{"title":"Suicide among Guyanese youth: Barriers to mental health help-seeking and recommendations for suicide prevention","authors":"Prerna G. Arora, Sarika Persaud","doi":"10.1080/21683603.2019.1578313","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The current study sought to better understand barriers to mental health help-seeking for suicide, as well as elicit input on recommendations for suicide prevention and intervention efforts for Guyanese youth. Participants included 17 adult stakeholders (i.e., teachers, administrative staff, and school-allied community workers) and 40 students at a secondary school in Guyana who participated in focus groups and interviews, respectively. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Themes related to perceptions of barriers to mental health help-seeking included shame and stigma about mental illness, fear of negative parental response to mental health help-seeking, and limited awareness and negative beliefs about mental health services. Themes related to recommendations for adolescent suicide prevention in Guyana included the need for culturally informed prevention efforts, the importance of integrating such efforts within schools, and the role of government and community organization in suicide prevention efforts. Findings have implications for the development and tailoring of suicide prevention efforts for Guyanese youth.","PeriodicalId":52157,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of School and Educational Psychology","volume":"8 1","pages":"133 - 145"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2020-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21683603.2019.1578313","citationCount":"10","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of School and Educational Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2019.1578313","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 10
Abstract
ABSTRACT The current study sought to better understand barriers to mental health help-seeking for suicide, as well as elicit input on recommendations for suicide prevention and intervention efforts for Guyanese youth. Participants included 17 adult stakeholders (i.e., teachers, administrative staff, and school-allied community workers) and 40 students at a secondary school in Guyana who participated in focus groups and interviews, respectively. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Themes related to perceptions of barriers to mental health help-seeking included shame and stigma about mental illness, fear of negative parental response to mental health help-seeking, and limited awareness and negative beliefs about mental health services. Themes related to recommendations for adolescent suicide prevention in Guyana included the need for culturally informed prevention efforts, the importance of integrating such efforts within schools, and the role of government and community organization in suicide prevention efforts. Findings have implications for the development and tailoring of suicide prevention efforts for Guyanese youth.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of School & Educational Psychology (IJSEP) is the official journal of The International School Psychology Association (ISPA) and is a broad-based, interdisciplinary journal addressing issues of professional importance to the success of children, youth, and families in academics and in life. IJSEP seeks to bridge the gap in psychological and evidence-based practices in schools, and senior practitioners alike are invited to contribute papers to the journal. The Editor-in-Chief, Editors, and Editorial Board are made up of prominent scientists, scholars, and senior practitioners from around the world, and include eminent international and multidisciplinary reviewers who make recommendations about what articles should be published. The journal is unique in that it attempts to include the views of different individuals, and also seek to assist new researchers and practitioners in developing their scholarship. IJSEP follows a rigorous and double-blind anonymous peer review process and requires authors to meet all stylistic and ethical guidelines put forth in the most recent APA Publication Manual. The journal accepts empirical papers using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method methodologies that contribute to the knowledge base of any critical, international school or educational issues. Emphasizing the publication of outstanding research articles, IJSEP also considers literature reviews, methodological or theoretical statements related to teaching, learning, schooling, cross-cultural psychology, school psychological services, applied educational psychology, educational research, assessment, new models of instruction, and other school-related areas. While we realize that most learning takes place between ages 0 and 21, IJSEP also focuses on adult learning, special education services with individuals of all ages, and learning and schooling across the life-span.