Exploring the Attitudes of Psychiatric and Community Health Nurses towards Suicide and Suicide Prevention in Ghana

Abstract

This study investigated the attitude of psychiatric and community health nurses towards suicidal persons and suicide prevention in Ghana. The present study sampled 36 participants (18 psychiatric nurses and 18 community health nurses) from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A comparative study, using a qualitative approach, was employed to explore attitudes of psychiatric and community health nurses towards suicide and suicide prevention in Ghana. Thematic analysis of the data obtained from the informants’ responses yielded three major themes: conceptualizing suicide, behavioural and emotional response to suicidal persons, and suicide prevention strategies. Subthemes were identified under each major thematic area to capture the relevant voices reflecting the attitudes of the informants toward suicide and suicidal persons. Informants suggested an evidence-based ecological system approach to the prevention of the phenomenon of suicide in Ghana. Based on the results provided by the current study, it could be concluded that both Psychiatric and Community Health Nurses held negative attitudes towards suicide as an act, whereas they expressed contradictory attitudes towards suicidal persons and had a positive attitude towards suicide Prevention. It is implicating from the finding of this study that suicide strike people across Ghana that is capable of resulting in severe psychological and social distresses; hence stakeholders must be proactive in suicide prevention.