Prevalence, psychosocial correlates of youths’ suicidal behaviors and perspectives on the phenomena at Zagazig University: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

Background: Suicidal behaviors are major public health concerns that affect large numbers of youth, leaving not only the youth but also their parents, family, friends, and peers in constant wailing. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, psychosocial correlates, and perspectives of youths’ suicidal behaviors. A concurrent mixed-methods descriptive study was used in carrying out this study. This study was conducted at Zagazig University, Al Sharkia Governorate. A stratified multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used to enroll 364 youths. Four tools were used to collect quantitative data. They were as follows: The Youth Profile Questionnaire, composed of two parts (socio-demographic data and youth characteristics), the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised Short Form (SPSI-R-SF), and the Short Version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF). For the qualitative part, focus group discussions were conducted to explore youths’ perspectives on the phenomenon of suicidal behaviors. Results: Quantitative findings revealed that 25% of the youth participants had a significant risk for suicidal behaviors. Being female, in the first years of practical faculties and having no friends are significantly correlated with suicidal behaviors. Further, the quality of life had a statistically significant negative correlation with suicidal behaviors. Qualitative findings were discussed under one main category: youths’ perspectives about suicidal behaviors (pressure/escaping tool, seeking help/ending pain, attention-grabbing behavior, and stain for life). Conclusions: According to this mixed-methods study, youths’ suicidal behaviors are prevalent multifaceted phenomena that certain factors have been correlated with. It is suggested that female sex, having no friends, and academic stressors are risk factors for suicidal behaviors. Also, the quality of life was introduced as a protective factor against suicidal behaviors. Therefore, it is recommended to implement prevention and management approaches to realize the complexity of the phenomena of suicidal behaviors among youth; these approaches target the youths themselves (mental health promotion and strategies for coping with stress) and the population (careful media coverage, limit access to suicidal methods, and raise the awareness about mental illness).