Prevalence of Suicidal Behavior among Adolescents with Depressive Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress in Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya

Priscilla Mugambi, Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical Psychology; Alice Munene, PsyD; & Mary Mogute, Ph.D., Daystar University

Abstract

Suicide is one of the top causes of death among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 29 years old, ranking second globally. Suicidal behavior (SB) tends to be common among psychiatric patients, making it a complex mental health problem. High suicide rates have been recorded among adolescents, hence the need for this study. The objectives for this study were to establish the prevalence of suicidal behavior, determine the prevalence of SB among adolescents with Depressive Disorders (DD) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and relate the prevalence of SB to socio-demographic characteristics of adolescents in informal settlements of Nairobi. Understanding the prevalence of SB is critical in suicide prevention effort. A total of 1,040 high school students in Nairobi, Kenya participated in the study. Data was collected by use of a socio-demographic questionnaire and three standardized psychological tests; SBQ-R for assessing suicidal behavior, BDI-II for DD and PCL-5 for PTSD. Data from the cross-sectional study was analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. The results indicated 21.5% overall prevalence of SB, 17.0% PTSD comorbid with SB, 16.6% DD with SB and 15.0% DD with PTSD and SB among the 1,040 adolescents from informal settlements of Nairobi. The prevalence was significantly higher (p<0.01) among female respondents in comparison to males. The high rates of SB among high school adolescents with DD and PTSD imply a need for relevant psychological assessments and interventions in non-clinical settings.

Keywords: suicidal behavior, prevalence, depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, socio-demographic characteristics, adolescents