Socio-demographic, economic and mental health problems were risk factors for suicidal ideation among Kenyan students aged 15 plus

Abstract

Background: Understanding the prevalence of different suicidal ideas and context appropriate wide range of risk factors in youth in particular is important because about a third of youth with suicidal ideation develop suicidal plans and about 60% of youth with suicidal plans make suicidal attempts. This study aims to provide for the rst time wide ranging Kenyan data on the above so as to inform context appropriate practice and policy.Methods: To achieve our aim, we studied a total of 9742 high school, college and university students using following self-administered instruments: -a researcher design socio-demographic questionnaire, Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) to document psychiatric disorders and various types of suicidal ideas in previous two weeks, Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis tool to assess stress, affectivity and psychosis, Wealth index questionnaire to document economic indicators based on household items for the families of the students. We used descriptive statistics to document the prevalence of suicidal ideas and socio-demographics, univariate analysis to determine associations between suicidal ideas and mental health disorders, socio-demographic characteristics and economic indicators. All the independent variables were then estimated using bivariate logistic regression, tted to identify potential confounding factors. Variables with a pvalue of less than <.05 were entered into generalized linear models using logit links to identify independent predictors.Results: The median age was 21.3 years (range 15-43),with a majority of males (53.5%)and 93.4% single. The overall prevalence of different types of suicidal ideation was (22.6%), the commonest of which was thinking of speci c ways to take their life (19.3%) and least wanting to be dead (10.7%). Major depression was found in 20.0%. Affectivity, psychosis and stress was found in 10.4%, 8.7% and 26.0% respectively. Female gender, major depression, stress, affectivity and psychosis and being in high school were signi cant (p<0.05) predictors of suicidal ideation. Conclusion:We have documented the prevalence of different types of suicidal ideas and the risk factors in Kenyan students. We have therefore achieved our aims. Future studies are needed to study the progression from suicidal ideas to suicidal attempts and the factors associated with that progression.

Methods and associations of suicidality in Kenyan high school students: clinical and public health implications

“…We emphasise sociodemographic factors and other environmental factors because these are key to potential entry points for interventions; in particular, environmental factors that are amenable to manipulation as part of mitigation, for example, the availability of chemical and poisons, and the need for caregivers to be aware of various methods and hotspots in the community and at home. To this end, our findings confirm literature reports, including our own earlier findings, 1 that older age (here reflected by increasing seniority of high school students) and urban rather than rural areas are associated with suicidality. Female gender and age are independently associated with suicidal attempts.…”

“…The disparity in prevalence between these regions could be due to socioeconomic factors. 1 African countries often face greater economic instability, poverty and lack of access to basic resources such as healthcare, education and employment opportunities, which can contribute to higher levels of stress and hopelessness, increasing vulnerability to suicide. Furthermore, mental health services and resources are often limited in these countries, and the stigma surrounding mental illness may also prevent individuals from seeking help or accessing appropriate care even where services are available.…”

“…The estimated prevalence of suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts varies widely across different studies and countries. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Among young people, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts has been reported to range from 10.7% in a cross-sectional epidemiological study in Germany 7 to 17% in a prospective cohort study in Norway 4 and 17.9% in a study in Turkey, 5 whereas the prevalence of suicide attempts ranges from 3.6 to 10.3%. 6,7 In the USA, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts ranged from 4.0% in the north-east and south to 4.8% in the west, and from 3.3% in New Jersey to 6.9% in Utah in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health covering the period between 2015 and 2019.…”

“…8 A study of suicidal ideation among Kenyan students aged 15+ years found a prevalence of 22.6%. 1 In an out-patient psychiatric clinic in a youth centre of a referral hospital in Kenya, 82% of youth showed suicidal behaviours (plans and attempts); those aged 16-18 years were more likely to show suicidal behaviour compared with those aged 19-22 years. 2…”

Students stress patterns in a Kenyan socio-cultural and economic context: toward a public health intervention

“…In addition, a study on students in China on association between socioeconomic status and uncertainty stress found some of the socioeconomic status variables studied—parents occupation, type of residence, family income to be associated with stress 32 . In the Kenyan context, the following variables have been used to determine a family’s socioeconomic status: availability or non-availability of electricity, television, refrigerator and toilet; type of house floor; source of water and cooking method 33 . These variables can influence the stress level with an example of exposure to television which has been found to increase stress levels 34 .…”