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, QLD, Australia.
United Nations University Institute in Macau, China.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2025 Feb;71(1):100-108. doi: 10.1177/00207640241280625. Epub 2024 Sep 23.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 29 years old globally. Guyana has the highest rate of youth suicide in the world, yet only limited research exists.
The aim of this study is to identify key features of the suicide pathway for Guyanese children and youth and to distinguish meaningful subgroups.
The psychological autopsy (PA) method was used to generate life charts for 15 Guyanese children and youth (10-29 years) who died by suicide. Nineteen close contacts of these individuals were interviewed about the life events of the decedent between 6 months and 5 years after their death. Semi-structured interviews lasting 30 to 150 min took place between November 2021 and January 2022. The interview data were converted into life charts and these were reviewed to uncover meaningful subgroups of suicide pathways.
Three groups with distinct suicide pathways were identified: hard life (46%), mental illness (20%) and interpersonal stress (20%). There were also two male youths for whom the suicidal antecedents and pathways were unclear. Interpersonal stress, alcohol, exposure to suicide and family history of suicide were common factors identified across groups.
The findings emphasise the role of both acute and protracted interpersonal stress for child and youth suicide in Guyana. The structure and dynamics of Indo-Guyanese families are discussed. Interventions recommended include enhancing child and youth community engagement, improving mental health and suicide literacy, alcohol restriction, increasing access to support services, and reducing stigma.
自杀是全球15至29岁青少年的第三大死因。圭亚那的青少年自杀率居世界之首，但相关研究却极为有限。
本研究旨在确定圭亚那儿童和青少年自杀途径的关键特征，并区分有意义的亚组。
采用心理解剖（PA）方法为15名自杀身亡的圭亚那儿童和青少年（10 - 29岁）绘制生命图表。在这些个体死亡6个月至5年后，对其19名密切接触者就死者的生活事件进行了访谈。2021年11月至2022年1月期间进行了时长30至150分钟的半结构化访谈。访谈数据被转化为生命图表，并对这些图表进行审查以揭示自杀途径中有意义的亚组。
确定了具有不同自杀途径的三组：艰难生活（46%）、精神疾病（20%）和人际压力（20%）。还有两名男青年，其自杀前因和途径尚不清楚。人际压力、酒精、接触自杀行为和自杀家族史是各组中共同确定的因素。
研究结果强调了急性和长期人际压力在圭亚那儿童和青少年自杀中所起的作用。讨论了印度裔圭亚那家庭的结构和动态。建议的干预措施包括加强儿童和青少年的社区参与、提高心理健康和自杀知识素养、限制酒精摄入、增加获得支持服务的机会以及减少耻辱感。
