Inquiring Suicide Occurrences Among Students In Kenyatta University, Kenya

Abstract

ABSTRACT The main purpose of the study was to examine the factors contributing to suicide occurrence among students in Kenya public universities. The specific objectives of the study were; to find out whether risky behavioural factors contribute to high suicide rate in Kenya public universities, to investigate whether psychological factors contribute to high suicide rate in Kenya public universities and to determine whether socio-economic factors contribute to higher suicide rate in Kenya public universities. The study will help in providing framework under which relevant authorities may be able to device strategies to curb the prevailing trends in terms of actual and attempted suicides locally to youths more so in university. The study will be significant to researches it will provide concrete review on suicide occurrence. The study used utilized descriptive design, where the target population was 30 respondents. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to collect data and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis and presented in tables and percentages. The study findings revealed that family history of suicide is a key proponent of desire of young people to end their lives this is in the concept that family as a social agent mould much of its member personality and behaviour which may trigger to the desire to end one’s life, alcoholism/ drug abuse compromises cognitive logics where the influence may trigger uncalled for need to end one’s life through overdosing depending on nature of thoughts and their magnitude. The findings also revealed that, negative self-concept where the victim feels inferior, incapable, unneeded, unworthy may led to isolation that may incline to the thought to suicide attempts. The findings further revealed that and income poverty where the amount one is earning is not enough to meet the necessities is an agent of any form of evilness that may culminate to suicide as last option all contributed fairly to occurrence of suicide in public universities. The study recommends that the management of public universities has to come up with effective strategies and policies to ensure that welfare of students is accommodated accordingly. The study recommends that the management of public universities should look into the counselling programmes that are available and ensure they are diverse and up to date in order to absorb current needs of their clientele. Finally, the study recommends that the government through its higher education loans board, should address the current situation of loan by ensuring that the students who are in dire need of loans are the recipient and receive it in due course to avoid unnecessary financial constraints that affect them cognitively, physically and emotionally which may trigger suicide thoughts.