school students. Aims: We aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of suicide attempts and describe some of the general and gender-specific associated factors among adolescents attending junior high schools (JHSs) in Ghana. Method: We analyzed data from the 2012 Ghana Global School-Based Student […]

Background Recent prevalence studies suggest that self-harm among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa is as common as it is in high income countries. However, very few qualitative studies exploring first-person accounts of adolescent self-harm are available from sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to explore the experiences and first-person perspectives of Ghanaian adolescents reporting self-harm – for deeper […]

Abstract. Background: Condemnatory reactions toward suicide are prevalent in Africa, yet no study has examined how society reacts to suicides from the perspective of suicide-bereaved persons. Aims: This qualitative study explored societal reactions to suicides so as to further our understanding of the problem in Ghana. Method: Using a semi-structured interview guide, we interviewed 45 close relations of 14 men who […]

Adolescent suicide is now a major health concern for many countries. However, there is paucity of systematic studies and lack of official statistics on adolescent suicide in Ghana. Mass media coverage of adolescent suicide (even though crude), at least, may reflect the reality of the phenomenon. With an ecological orientation, this study used qualitative content […]

In Ghana reliable official data on suicidal behavior are not available. There is also limited empirical research on suicidal behavior in the country. At the same time, police-recorded suicide data, media reports, and communication from professionals in the field indicate that suicidal behavior is a growing problem. To identify current patterns and meanings of male […]

~

This study investigated the role of gender, family cohesion, religiosity, & negative suicide attitudes as potential determinants of cultural differences in suicide ideation among 375 college students from Ghana & the U.S. Significant cultural differences were found for suicide ideation, family closeness, religiosity, & negative suicide attitudes. Family cohesion & negative attitudes were significant predictors […]

The role of ruminative coping & gender as potential moderators of cultural differences in suicide ideation among 194 college students from Ghana & the United States were studied using the Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire & the Rumination scale of the Response Style Questionnaire. Significant main effects for cultural group & gender were found for suicide […]