Suicidality amongst young adults in South-south Nigeria

Background: Suicidality is a broad term that encompasses suicidal ideation, suicide plans and suicide attempts. Suicide cuts across all age groups however the young adulthood phase is a critical time for the onset of suicidal behaviours. Often suicide is underreported because of the shame, as such it is a neglected public health problem in our environment. This study seeks to describe the pattern of suicidality and reported health seeking behaviour amongst young people in Bayelsa State.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the national youth service corps orientation camp, Bayelsa amongst 387 corps members. With the aid of an electronic, self-administered questionnaire adapted from the WHO STEPwise manual on non-communicable diseases; information on socio demographic features, suicide ideation, plan and attempt were obtained. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0.Results: The mean age was 25.37 (SD±2.38) years. Most participants were males (58.9%) and single (95.3%). Prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts was 7.5%, 4.4% and 3.1% respectively. Above one third (35.4%) of those who made suicidal plans in the past 12 months, actually attempted suicide, 4.4% and 2.6% of the respondents had a positive family history of suicide attempt and suicide death respectively.Conclusions: Young adults are a critical population for suicidality. Public health awareness on mental health promotion and uptake of mental health service should be encouraged. Decriminalisation of attempted suicide in Nigeria and better surveillance will enable more effective suicide prevention strategies.

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Exploring Suicidal Ideation Using an Innovative Mobile App-Strength Within Me: The Usability and Acceptability of Setting up a Trial Involving Mobile Technology and Mental Health Service Users (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18407 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ashley Jane Bruen ◽

Abbie Wall ◽

Alina Haines-Delmont ◽

Elizabeth Perkins

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Real Time ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Mobile App ◽

Inpatient Setting ◽

Service Users ◽

Risk Of Death

BACKGROUND Suicide is a growing global public health problem that has resulted in an increase in the demand for psychological services to address mental health issues. It is expected that 1 in 6 people on a waiting list for mental health services will attempt suicide. Although suicidal ideation has been shown to be linked to a higher risk of death by suicide, not everybody openly discloses their suicidal thoughts or plans to friends and family or seeks professional help before suicide. Therefore, new methods are needed to track suicide risk in real time together with a better understanding of the ways in which people communicate or express their suicidality. Considering the dynamic nature and challenges in understanding suicide ideation and suicide risk, mobile apps could be better suited to prevent suicide as they have the ability to collect real-time data. OBJECTIVE This study aims to report the practicalities and acceptability of setting up and trialing digital technologies within an inpatient mental health setting in the United Kingdom and highlight their implications for future studies. METHODS Service users were recruited from 6 inpatient wards in the north west of England. Service users who were eligible to participate and provided consent were given an iPhone and Fitbit for 7 days and were asked to interact with a novel phone app, Strength Within Me (SWiM). Interaction with the app involved journaling (recording daily activities, how this made them feel, and rating their mood) and the option to create safety plans for emotions causing difficulties (identifying strategies that helped with these emotions). Participants also had the option to allow the study to access their personal Facebook account to monitor their social media use and activity. In addition, clinical data (ie, assessments conducted by trained researchers targeting suicidality, depression, and sleep) were also collected. RESULTS Overall, 43.0% (80/186 response rate) of eligible participants were recruited for the study. Of the total sample, 67 participants engaged in journaling, with the average number of entries per user being 8.2 (SD 8.7). Overall, only 24 participants created safety plans and the most common <i>difficult emotion</i> to be selected was feeling sad (n=21). This study reports on the engagement with the SWiM app, the technical difficulties the research team faced, the importance of building key relationships, and the implications of using Facebook as a source to detect suicidality. CONCLUSIONS To develop interventions that can be delivered in a timely manner, prediction of suicidality must be given priority. This paper has raised important issues and highlighted lessons learned from implementing a novel mobile app to detect the risk of suicidality for service users in an inpatient setting.

