Influence of Religious Factors on Attitudes Towards Suicidal Behaviour in Ghana

The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how religion influences lay persons' attitudes towards suicide in Ghana. Twenty-seven adults from both rural and urban settings were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. Results showed that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health
Authors: Osafo, J. (Author) ; Akotia, C. S. (Author) ; Hjelmeland, H. (Author) ; Knizek, B. L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2013]
In: Journal of religion and health
Further subjects:B Religious factors
B Attitudes
B Ghana
B Suicidal behaviour
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how religion influences lay persons' attitudes towards suicide in Ghana. Twenty-seven adults from both rural and urban settings were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. Results showed that the participants are committed to core and normative religious beliefs and practices they perceived as life preserving. Such an understanding influenced their view of suicidal behaviour as unacceptable. Nevertheless, religion facilitated their willingness to help people during suicidal crisis. Religious commitment theory is used to explain some of the findings of this study. Implications for suicide prevention are discussed.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-011-9487-3