Adolescent sexual violence victimization is still less researched in countries within sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.
To estimate the 12-month prevalence of sexual violence victimization and ...describe the differences and commonalities in the associated factors between school-going boys and girls in urban Ghana.
Students (n = 1692) aged 13–19 years attending Second Cycle Schools in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana participated in this study.
This is a cross-sectional survey involving the use of a self-report anonymous questionnaire. Items measuring sexual violence victimization and correlates were adopted from the 2012 WHO–Global School-based Student Health Survey. Data analysis involved bivariable and multivariable approaches.
Overall, 17.6% (95% confidence interval CI 15.7, 19.4) adolescents (males = 10.4% 95% CI 8.3, 13.6; females = 24.3% 95% CI 21.5, 27.3) reported sexual violence victimization during the previous 12 months. Girls (compared to boys) were nearly three times more likely to report sexual violence victimization (aOR = 2.74, 95% CI 2.01, 3.74, p < 0.001). Breakup, sexual minority status, and conflict with parents were uniquely associated with sexual violence victimization among females. Regardless of gender, adolescents who were in a romantic relationship (aOR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.19, 2.24, p = 0.002) and reported physical abuse victimization (aOR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.36, 2.49, p < 0.001) were more likely to report sexual violence victimization.
The prevalence of sexual violence victimization among school-going adolescents in urban Ghana compares with estimates from sub-Saharan Africa, but also warrants the need for universal and targeted prevention regimes against the offence in both boys and girls.
Background: Emerging
research on suicidal behaviors among adolescents in Ghana has been conducted mainly among
senior high school students. Aims: We aimed to estimate the 12-month
prevalence of ...suicide attempts and describe some of the general and gender-specific
associated factors among adolescents attending junior high schools (JHSs) in Ghana.
Method: We analyzed data from the 2012 Ghana Global School-Based Student
Health Survey. The sample consisted of 1,437 adolescents aged 12-17 years. We performed
bivariate and multivariable analyses to assess the associations between 12-month suicide
attempts and some psychosocial factors. Results: The overall 12-month
prevalence estimate of suicide attempts was 27.6%, with comparable estimates between males
(26.4%) and females (28.8%). In the final adjusted multivariable models, bullying
victimization (AOR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.53, 4.31), alcohol use (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.10,
3.41), and having no close friends (AOR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.75) were associated with
increased odds of suicide attempts among males, whereas anxiety (AOR = 2.57; 95% CI =
1.54, 4.29) and being sexually active (AOR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.25, 4.68) were associated
with increased odds of suicide attempts in females. Limitations: The
correlational nature of this study did not allow for causal inferences.
Conclusion: The study underscores adolescent suicide attempts as a
public health concern in Ghana.
Whereas suicide remains in the top 12 leading causes of death among young people aged 10-24 in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about suicidal behaviours among adolescents in Liberia. We aimed to ...estimate the 12-month prevalence and describe some of the correlates of suicide behaviours (ideation, planning, and attempt) among school-going adolescents in Liberia.
We analysed data from the 2017 Liberia Global School-based Student Health Survey conducted nationwide among secondary school students. We performed bivariate and multivariable analyses to assess the correlates of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempt in the previous 12 months.
Of the 2744 students, 26.8% reported suicidal ideation, 36.5% made a specific plan to attempt suicide and 33.7% attempted suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey. In the final adjusted logistic models, bullying victimisation and food insecurity were associated with increased odds of ideation, planning, and attempt. Whereas no factor was uniquely associated with suicidal ideation, having many close friends, and parental monitoring were associated with the increased odds of suicidal planning only. Leisure-time sedentary behaviour was associated with increased odds of suicidal planning and attempt. Cannabis use, alcohol drunkenness, being physically attacked, and parental supervision were uniquely associated with increased odds of suicidal attempt, while parental understanding and having a smaller number of close friends were uniquely associated with reduced odds of suicidal attempt.
The relatively high prevalence estimates of suicide behaviours and the multi-contextual nature of the associated factors warrant the need for the design and implementation of universal and multi-level, collaborative targeted intervention efforts towards the prevention of the onset of ideation, planning, and attempt, and the possible transition to deaths by suicide among school-going adolescents in Liberia.
Suicide is recognised as the third leading cause of death among adolescents globally. There is however limited data on the prevalence and factors associated with suicide particularly in Ghana. To ...explore the prevalence and risk and protective factors associated with suicide in Ghana, a nationwide Global School-based Student Health Survey data collected among senior high school adolescents in Ghana was used. The prevalence of suicidal behaviours was 18.2%, 22.5% and 22.2% for suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and suicidal attempt respectively. In the final analysis, anxiety increases the odds of suicidal behaviour, even after controlling for other variables. Loneliness increases the odds of suicidal behaviour but after adjusting for other factors the odds remained for only suicidal plan. Being bullied, physically attacked, involved in a physical fight and food insecurity remained risk factors for suicidal behaviour (i.e. ideation, plan and attempt) after adjusting for other factors. Truancy was found as a risk factor for both suicidal ideation and plans but such effect diminished for suicidal plan after adjusting for other variables. Increasing number of close friends remained a risk factor for both suicidal plan and attempt but such effect diminished for suicidal ideation after adjusting for other variables. Parental understanding of adolescents' problems and worries remained a significant protective factor for all the indices of suicidal behaviour after adjusting for other variables. Parental respect for privacy was protective of suicidal attempt but was not significant after adjusting for other variables. Early identification and intervention for at-risk adolescents in senior high schools, for example those experiencing different forms of physical abuse, drug and substance use and hunger can potentially reduce the prevalence of suicide among this population in Ghana.