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Youth unemployment and mental health: Prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.2.22998/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hirbaye Mokona ◽

Kalkidan Yohannes ◽

Getinet Ayano

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Young People ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Health Concern ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Background: The high rate of unemployment among young adults in Ethiopia (aged 18 to 30 years) is a public health concern. The risk of mental health problems like depression is higher among the unemployed than among the employed. However, there is no study conducted on the prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Ethiopia. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: Community based cross sectional study design was employed among 1452 unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia from May to July, 2019. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. The presence of depression was assessed by using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and data on socio-demographic characteristics of study participants was collected by using structured questionnaire. Data was coded and entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with depression, and variables with p-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. The strength of the association was presented by adjusted odds ratio with their 95% confidence interval. Result: The overall prevalence of depression among unemployed young adults in the present study was 30.9% (95% CI: 28.4%, 33.1%). Of the total study participants with depression, 56.7% had mild depression, 36% had moderate depression, and 7.3% had severe depression. Being male (AOR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.80), long duration of unemployment (≥1years) (AOR=1.56, 95%CI: 1.21, 1.99), low self-esteem (AOR=1.32, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.68), poor social support (AOR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.34, 2.93), and current alcohol use (AOR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.33, 2.59) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: The results of our study indicated that depression is an important public health problem among unemployed young adults in Ethiopia. The results of our study suggest that policy makers and program planners should establish appropriate strategy for prevention, early detection and management of depression among this population. Moreover, this study also indicates that addressing the need of unemployed young people, improving access to care for depression is an important next step. Furthermore, we recommend further studies to understand the nature of depression among unemployed young people and to strengthen the current results.

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Emotional Regulation of Mental Pain as Moderator of Suicidal Ideation in Military Settings

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2014.12.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 765-769 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

L. Shelef ◽

E. Fruchter ◽

A. Hassidim ◽

G. Zalsman

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Attempted Suicide ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Pain Scale ◽

Self Report ◽

Mental Pain ◽

The World ◽

Israel Defense Forces

AbstractBackgroundIn the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as well as in most armies throughout the world, the leading cause of death during peace-time is suicide. This study examines emotional regulation of mental pain as a contributor to suicidal ideation in soldiers.MethodsOne hundred sixty-eight IDF soldiers (aged 18–21 years, 59% males) completed the following self-report questionnaires: Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI); Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP); and Emotional Regulation of Mental Pain questionnaire. Participants were divided into 3 groups: soldiers who attempted suicide (AS group, n = 58), soldiers under treatment by a mental health professional and reporting no suicidal behavior (PT group, n = 58), and controls (C group, n = 50).ResultsSuicide ideation, mental pain, and low emotional regulation were significantly higher in the suicidal group as compared to the two other groups (P < 0.001). Mental pain was significantly related to more suicide ideation in soldiers with low ability to regulate mental pain (P < .001 for the interaction).ConclusionEmotional regulation of mental pain moderates the link between mental pain and suicide ideation. Soldiers with high mental pain and low regulation of mental pain exhibited higher suicidal ideation. These findings may assist in planning prevention programs in the army and similar settings.

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Youth unemployment and mental health: Prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.2.22998/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hirbaye Mokona ◽

Kalkidan Yohannes ◽

Getinet Ayano

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Young People ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Health Concern ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Background: The high rate of unemployment among young adults in Ethiopia (25.3%) is a public health concern. The risk of mental health problems like depression is higher among the unemployed than among the employed. However, there is no study conducted on the prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Ethiopia. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression among unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: Community based cross sectional study design was employed among 1452 unemployed young adults in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia from May to July, 2019. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. The presence of depression was assessed by using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and data on socio-demographic characteristics of study participants was collected by using structured questionnaire. Data was coded and entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with depression, and variables with p-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. The strength of the association was presented by adjusted odds ratio with their 95% confidence interval. Result: The overall prevalence of depression among unemployed young adults in the present study was 30.9% (95% CI: 28.4%, 33.1%). Of the total study participants with depression, 56.7% had mild depression, 36% had moderate depression, and 7.3% had severe depression. Being male (AOR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.80), long duration of unemployment (≥1years) (AOR=1.56, 95%CI: 1.21, 1.99), low self-esteem (AOR=1.32, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.68), poor social support (AOR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.34, 2.93), and current alcohol use (AOR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.33, 2.59) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: The results of our study indicated that depression is an important public health problem among unemployed young adults in Ethiopia. The results of our study suggest that policy makers and program planners should establish appropriate strategy for prevention, early detection and management of depression among this population. Moreover, this study also indicates that addressing the need of unemployed young people, improving access to care for depression is an important next step. Furthermore, we recommend further studies to understand the nature of depression among unemployed young people and to strengthen the current results.

