Cultural Variations in Hopelessness, Optimism, and Suicidal Ideation: a Study of Ghana and U.S. College Samples

As a follow-up study of previous findings of cultural differences in responses to depressive mood, college students from Ghana & the USA completed measures of hopelessness, optimism, & suicidal ideation. Compared to the USA sample, Ghanaian college students reported less feelings of hopelessness, & were significantly more optimistic. Furthermore, the USA sample endorsed significantly more items of the suicidal ideation scale than their Ghanaian counterparts. The role of factors such as cultural variations in an individual’s sense of belonging, social support, & expectancies is discussed. Implications & directions for future research are also considered. (32 refs.)