Unintentional injuries among adolescents constitute a significant public health problem globally. Injured adolescents may face negative outcomes ranging from poor academic performance to short- and ...long-term physical and psychosocial health struggles, and even death. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and describe the correlates and most frequent causes of injuries among school-going adolescents in three West African countries - Benin, Ghana, and Liberia.
We analysed self-reported data provided by 8,912 school-going adolescents who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey in Ghana (2012), Benin (2016), and Liberia (2017). Students responded to questions on sociodemographic factors, family involvement factors, mental health factors, school environment factors and injury behaviours.
The overall 12-month prevalence estimate of serious injuries in adolescents was 40.9% (Benin = 27.3%; Ghana = 46.1%; Liberia = 49.2%). The most frequently reported injury type was a broken bone or dislocated joint (33% in Benin), cuts or stab wounds (31.7% in Ghana), and non-specified injuries (35.2% in Liberia). Prevalence of serious injuries was higher among males and increased with age. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, interpersonal aggression outside the family context (bullying victimisation, engaging in physical fights, and having been physically attacked) emerged as key correlates of increased odds of serious injuries.
The relatively higher prevalence estimates of serious injury reported in this study underscore the need for the included countries to develop interventions aimed at reducing and preventing physical injuries among adolescents.
While adolescent suicidal behaviour (ideation, planning, and attempt) remains a global public health concern, available county-specific evidence on the phenomenon from African countries is relatively ...less than enough. The present study was conducted to estimate the 12-month prevalence and describe some of the associated factors of suicide behaviour among school-going adolescents aged 12-17 years old in Namibia.
Participants (n = 4531) answered a self-administered anonymous questionnaire developed and validated for the nationally representative Namibia World Health Organization Global School-based Student Health Survey conducted in 2013. We applied univariate, bivariable, and multivariable statistical approaches to the data.
Of the 3,152 analytical sample, 20.2% (95% confidence interval CI: 18.3-22.2%) reported suicidal ideation, 25.2% (95% CI: 22.3-28.4%) engaged in suicide planning, and 24.5% (95% CI: 20.9-28.6%) attempted suicide during the previous 12 months. Of those who attempted suicide, 14.6% (95% CI: 12.5-16.9%) reported one-time suicide attempt, and 9.9% (95% CI: 8.1-12.1%) attempted suicide at least twice in the previous 12 months. The final adjusted multivariable models showed physical attack victimisation, bullying victimisation, loneliness, and parental intrusion of privacy as key factors associated with increased likelihood of suicidal ideation, planning, one-time suicide attempt, and repeated attempted suicide. Cannabis use showed the strongest association with increased relative risk of repeated attempted suicide.
The evidence highlights the importance of paying more attention to addressing the mental health needs (including those related to psychological and social wellness) of school-going adolescents in Namibia. While the current study suggests that further research is warranted to explicate the pathways to adolescent suicide in Namibia, identifying and understanding the correlates (at the individual-level, family-level, interpersonal-level, school context and the broader community context) of adolescent suicidal ideations and non-fatal suicidal behaviours are useful for intervention and prevention programmes.
In Ghana, we know little about the epidemiology of suicide ideation, plan and attempts among junior high school (JHS) students in Ghana including the years preceding high school. This study explores ...the onset, characteristics, and recent patterns of 12-month suicide behavior among Ghanaian junior high school (JHS) students.
Paper-based surveys were administered to a sample (n = 800) of junior high school students in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Self-reported measures on suicide ideation, plan and attempt as well as several psychological and psychosocial factors related to mental health, substance use, poverty, sexual behavior, interpersonal relationships, and family structure were employed. Bi-variate, multivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25).
This study found that 1 out of 5 adolescents have experienced suicide ideation in the last 12 months. Girls had significantly higher 12-month (χ
= 3.5, p < 0.05) suicide ideation rates than boys. More importantly, the study found stress significantly increasing the odds of suicide behaviors in the last 12 months (β = 1.14; CI = 1.05-1.24, p < 0.05) and parental support significantly reducing the odds of suicide behaviors in the last 12 months (β = 0.86; CI = 0.81-0.91, p < 0.05). Additionally, we found significant associations between sexual intercourse, dating, hunger, substance use, suicide stigma and suicide behaviors.
This finding highlights a potential emerging suicide crisis among preteens which warrants attention. Additional studies are needed to observe these increasing trends and identify risk, protective and precipitating factors to help prevent suicide among these children.
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