African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, Vol. 9 (3), 1-12, 2022
Ambale C. Kennedy1, James B. Ouda2 & Kenneth Otieno3
1,2,3 Department of Educational Psychology,
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya
Corresponding Author E-mail: kennedyambale68@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
According to the 2017 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages ten to twenty-four globally. Records kept by the Sub-county Director of Butere Sub-county of Kakamega County revealed that between 2015 and 2021, 74 students attempted suicide while four students committed suicide in the Sub-county. The purpose of the study therefore was to assess the effect of mental health on suicidal ideation among students in public secondary school in Butere Sub-county, Kakamega County, Kenya. The study which was anchored on the Interpersonal Psychological Theory adopted ex-post facto research design. The study population consisted of 2564 form four students from 30 secondary schools, 30 teachers in charge of guidance and counseling, 30 deputy principals from 30 public secondary schools in Butere Sub-County and one Sub-County Director of Education. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 guidance and counseling teachers, 10 deputy principals and 1 Sub-County director of education. Stratified random sampling was used to select students from mixed schools while simple random sampling was used to select students from single gender schools to get 176 boys and 170 girls. Data from the students were collected using questionnaires, while that from the deputy principals, guidance and counseling teachers and the Sub-County Director of Education was collected using interview guide. Suicide prevention strategy 2021-2026 by the ministry of health in Kenya and Suicidal behavior among Kenyan youths-Risk factors and prevalence in secondary schools policy documents were also analyzed. Reliability of the instruments was established using split-half method. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically while quantitative data was analyzed using inferential statistics on SPSS version 25. The hypotheses were tested using simple regression. Study findings revealed that the correlation coefficient was r=0.751 with p<0.000 being statistically significant, therefore concluding that mental health and suicidal ideation are negatively related. Good mental health reduces the chances for suicidal ideation. This research recommended that teachers in charge of guidance and counseling should come up with programs aimed at diagnosing mental health disorders and addressing them.
Keywords: Suicidal ideation, Mental health, youths-Risk factors, Suicidal behavior, Guidance and Counseling, Suicide prevention strategy, Suicide prevalence, Diagnosing mental health disorders, Addressing mental health
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Suggested Citation
Ambale1, C.K., Ouda2, J.B. & Otieno, K. (2022). Mental health and suicidal ideation among students of public secondary schools in Kenya. African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 9(3), 1-12. Available online at http://arjess.org/education-research/mental-health-and-suicidal-ideation-among-students-of-public-secondary-schools-in-kenya.pdf
