Pathways to suicide for children and youth in Guyana: A life charts analysis

Shaw, Charlotte, Stuart, Jaimee, Thomas, Troy and Kõlves, Kairi, (2024). Pathways to suicide for children and youth in Guyana: A life charts analysis. Int J Soc Psychiatry, n/a-n/a

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UNU in Macau Journal Articles

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Shaw, Charlotte
    Stuart, Jaimee
    Thomas, Troy
    Kõlves, Kairi
    Title Pathways to suicide for children and youth in Guyana: A life charts analysis
    Appearing in Int J Soc Psychiatry
    Publication Date 2024-09
    Place of Publication Online
    Publisher SAGE journals
    Start page n/a
    End page n/a
    Language eng
    Abstract Background: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 29 years old globally. Guyana has the highest rate of youth suicide in the world, yet only limited research exists. Aim: The aim of this study is to identify key features of the suicide pathway for Guyanese children and youth and to distinguish meaningful subgroups. Method: The psychological autopsy (PA) method was used to generate life charts for 15 Guyanese children and youth (10-29 years) who died by suicide. Nineteen close contacts of these individuals were interviewed about the life events of the decedent between 6 months and 5 years after their death. Semi-structured interviews lasting 30 to 150 min took place between November 2021 and January 2022. The interview data were converted into life charts and these were reviewed to uncover meaningful subgroups of suicide pathways. Results: Three groups with distinct suicide pathways were identified: hard life (46%), mental illness (20%) and interpersonal stress (20%). There were also two male youths for whom the suicidal antecedents and pathways were unclear. Interpersonal stress, alcohol, exposure to suicide and family history of suicide were common factors identified across groups. Conclusions: The findings emphasise the role of both acute and protracted interpersonal stress for child and youth suicide in Guyana. The structure and dynamics of Indo-Guyanese families are discussed. Interventions recommended include enhancing child and youth community engagement, improving mental health and suicide literacy, alcohol restriction, increasing access to support services, and reducing stigma.
    Copyright Holder Sage Publications
    Copyright Year 2024
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.1177/00207640241280625
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    Created: Tue, 17 Dec 2024, 11:51:52 JST by Qian Dai on behalf of UNU CS