Shaw Charlotte, Stuart Jaimee, Thomas Troy, Kõlves Kairi
Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
United Nations University Institute in Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Lancet Reg Health Am. 2023 Aug 18;26:100570. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2023.100570. eCollection 2023 Oct.
The suicide rate in Guyana has consistently ranked in the top ten globally, yet there is only limited literature related to the context in which these suicides occur. This study aims to better understand the psychosocial circumstances and characteristics of suicides in Guyana.
This case series study utilised a qualitative psychological autopsy method. One to three informants per deceased person (N = 31) were interviewed regarding the lives of 20 Guyanese who died by suicide (14 M, 6 F, aged 10-74 years). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was utilised for the data.
Four superordinate themes were identified: Interpersonal Conflict, Trauma, Health, and Unknown Reasons. Interpersonal conflict included subordinate themes of Domestic Abuse, Marital Separation, and Financial Disputes. Health included subordinate themes of Physical Health and Mental Health. Pesticide poisoning was the method used by Guyanese people whose suicide was triggered primarily by interpersonal conflict.
The findings illustrate the complexities of suicide in Guyana and the importance of adopting a biopsychosocial perspective to suicide prevention. Suicide prevention should include mental health and suicide literacy training of medical professionals. It is recommended that the importation of highly toxic pesticides be restricted, and that less toxic substitutes be promoted. Convenience sampling, recall bias, and limited informants are limitations of this study. Future research should focus on suicidal behaviour using larger sample sizes.
This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship through Griffith University Australia.
圭亚那的自杀率一直位居全球前十，但关于这些自杀事件发生背景的文献却非常有限。本研究旨在更好地了解圭亚那自杀事件的社会心理状况和特征。
本病例系列研究采用定性心理解剖方法。就20名自杀身亡的圭亚那人（14名男性，6名女性，年龄10 - 74岁）的生活情况，对每名死者（N = 31）的1至3名 informant 进行了访谈。对数据采用解释现象学分析。
确定了四个上位主题：人际冲突、创伤、健康和不明原因。人际冲突包括家庭虐待、婚姻分离和财务纠纷等下位主题。健康包括身体健康和心理健康等下位主题。农药中毒是主要由人际冲突引发自杀的圭亚那人所采用的方法。
研究结果说明了圭亚那自杀问题的复杂性以及采用生物心理社会视角预防自杀的重要性。自杀预防应包括对医学专业人员进行心理健康和自杀知识培训。建议限制高毒农药的进口，并推广低毒替代品。便利抽样、回忆偏差和 informant 有限是本研究的局限性。未来的研究应使用更大样本量关注自杀行为。
本研究由澳大利亚政府研究培训项目奖学金通过澳大利亚格里菲斯大学提供支持。
