Prevalence and factors associated with suicidal ideation amongst college students in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, South Africa

South African Family Practice

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Prevalence and factors associated with suicidal ideation amongst college students in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, South Africa
 
Creator Alabi, Adeyinka A. Oladimeji, Olawumi K. Adeniyi, Oladele V.
 
Subject — suicidal behaviour; suicidal plans; higher education; students; South Africa
Description Background: Suicidal behaviour amongst college students constitutes a significant social and public health problem globally. This study determined the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation amongst students of higher education in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), South Africa.Methods: In this institution-based cross-sectional study, a multistage cluster sampling of 826 participants, drawn from a college in NMBM, was conducted from January to March 2020. Data were collected with a standardised self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation.Results: Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 24 years, with a mean age of 20.49 years (standard deviation, 1.88 years). The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and plans in the preceding 12 months were 24.5% and 9.6%, respectively. The odds of suicidal ideation were higher in students who experienced bullying (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–2.65), mental illness (AOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.35–2.65), a history of sexual assault (AOR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.20–5.21) and experience of sexual assault by or to a close family member (AOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.01–2.82). Underlying chronic illness was associated with a twofold risk for suicidal ideation in both sexes.Conclusion: About a quarter of the students sampled at the college had experienced suicidal ideation and some had had suicidal plans in the preceding 12 months. Screening for the identified risk factors amongst the student population coupled with prompt interventions would mitigate the risk of suicide in the study population.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2021-01-29
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/safp.v63i1.5195
 
Source South African Family Practice; Vol 63, No 1 (2021): Part 1; 9 pages 2078-6204 2078-6190
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5195/6602 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5195/6601 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5195/6603 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5195/6599
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2021 Adeyinka Abiodun Alabi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT