Abstract:
The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how religion influences
lay persons’ attitudes towards suicide in Ghana. Twenty-seven adults from both rural
and urban settings were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to
analyse the data. Results showed that the participants are committed to core and normative
religious beliefs and practices they perceived as life preserving. Such an understanding
influenced their view of suicidal behaviour as unacceptable. Nevertheless, religion facilitated
their willingness to help people during suicidal crisis. Religious commitment theory
is used to explain some of the findings of this study. Implications for suicide prevention are
discussed.