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Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health: Sex-Disaggregated Associations Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Uganda

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520938508 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052093850

Author(s):

Flora Cohen ◽

Ilana Seff ◽

Fred Ssewamala ◽

Timothy Opobo ◽

Lindsay Stark

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Young Adults ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Ipv Perpetration

Experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization have well-established associations with poor mental health. There is also burgeoning evidence regarding the association between IPV perpetration and mental health in a small number of countries. However, there is a paucity of data about the gendered differences for these IPV experiences within sub-Saharan African. This study examines the association between IPV victimization, perpetration, and mental health outcomes for male and female adolescents and young adults in Uganda. Data on IPV perpetration were available for a nationally representative sample of 1,373 males and 2,022 females in Uganda. Observations were weighted to be representative of 13- to 24-year-olds in Uganda. Study procedures used multivariate logistic regression models to examine associations between ever-perpetration of IPV and four self-reported mental health variables: severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, suicide ideation, and alcohol abuse. Models controlled for age, marital status, schooling, and past exposure to violence. Models were sex-disaggregated to examine sex-specific associations. Standard errors were adjusted for sampling stratification and clustering. Data analysis showed that males were more than twice as likely as females to perpetrate IPV (14% vs. 6%, respectively; p < .001), while odds of perpetration for both sexes were higher for those ever experiencing IPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 12.12 for males; aOR=4.73 for females). Male perpetrators had 2.93 greater odds of experiencing suicidal ideation (95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.78, 4.82], p < .001) and increased drinking behaviors (2.21, 95% CI: [1.39, 3.50], p < .001) when compared with non-perpetrating males. In addition, female perpetrators had 2.59 times greater odds of suicidal ideation (95% CI: [1.34,4.99], p < .01), as compared with non-perpetrating females. Our findings among youth and adolescents demonstrated associated but different experiences for males and females. Findings indicate the importance of understanding the relationship between IPV victimization and perpetration, and addressing these correlates with a gender-sensitive perspective to inform policy and programming.

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Exploring Suicidal Ideation Using an Innovative Mobile App-Strength Within Me: The Usability and Acceptability of Setting up a Trial Involving Mobile Technology and Mental Health Service Users

JMIR Mental Health ◽

10.2196/18407 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. e18407

Author(s):

Ashley Jane Bruen ◽

Abbie Wall ◽

Alina Haines-Delmont ◽

Elizabeth Perkins

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Real Time ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Mobile App ◽

Inpatient Setting ◽

Service Users ◽

Risk Of Death

Background Suicide is a growing global public health problem that has resulted in an increase in the demand for psychological services to address mental health issues. It is expected that 1 in 6 people on a waiting list for mental health services will attempt suicide. Although suicidal ideation has been shown to be linked to a higher risk of death by suicide, not everybody openly discloses their suicidal thoughts or plans to friends and family or seeks professional help before suicide. Therefore, new methods are needed to track suicide risk in real time together with a better understanding of the ways in which people communicate or express their suicidality. Considering the dynamic nature and challenges in understanding suicide ideation and suicide risk, mobile apps could be better suited to prevent suicide as they have the ability to collect real-time data. Objective This study aims to report the practicalities and acceptability of setting up and trialing digital technologies within an inpatient mental health setting in the United Kingdom and highlight their implications for future studies. Methods Service users were recruited from 6 inpatient wards in the north west of England. Service users who were eligible to participate and provided consent were given an iPhone and Fitbit for 7 days and were asked to interact with a novel phone app, Strength Within Me (SWiM). Interaction with the app involved journaling (recording daily activities, how this made them feel, and rating their mood) and the option to create safety plans for emotions causing difficulties (identifying strategies that helped with these emotions). Participants also had the option to allow the study to access their personal Facebook account to monitor their social media use and activity. In addition, clinical data (ie, assessments conducted by trained researchers targeting suicidality, depression, and sleep) were also collected. Results Overall, 43.0% (80/186 response rate) of eligible participants were recruited for the study. Of the total sample, 67 participants engaged in journaling, with the average number of entries per user being 8.2 (SD 8.7). Overall, only 24 participants created safety plans and the most common difficult emotion to be selected was feeling sad (n=21). This study reports on the engagement with the SWiM app, the technical difficulties the research team faced, the importance of building key relationships, and the implications of using Facebook as a source to detect suicidality. Conclusions To develop interventions that can be delivered in a timely manner, prediction of suicidality must be given priority. This paper has raised important issues and highlighted lessons learned from implementing a novel mobile app to detect the risk of suicidality for service users in an inpatient setting.

