Publication: To investigate the causes of suicide among secondary School students in Murang’a east district, Murang’a County, Kenya.
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2016-02
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
Research on factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts has been largely
conducted in developed countries. Research on East African countries in particular Kenya is
lacking. The study accessed the causes of suicide among secondary school students in Murang’a
East district, Murang’a County. The study employed descriptive design. Questionnaires and
interviews were used as tools for data collection. Qualitative data was analyzed and presented by
use of tables, groups, graphs and percentages. For a secondary student to be so unbearably unhappy
that he would choose to kill himself is something that’s almost too painful for a parent to think
about. But with the increasing prevalence of student’s suicide, no parent can afford to ignore the
possibility. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for high-school students. Kids look at
this world as being more and more hopeless. They have no answer for their pain and despair, so
many are choosing suicide as their solution. Fact is, before the 1960’s, suicide by students in High
schools happened only rarely; but today, nearly one in ten students contemplates suicide, and over
500,000 attempt it each year worldwide. While suicide rates for all other ages have dropped,
suicides among students have nearly tripled. Between the sexes, secondary school boys are more
than four times as likely to commit suicide as girls. But girls are known to think about and attempt
suicide about twice as often as boys. The difference is the method; girls attempt suicide by
overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves, and thankfully most are found in time and rescued. Boys
tend to use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights. Suicide is
student’s last attempt to ease the pain, to make a statement, or it is just a wrong decision giving a
permanent solution to a temporary problem. Students don’t see the bigger picture; they only see the
"right now." They get wrapped up in the emotions of the moment and tend to only think about a
week ahead — that’s all. And when you mix immature short-sightedness with feelings of utter
hopelessness, some of them think they cannot live with the pain another day. Other who
contemplates suicide are filled with rage over teasing by their peers or the way they feel they’ve
been mistreated by family or School Administration. They choose suicide as a tragic form of
payback.