"When you are alone you have a narrow mind, but when you are with others you think broader into the other aspects". A qualitative study on the role of sense of belonging and mattering in attempted suicide in Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is globally a severe problem with an estimated 700.000 deaths annually.Six of the 10 countries with the highest suicide rates worldwide are in Africa, though, reliablestatistics are scarce.Method: In this qualitative interview study in Uganda, we analysed the stories of 16 peopleadmitted to hospital following a serious suicide attempt. We focussed especially on eachperson’s decision process towards their resolution to attempt suicide.Findings: Despite the huge heterogeneity of the narratives, we could identify problemsregarding the sense of belonging and mattering in all the stories. Both the sense of belongingand mattering have been related to suicidal behaviour in earlier theories, but they were neverstudied together or under consideration of the influence of this specific cultural context. Wefound that the participants’ sense of belonging and mattering to a large degree wasinfluenced by their traditional communalistic context with a worldview where the linebetween the natural and spiritual world was blurry.Conclusion: This kind of knowledge could be a valuable source for health professionals intheir treatment of suicidal persons; it could direct their approach to the core of each person’srelational problems and meaning-making, which is crucial for their decisions with regard tosuicide.