Publication:

Assessment of knowledge and attitude towards suicidal ideation, and suicidal risk of adults in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 804,000 persons die annually from suicide. Suicidal ideation in adults results from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 450 adults in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents. Data were obtained using pretested structured self-administered questionnaires which were adopted from the adult suicidal ideation questionnaire. Data analysis was by IBM statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, and the level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results A total of 450 respondents participated in this study, mean age±standard deviation (SD)=23.7±5.3. One hundred and forty-six (66.4%) respondents had good knowledge of suicidal ideation and 207 (94.1%) had a positive attitude towards suicidal ideation. One-tenth of respondents were at risk of committing suicide.

Conclusions One-tenth of the respondents were at risk of committing suicide. The government and medical personnel need to put in concerted efforts to ensure that suicidal ideation among adults is promptly addressed.