Bullying victimization as a predictor of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among senior high school students in Ghana: Results from the 2012 Ghana Global School-Based Health Survey

ABSTRACT

This paper examined the effect of bullying victimization on suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents in Ghana. Data on 1,633 students ages 14–18 years (50.6% males) were analyzed using logistic regression. We found that 17% of the 1,633 adolescents examined reported experiencing suicidal thoughts and about 21% of the 1,633 adolescents attempted suicide at some point during the past year. Prevalence of bullying was reported among 40% of the adolescents. Importantly, we found that the experience of bullying victimization was a significant predictor of both suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. While factors such as loneliness, anxiety, and use of illicit substances were positively associated with suicidal behaviors, participating in physical activity, having friends, and parental support reduced the likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation. We make several policy recommendations, including educational programs on suicidal behaviors, antibullying interventions, and social support programs within schools and other social settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Bullying victimization
• suicidal ideation
• suicide attempt
• adolescents
• Ghana

Acknowledgments

This article is based on public data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the views of WHO. Dr. Baiden had full access to all of the data and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.