Prevalence of Suicidal Ideations Among Students With Lifetime Substance Use in Universities in Kilifi County, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Suicide is a serious yet neglected public health concern, responsible for 1.4% of all deaths globally which estimates to about 800,000 people. The burden is much higher in adolescents and young adults, accounting for 8.64% among 20-24 year olds. In most cases the causes of death by suicide go undetected or unreported because Suicide under Kenyan law is a criminal offence as depicted in Section 22 of the Penal Code. Substance (Drug) Abuse is increasing in Kenya and especially among the youth. As per WHO the current statistics indicate that more than half of drug users are aged 10-19 years. Study Objective: The study sought to determine the Prevalence of Suicidal Ideations among Students with Lifetime Substance Use in Kilifi County Study Methodology: The study was a quantitative cross-sectional study. Systematic random sampling was used to select the study participants. Data from the study was evaluated in RStudio Version 2021.09.2 Build 382. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to model the outcomes. The results were presented in pie charts, summary tables and narratives. Results: This study estimated a lifetime prevalence of substance-use of 91.9%. (n = 308}; and a 90-day prevalence of substance-use of 84.5% (n = 238) among students in Kilifi, Kenya. Alcohol had the highest lifetime prevalent among the study participants (n = 264, 78.8%); followed by tobacco products (n = 162, 48.4%) and cannabis (n = 138, 41.3%). This study also estimated a 90-day prevalence of 69.0%, 40.3% and 29.3% for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis respective (n = 231, 135 and 98 in that order). Multivariate analysis returned a significant association between 90-day substance use and whether the student had ever told someone about his intention to commit suicide (OR = 3.41, p = 0.032). The association 12 between ninety-day substance use and year of study was significant too ((OR = 2.71, p = 0.032). Conclusion: Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis were the most prevalent substances in the life of the students and within 90 days leading to this study. Unlike students in their fourth year of study, students in third year were also more likely to have used substance within 90 days leading to this study. Recommendation: Affected individuals should seek professional support to help in managing suicidal behavior and other substance related challenges. Increase public awareness on the risks of substance use involvement; ranging from health risk to legal penalties attached to such acts. Initiation of more stringent policies and watertight approach to their implementation. Larger studies that span across the whole county should be done to examine the risk factors of suicidal ideation and attempts among youths in the whole country; and their possible correlation with substance use. Lastly, college authorities should initiate mentorship programs in schools as a mitigation against substance-use behavior among school-going youths.