Psychological, Family and Environmental Factors Influencing Suicide among Secondary School Students: A Case of Schools in Gusii Land, Kenya
- August 1, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VII, July 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Callen Nyamwange
Kisii University, Kenya
Abstract:- Suicidal thoughts have many causes. Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can’t cope when you’re faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. If you don’t have hope for the future, you may mistakenly think suicide is a solution. Worryingly, suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29 year olds globally. Suicide has become a menace in Kenya with rates going high by the day. This study was carried out among the Gusii people of Kenya which targeted secondary school students. The purpose of this study is to establish if students of secondary school have social interactions, friends, peers, relationships and feel burdensome to parents by secondary school students as this are predictors of suicide. The study utilized a qualitative research design and data was collected by use of questionnaires and data was analyzed by use of simple percentages The study revealed that majority of the students 70% of the respondents said that they spend time with friends at home and at school and 21% do not enjoy spending time with family or even with friends whereas 9% remained neutral. On how they feel with their peers 40 (26%) feel comfortable majority 99 (66%) do not like the idea of being with peers. . The study gave recommendations based on the findings of what needs to be done to reduce the predictors of suicide
Key words: Suicide, Student, Peer, thoughts, Family, isolation
I. BACKGROUND
Suicide rates are highest in teens, young adults, and the elderly. People over the age of 65 have the highest rate of suicide. Although women are more likely to attempt suicide, men are more likely to be successful. Suicide is a complex phenomenon that emerges out of a dynamic interaction involving biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual factors. Suicide is most often the result of profound pain, hopelessness and despair: it is the triumph of pain, fear and loss over hope (Bertolote, 2000)
Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States and was responsible for almost 45,000 deaths in 2016. Many more people are hospitalized as a result of nonfatal suicidal behavior (i.e., suicide attempts) than are fatally injured, and an even greater number are either treated in ambulatory settings (e.g., emergency departments) or not treated at all.[1,2]Among adults aged 18 years and older, for each suicide there are about 30 adults who reported making a suicide attempt. In the United States, suicide was responsible for 44,193 deaths in 2015, which is approximately one suicide every 12 minutes (CDC, 2015)
