An Online Study of Suicidality and its Determinants among Nigerian Young Adults Resident in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Keywords:
Suicidality, Suicidal ideation, Suicide attempt, Covid-19 pandemic, Nigerian adultsAbstract
Objective: The outbreak of coronavirus pandemic has affected millions of people globally. This has subsequently triggered diverse mental health challenges. This study examined the prevalence as well as the determinants of suicidality among Nigerian young adults resident in China.
Method: This is an online-based cross-sectional survey involving 364 Nigerian young adults in China. Sociodemographic and suicidality related variables were collected. The respondents also completed the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire and the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scales.
Results: The prevalence rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt as a result of the pandemic were 8.2% and 2.5% respectively. A total of 188(51.6%) respondents had anxiety. Suicidality was associated with anxiety and psychological distress.
Conclusion: Suicidality is relatively common among the Nigerian young adult population in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health interventions in terms of screening for suicidality and its determinants may need to be developed for Nigerian young adults in China during this pandemic.
References
Shigemura J, Ursano RJ, Morganstein JC, Kurosawa
M, Benedek DM. Public responses to the novel 2019 13. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief
coronavirus (2019‐nCoV) in Japan: mental health consequences and target populations. Psychiat Clin measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch. Intern. Med. 2006;166(10):1092-7.
Neuros. 2020;74(4):281. Doi: 10.1111/pcn.12988. Doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.
Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, O'Neill N, Khan M, Kerwan A, 14. Tong X, An D, McGonigal A, Park S-P, Zhou D.
Al-Jabir A, et al. World Health Organization declares Validation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7
global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel (GAD-7) among Chinese people with epilepsy.
coronavirus (COVID-19). Int. J. Surg. 2020. 76 (4): Epilepsy Res. 120, 31-36. Doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.
–76. Doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.02.034. 2015.11.019.
Lai CC, Shih TP, Ko WC, Tang HJ, Hsueh PR. Severe 15. Wang Y, Chen R, Zhang L. Reliability and validity of
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- generalized anxiety scale-7 in inpatients in Chinese
CoV-2) and corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19): general hospital. J Clin Psychiatr. 2018;28:168-71.
the epidemic and the challenges. Int. J. Antimicrob. Doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1005-3220.2018.03.007.
Agents. 2020:105924. Doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag. 16. Okwaraji FE, Aguwa EN, Shywobi-Eze C,
105924. Nwokpoku EN, Nduanya CU. Psychosocial impacts of communal conflicts in a sample of secondary
school youths from two conflict communities in south COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiat. 2020;7(4):17-
east Nigeria. Psychol Health Med. 2017;22(5):588- 8. Doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30077-8.
Doi: 10.1080/13548506.2016.1192655. 22. Dsouza DD, Quadros S, Hyderabadwala ZJ, Mamun
Lu IC, Jean M-CY, Lei S-M, Cheng H-H, Wang JD. M. Aggregated COVID-19 suicide incidences in
BSRS-5 (5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale) scores India: Fear of COVID-19 infection is the prominent
affect every aspect of quality of life measured by causative factor. Psychiatry Res. 2020. 290:113145.
WHOQOL-BREF in healthy workers. Qual Life Res. Doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113145.
;20(9):1469-75. Doi: 10.1007/s11136-011- 23. Gao W, Ping S, Liu X. Gender differences in
-4. depression, anxiety, and stress among college
Blum R, Sudhinaraset M, Emerson MR. Youth at risk: students: a longitudinal study from China. J. Affect.
suicidal thoughts and attempts in Vietnam, China, and Disord. 2020;263:292-300.
Taiwan. J Adolescent Health. 2012;50(3):37-44. Doi: 24. Guo X, Meng Z, Huang G, Fan J, Zhou W, Ling W, et
1016/j.jadohealth.2011.12.006. al. Meta-analysis of the prevalence of anxiety
Ammerman BA, Burke TA, Jacobucci R, McClure K. disorders in mainland China from 2000 to 2015. Sci.
Preliminary Investigation of the Association Between Rep. 2016;6(1):1-15. Doi: 10.1038/srep28033.
COVID-19 and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in 25. Wheaton MG, Abramowitz JS, Berman NC, Fabricant
the US. 2020. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/68djp. LE, Olatunji BO. Psychological predictors of anxiety
Accessed 14/6/2020. in response to the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. J.
Huang Y, Zhao N. Generalized anxiety disorder, Cogn. Psychother. 2012;36(3):210-8. Doi:10.1007/
depressive symptoms and sleep quality during s10608-011-9353-3.
COVID-19 outbreak in China: a web-based cross- 26. Thakur V, Jain A. COVID 2019-suicides: A global
sectional survey. Psychiatry Res. 2020:112954. Doi: psychological pandemic. Brain Behav Immun. 2020.
1016/j.psychres.2020.112954. S0889-1591(20)30643-7. Doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.
Liu S, Yang L, Zhang C, Xiang Y-T, Liu Z, Hu S, et al. Online mental health services in China during the 2020.04.062.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Research Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Research Journal of Health Sciences journal is a peer reviewed, Open Access journal. The Journal subscribed to terms and conditions of Open Access publication. Articles are distributed under the terms of Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). (http://creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/4.0). All articles are made freely accessible for everyone to read, download, copy and distribute as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
