Suicide Ideation and Psychosocial Distress in Sub-Saharan African Youth
Methods : Subjects included a cross-national sample of adolescents (N25,568) representing 7 African countries who completed the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS).
Results : Students with 3-4 psychosocial distress indicators were 4-5 times more likely to report suicide ideation or having made a suicide plan, and those with 4-5 risky health behaviors were 2.5-3.5 times more likely.
Conclusions : Interventions designed to identify African adolescents with cumulative psychosocial distress indicators and risky health behaviors have potential as effective suicide prevention strategies.
Keywords: adolescents; psychosocial distress; sub-Saharan Africa; suicidal behavior; suicidal ideation
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1 Professor, Department of Health Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
Publication date: 01 March 2011
The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.
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