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Articles

CJBSS: VOL. 13, NO. 1, JUNE 2022

EXPLORING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL CAUSES OF SUICIDE IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

DOI
https://doi.org/10.20370/cjbss.v13i1.2992
Submitted
July 7, 2022
Published
2022-07-07

Abstract

The global rate of suicide is alarming, and the prevalence in Africa, especially  Nigeria, is more worrisome. The causes of suicide have been evaluated from a different perspective; however, studies on the psychosocial dimension in Africa are limited. With the increasing rate of Suicide in Nigeria and the literature gap in the psychosocial dimensions, this study explored the psychosocial causes of Suicide in Nigeria through a qualitative approach. The southwestern states in Nigeria were considered in this study because of the accounted high rate of suicide. States such as Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti were considered in this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select key informants consisting of police officials, and religious and opinion leaders. Four themes emanate from the thematic analysis – economic challenges, frustration, mental issues and family issues were found to be psychosocial antecedents of suicide in Nigeria. Promotion of psychic support and social cohesion has been suggested to reduce suicide.