Social and Psychiatric Factors of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Mozambican Adolescents

Abstract

Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 years, and more than 75% of all deaths by suicide occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).¹ Suicidal thoughts (ST) and suicidal behaviors (SB), valuable signals for early detection and prevention of suicide deaths, have been associated with a number of different factors in adolescents, including gender and age, socioeconomic status, exposure to childhood adversity, and psychopathology.² However, research has largely focused on Western, White populations from high-income countries (HIC).² To lessen the suicide burden among adolescents in LMIC, there is an urgent need to identify contextually relevant risk identification and treatment targets. In Mozambique, the country with the highest suicide rate in southern Africa, this need is particularly dire, as there are fewer than 2 mental health specialists per 100,000 inhabitants,³ and limited resources must be efficiently targeted in youth suicide prevention efforts. We conducted a cross-sectional study at 2 secondary schools in the Mozambican capital Maputo City to identify the social and psychiatric factors associated with ST and SB in Mozambican adolescents.