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The Effect of Suicide-Related Internet Use on Users’ Mental Health

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000201 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 348-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Hajime Sueki

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Internet Use ◽

Panel Study ◽

Psychological Effects ◽

The Internet ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Suicide Methods ◽

Internet Users

Background: Previous studies have shown that suicide-related Internet use can have both negative and positive psychological effects. Aims: This study examined the effect of suicide-related Internet use on users’ suicidal ideation, depression/anxiety tendency, and loneliness. Method: A two-wave panel study of 850 Internet users was conducted via the Internet. Results: Suicide-related Internet use (e.g., browsing websites about suicide methods) had negative effects on suicidal ideation and depression/anxiety tendency. No forms of suicide-related Internet use, even those that would generally be considered positive, were found to decrease users’ suicidal ideation. In addition, our results suggest that the greater the suicidal ideation and feelings of depression and loneliness of Internet users, the more they used the Internet. Conclusion: Since suicide-related Internet use can adversely influence the mental health of young adults, it is necessary to take measures to reduce their exposure to such information.

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Substance Abuse and Drug-Related Death, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide: A Review

Crisis ◽

10.1027//0227-5910.20.1.28 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 28-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Annie Mino ◽

Arnaud Bousquet ◽

Barbara Broers

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Family Support ◽

Drug Users ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Hiv Epidemic

The high mortality rate among drug users, which is partly due to the HIV epidemic and partly due to drug-related accidental deaths and suicides, presents a major public health problem. Knowing more about prevalence, incidence, and risk factors is important for the development of rational preventive and therapeutic programs. This article attempts to give an overview of studies of the relations between substance abuse, suicidal ideation, suicide, and drug-related death. Research in this field is hampered by the absence of clear definitions, and results of studies are rarely comparable. There is, however, consensus about suicidal ideation being a risk factor for suicide attempts and suicide. Suicidal ideation is also a predictor of suicide, especially among drug users. It is correlated with an absence of family support, with the severity of the psychosocial dysfunctioning, and with multi-drug abuse, but also with requests for treatment. Every clinical examination of a drug user, not only of those who are depressed, should address the possible presence of suicidal ideation, as well as its intensity and duration.

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Correctional Work: Reflections Regarding Suicide

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084280 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4280

Author(s):

Christine Genest ◽

Rosemary Ricciardelli ◽

R. Nicholas Carleton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Family Doctor ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Health Agency ◽

Life Time ◽

Psychological Theory ◽

Small Sample ◽

Employee Assistance Program ◽

Assistance Program

The Public Health Agency of Canada declared suicide a public health problem in Canada (2016). Employees working in correctional services, researchers find, experience high rates of life-time suicidal ideation in comparison to other public safety professionals and the general population. Suicide behaviours (i.e., ideation, planning, attempts, death) are a multifactorial phenomenon, explained in part by the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide that suggests attempted suicide is facilitated by perceived burdensomeness, a lost sense of belonging, a feeling of hopelessness, and a progressively reduced fear of death, as well as capacity and planning to engage a lethal attempt. In the current study, we unpack the factors that can influence suicide behaviours as reported by correctional workers. Our intent is to make explicit the experiences of a small sample (n = 25) of correctional workers in relation to suicidal behaviours, highlighting stories of recovery and acknowledging the importance of facilitating psychologically safe workplaces. Analysis entailed an inductive semi-grounded emergent theme approach. Participants identified certain risk factors as being able to induce suicidal ideation, such as marital or family problems as well as difficulties at work (i.e., bullying or difficult working conditions). Having children and a partner may act as factors preventing suicide for those with ideation. Participants sought help from professionals, such as their family doctor, a psychologist, or the Employee Assistance Program (EAP); however, the lack of perceived organisational supports and recognition of the issue of suicide by the employer are two elements that can hinder the search for help.

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High Risk of Suicide in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia

American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease & Other Dementias® ◽

10.1177/1533317518817609 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 265-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Milena Zucca ◽

Elisa Rubino ◽

Alessandro Vacca ◽

Flora Govone ◽

Annalisa Gai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

High Risk ◽

Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Attempted Suicide ◽

Disease Duration ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

High Level ◽

Anxiety Depression

Aim: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), evaluating possible risk factors for suicidality. Methods: Risk of suicide was assessed using the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) in 35 patients with bvFTD and 25 controls. Results: According to SSI, 40% of patients with bvFTD had suicidal ideation in comparison to 8% of controls ( P = .009). Four patients with bvFTD have attempted suicide versus none control ( P = .006). Patients with bvFTD with suicide risk showed higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and hopelessness than patients without suicide risk ( P < .001). Patients who attempted suicide were younger and had a longer disease duration than those with only suicide ideation. Intriguingly, 40% of patients with parkinsonism presented high level of suicide ideation. Conclusions: Our findings show that patients with bvFTD have a high risk of suicide. Additional studies in larger populations are needed to confirm our results.

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