Investigations into adolescent non-fatal suicidal behaviour at a Gauteng public hospital : patient and staff experiences

Abstract

Increasing statistics on suicidal behaviour are a global concern, and South Africa is no exception. Non-fatal suicidal behaviour (NFSB) among adolescents specifically is also growing at an alarming rate. These trends put tremendous pressure on the health care systems responsible for emergency assistance in cases where suicide attempts result in admission to hospital. Despite this critical health resource consumption, information on health care personnel’s experiences of this patient group is scarce. In addition, while intensive work has been done on the clinical management of adolescent suicidal behaviour, an understanding of their experiences in relation to the suicide attempt and subsequent hospital admission remains limited. This qualitative investigation was aimed at exploring the experiences of adolescents admitted to a Gauteng public hospital following a suicide attempt, as well as the experiences of the health care providers who take care of them following admission. The study was based on Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, utilizing semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups as methods of investigation. Analysis of the data sets culminated in a discussion of the following combined themes: a) placement of this patient group in the hospital setting, b) a possibly impulsive element to the suicidal act, c) intent to die, d) judgement and e) a specific focus on the associated experiences of nursing professionals. The holistic exploration of related experiences provides some insight into the complexity of in-hospital health care for adolescent suicidal behaviour in the current study context, as well as factors contributing to the possible persistence of suicide risk.