TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - A profound absence of counseling interventions for suicide prevention among youth in Africa: a call to action based on an empty scoping review
JO  - Suicide and life-threatening behavior
A1  - Knettel, Brandon A.
A1  - Obale, Armstrong
A1  - Iqbal, Hamza
A1  - Fotabong, Mela C.
A1  - Philippe, Ngaha N.
A1  - Graton, Margaret
A1  - Ledbetter, Leila
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVE: One-third of all global suicide deaths occur among adolescents and young adults, making suicide the second leading cause of death among young people. Nearly 80% of suicide deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and many African nations have higher rates of suicide than global averages. However, interventions are scarce. We conducted a scoping review of counseling interventions for suicide prevention among youth in Africa. <br><br>METHOD: We performed structured searches of the Medline, Embase, PyscINFO, African Index Medicus, Global Heath Database, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global databases. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they described a counseling intervention conducted in Africa, focused on participants under age 22, and included a suicide-related outcome. <br><br>RESULTS: After removal of duplicates, 1808 titles and abstracts were screened and 10 studies were identified for full-text review. Of these, six included adult participants and did not disaggregate results for youth, two did not describe an intervention, and two did not include a relevant outcome. Thus, no studies were eligible for inclusion. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This empty review highlights the striking absence of published research on a life-threatening public health challenge, representing a distinct call to action for improved efforts in adolescent suicide prevention in Africa.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0363-0234
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13041
ID  - ref1
ER  -