ArticleJournal of affective disorders2023
A scoping review of counseling interventions for suicide prevention in Africa: Few studies address this life-saving aspect of mental health treatment.
Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of IDEAS for Hope: A Brief Telehealth Intervention for Suicide Prevention and HIV Care Engagement in Tanzania.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2025Trial
- From research to practice: a qualitative study examining the integration of telehealth-based suicide prevention in HIV care in Tanzania.AIDS care · 2026Article
- Suicide in Muslim-Majority Countries Within the WHO African Region: A Narrative Review of Epidemiology and SocioCultural Factors.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Thoughts of Death or Self-injury, Non-same-day ART Initiation, and 2-year Incidence of Disengagement from Care Among People Entering HIV Care in Cameroon.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Global burden, risk factors and projections of self-harm mortality in adults aged 65+ years: A 60-year trend analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- Integrating safety planning, problem-solving therapy and peer support for suicide prevention among adolescents living with HIV in Malawi: An application of the ADAPT-ITT adaptation framework.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Development of a brief telehealth-delivered counseling intervention to reduce suicide risk and improve HIV care engagement in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.Evaluation and program planning · 2025Article
- "Everyone is fighting their own battles": A qualitative study to explore the context of suicidal ideation among people with HIV (PWH) in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- "A man never cries": A mixed-methods analysis of gender differences in depression and alcohol use in Moshi, Tanzania.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Persistent Depression and Suicidal Ideation in People Living with HIV in Tanzania: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- A profound absence of counseling interventions for suicide prevention among youth in Africa: A call to action based on an empty scoping review.Suicide & life-threatening behavior · 2024Article
- Challenges and opportunities for improving mental health care and preventing suicide among people living with HIV: Perspectives of mental health professionals in Tanzania.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- "medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023Article
- Brief Report: Task-Shifting "Gold Standard" Clinical Assessment and Safety Planning for Suicide Risk Among People Living With HIV: A Feasibility and Fidelity Evaluation in Tanzania.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2023Article
- Article
- Validation of a culturally sensitive, Swahili-translated instrument to assess suicide risk among adults living with HIV in Tanzania.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNearly 800,000 people die by suicide each year, with 77 % occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Suicide is underestimated in many African settings due to challenges in data collection, stigma, and policies that promote silence; nonetheless, rates of suicide in Africa are consistently higher than global averages.
methodsWe conducted a scoping review of counseling interventions assessing suicide outcomes among adults in Africa using MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, African Index Medicus, CABI Global Health, and Proquest databases. Study screening and data extraction was informed by the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis.
resultsOf 2438 abstracts reviewed, 33 studies met criteria for full-text review and 13 were included in the analysis. Interventions served several populations, including people living with HIV, out of school youth, university students, and women undergoing obstetric fistula repair. There was a near-equal split in individual versus group counseling modalities and the use of professional versus lay counselors. The majority of interventions had primary outcomes focused on other mental health or social variables with a secondary focus on suicide. Mechanisms of change for suicide prevention were poorly articulated. LIMITATIONS: The review was limited to English-language studies conducted after 2001 and excluded qualitative studies and those with fewer than 10 participants.
conclusionsThere is a clear paucity of research in this area, particularly in the lack of randomized clinical trials and studies with suicide prevention as their primary outcome. Researchers should seek to develop or adapt evidence-based, culturally-resonant interventions to reduce the burden of suicide on the African continent.
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