TITLE:
An Evaluation of Suicidality and Its Predictors in Police Officers in Lagos, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Azizat Lebimoyo, Tunde Adegbite
KEYWORDS:
Police Officers, Suicidality, Predictors, Mental Health, Evaluation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.13 No.4,
September
20,
2023
ABSTRACT: Background: The many dangers and stressors associated with police work often place
police officers at a great risk of a variety of mental health morbidity,
including suicidality. The causation of suicidality is multi-dimensional,
however, there are insufficient studies which have examined the burden and risk
factors of suicidality in Nigerian police officers. Objective: To
determine the prevalence and predictors of suicidality among police officers in
Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 600 police
officers who were selected using a non-probability sampling method. Questionnaires used
were: Suicide
Behaviour Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI),
and a Socio-Demographic Questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of
suicidality was 14%, and the predictors of suicidality were: state anxiety (p 0.001),
trait anxiety (p 0.001), substance use (p = 0.03), being unmarried (p = 0.03), and female gender (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Suicidality is prevalent among Nigerian police officers,
with a higher risk in those who are vulnerable. The creation of government
policies and infrastructure which promote mental health in police officers is
necessary.