Media Reportage Of Suicide Among Police Officers In Ghana: A Mixed Method Analysis
Date
2022
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Cogent Social Sciences
Abstract
Rates of suicide have been recorded among the police in some parts of the
world. Despite the attention that this topic has received, it appears that not much is
being researched in Africa. Besides, research on suicide in Ghana has been skewed
towards the public, to the neglect of the police. The sparse literature on suicide among
the police, both in Africa and in Ghana, inspired this study. Our objectives were to
examine the state of suicide among the police in Ghana as reported in the media, the
differences between private and public news outlets with respect to their reportage of
police suicide, and reasons that account for suicide among the police in Ghana. Using
a mixed-methods approach and the purposive sampling technique, contents of news
items from seven popular news portals on suicide among police officers in Ghana
between the years 2015 and 2021 were reviewed. Sixty-nine (69) news items were
analysed using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis. It was observed that
there were more reports of suicide on male officers compared with their female
counterparts, with the rifle, pistol, and hanging being the modes for carrying out the act
of suicide. Almost an equal number of superior and subordinate officers were reported
to have committed suicide. To ensure that they completed their act, officers resorted to
the use of lethal means, such as shooting themselves through the eye, head, throat,
chin, and jaw. The reasons for committing suicide clustered around the themes of
psychosocial precipitants, too high expectations, expected to man up, failed marriage,
education of children, institutional lapses, failed paternity test, proposals, lack of public
support, fed up with this life, can’t take the disgrace, and access to deadly weapon.
Generally, media outlets failed to comply with the acceptable guidelines for reporting
suicide. The use of a mixed method afforded us the opportunity to glean some reasons
that account for suicide among the police in Ghana, showing how the psychological
state of the officer, society, and faulty institutional structures within the service
could lead to officer suicide. Also, there is a need for media outlets to be educated on
the need to adhere to the standard guidelines for reporting suicide
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Police officers, suicide reportage, content analysis