Charity S. Akotia

Self-Reported Suicidal Behavior and Attitudes Toward Suicide and Suicide Prevention Among Psychology Students in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway

Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide in psychology students are reported and compared in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway. Small differences only were found in own suicidal behavior. However, experience of suicidal behavior in the surroundings was more common in Uganda than in Ghana and Norway. Although differences were found between the three countries in attitudes toward suicide, which emphasizes the need for culture-sensitive research and prevention, many of the differences were not as big as expected. The most pronounced difference was that the Norwegian students were more reluctant to take a stand on these questions compared to their African counterparts. Some differences were also found between the two African countries. The implications of the results for suicide prevention in Africa are discussed.

Influence of Religious Factors on Attitudes Towards Suicidal Behaviour in Ghana

The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how religion influences lay persons’ attitudes towards suicide in Ghana. Twenty-seven adults from both rural and urban settings were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. Results showed that the participants are committed to core and normative religious beliefs and practices they perceived as life preserving. Such an understanding influenced their view of suicidal behaviour as unacceptable. Nevertheless, religion facilitated their willingness to help people during suicidal crisis. Religious commitment theory is used to explain some of the findings of this study. Implications for suicide prevention are discussed.

Attitudes of psychologists and nurses toward suicide and suicide prevention in Ghana: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND One way of preventing suicide has been increasing awareness among health care professionals of their own attitudes and taboos toward suicide and its prevention. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to understand the attitudes of health professionals toward suicidal behavior and its prevention in Ghana. METHODS A total of 17 informants (9 clinical psychologists and 8 emergency ward nurses) in an urban center were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data. RESULTS We found that the attitudes of these health workers toward suicide and suicide prevention seemed to be transiting between morality and mental health. The psychologists generally saw suicide as a mental health issue, emphasized a caring and empathic view of suicidal persons and approached suicide prevention from a health-service point of view. Mental health education and improvements in primary health care were reported as practical approaches toward suicide prevention. The nurses on the other hand, held a moralistic attitude toward suicide as a crime, viewed suicide persons as blameworthy and approached suicide prevention from a proscriptive perspective. Informal approaches such as talking to people, strengthening the legal code against suicide and threatening suicidal persons with the religious consequences of the act were also indicated as practical approaches to suicide prevention. Educational level, clinical experience with suicidal persons, and religious values, are discussed as influencing the differences in attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention between psychologists and nurses. CONCLUSION Health workers in Ghana need training in suicidology to improve both knowledge and skills relevant for suicide prevention.

Social injury: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the attitudes towards suicide of lay persons in Ghana.

One way of furthering our understanding of suicidal behaviour is to examine peoples attitudes towards it and how they conceive the act. The aim of this study was to understand how lay persons conceive the impact of suicide on others and how that influences their attitudes towards suicide; and discuss the implications for suicide prevention in Ghana. This is a qualitative study, using a semi-structured interview guide to investigate the attitudes and views of 27 lay persons from urban and rural settings in Ghana. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that the perceived breach of interrelatedness between people due to suicidal behaviour influenced the informants’ view of suicide as representing a social injury. Such view of suicide influenced the negative attitudes the informants expressed towards the act. The negative attitudes towards suicide in Ghana are cast in consequential terms. Thus, suicide is an immoral act because it socially affects others negatively. The sense of community within the African ethos and The Moral Causal Ontology for Suffering are theoretical postulations that are used to offer some explanations of the findings in this study.

A Qualitative Study of Attitudes toward Suicide and Suicide Prevention among Psychology Students in Ghana

The purpose of the present study was to investigate attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention among psychology students in Ghana by means of a qualitative analysis of open-ended questions about causes of suicide and how suicide best can be prevented. The students mainly saw the causes as intra-personal and almost all of them believed that suicide can be prevented. The results indicated a huge impact of religion on the attitudes toward suicide as well as some lack of distinction between their religious and professional roles and responsibilities.

Attempted Suicide in Ghana: Motivation, Stigma, and Coping

To understand the experiences of suicidal persons in Ghana, 10 persons were interviewed after they attempted suicide. Thematic analysis of data showed that motivation for suicidal behavior included social taunting, hopelessness, and partners infidelity. Suicidal persons reported stigma expressed through physical molestation and social ostracism, which left them traumatized. However, they coped through social support from relations, religious faith, and use of avoidance. Community-wide sensitive education should target reducing stigma and also increase mental health education on suicidal behavior in Ghanaian communities.

Adolescent suicide in Ghana: A content analysis of media reports

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 analysis to analyse the pattern of 44 media reports of adolescent suicide in Ghana from January 2001 through September 2014. Results showed that hanging was the dominant method used. The behaviour usually takes place within or near the adolescents home environment. The act was often attributed to precursors within the microsystem (family and school) of the deceased. This study serves a seminal function for future empirical studies aimed at deeper examination of the phenomenon in order to inform prevention programmes.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 analysis to analyse the pattern of 44 media reports of adolescent suicide in Ghana from January 2001 through September 2014. Results showed that hanging was the dominant method used. The behaviour usually takes place within or near the adolescents home environment. The act was often attributed to precursors within the microsystem (family and school) of the deceased. This study serves a seminal function for future empirical studies aimed at deeper examination of the phenomenon in order to inform prevention programmes.

The Law Criminalizing Attempted Suicide in Ghana

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, and eight police officers. RESULTS The majority of informants did not agree with the law criminalizing attempted suicide in Ghana, although five of the emergency ward nurses and two police officers did. Arguments for agreeing with the law were that people have no right to take life and that the law has a deterrent effect and thus it will help reduce the suicide rate. The main argument for not agreeing with the law was that suicidal behavior is a mental health issue. Those who argued in favor of the law did not seem to reflect much on the reasons for suicidal behavior. CONCLUSION Education on how to understand suicidal behavior and suicidal people may aid the work toward decriminalizing attempted suicide in Ghana.

Community Psychology in Africa: Views From Across the Continent

This article presents the findings of a descriptive survey conducted for the purposes of exploring whether and how community psychology has developed in the African region. In particular, the focus was on identifying whether and how community psychology has developed in the country concerned; what the key characteristics of this approach in that context are; what meta-theoretical frameworks and theoretical approaches are adopted to inform the practice of community psychology, including exploring whether and how indigenous knowledges inform the theoretical and practical developments of community psychology in that context; identifying the key challenges facing community psychology; and exploring the future possibilities of the development of this approach in the country concerned. Using the Journal of Psychology network as a basis for inviting participation in this study, 77 participants from 14 countries responded to the emailed questionnaire. A qualitative ‘cross-country’ content analysis was performed to draw out common patterns and trends in the region, and a selected ‘in-country’ analysis, including six countries was conducted. The findings reveal many common threads with regards to the key characteristics of this approach in the African context, and highlight similar challenges. All respondents indicated that this approach was very relevant to the African context and needed to be pursued at all levels.

History of Community Psychology in Ghana

This chapter traces the emergence and practice of community psychology in Ghana. We begin with a discussion of the early stages of the development of community psychology in the country. Having been foreshadowed by the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community psychologists mainly use the classroom as a catalyst for promoting the values and principles of the field. The classroom is also used for sensitizing individuals about this field of psychology. The chapter also highlights the fertile psycho-social background that makes the acceptance of community psychology a natural fit in Ghana. We also discuss the challenges in the development and practice of community psychology as a formal discipline in one of the country’s universities and conclude with optimism that the field has a promising future in Ghana.