45 research outputs found
African personhood, Humanism, and critical Sankofaism: the case of male suicide in Ghana
Suicide in Ghana is criminalised and those who survive suicide attempts are subject to significant social condemnation. Paradoxically, studies show that male suicide is often driven by individualsâ strong sense of responsibility to meet social norms and expectations around gender as well as the internalisation of societal views that death would be preferable to shame and disgrace. This contradiction prompts a critical re-examination of the communitarian tradition of African personhood which posits an intimate link between the individual attainment of socially affirmed roles and the status of personhood. Through an analysis of the Akan concept of critical sankofaism I suggest that African approaches to suicide may draw upon important adaptive, critical resources internal to African cultural values, thus highlighting the progressive potential of the African tradition. I show specifically how male gender norms and societal responses to suicide attempts distort core humanistic values at the heart of African communitarian personhood
Uncanny Objects and the Fear of the Familiar:Hiding from Akan Witches in New York City
This article examines the cosmology and secret practices of West African traditional priests in New York City in preventing the spread of witchcraft, an evil invisible spirit transmitted between female members of the Akan matrilineage. Explored is an uncanny dynamic as everyday habitus becomes increasingly strange in the world of a young Ghanaian woman in the Bronx, who has become petrified of insinuations of witchcraft from close family members. In trying to hide the young woman from infection by her fellow witches, Akan priests attempt to âcaptureâ her habits and everyday routines, calling upon the iconic magic of New York City in order to âmisplaceâ familiarity within the anonymity of Manhattan. In this process, the transmission of the witchâs spirit to the intended victim is disturbed as the victimâs life and things are moved. Nowhere to be found, the witch shifts her attention to other victims
Police views of suicidal persons and the law criminalizing attempted suicide in Ghana: A qualitative study with policy implications
The penal code of Ghana condemns suicide attempt. The present study sought to explore the views of the police on persons who attempt suicide and the law criminalizing the act. Qualitative in-depth interviews were used to explore the views of 18 officers of the Ghana Police Service. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis technique. Findings showed that the police officers profiled suicide attempters as needy, enigmatic, ignorant, and blameworthy. Majority (n = 14) of them disagreed with the law and suggested a repeal, whereas only four of them agreed with the law. Regardless of their positions on criminalization, they showed an inclination to help, rather than arrest, when confronted with such persons in line of their duty. Educating the police on suicidal behavior may help to deepen their understanding and help improve the way they handle suicidal persons. This may also strengthen police suicide prevention gatekeeping obligations
Adolescent self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview-based study of first-hand accounts
Background:
Recent prevalence studies suggest that self-harm among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa is as common as it is in high income countries. However, very few qualitative studies exploring first-person accounts of adolescent self-harm are available from sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to explore the experiences and first-person perspectives of Ghanaian adolescents reporting self-harm - for deeper reflections on the interpretive repertoires available in their cultural context for making sense of self-harm in adolescents.
Methods:
Guided by a semi-structured interview protocol, we interviewed one-to-one 36 adolescents (24 in-school adolescents and 12 street-connected adolescents) on their experiences of self-harm. We applied experiential thematic analysis to the data.
Results:
Adolescentsâ description of the background to their self-harm identified powerlessness in the family context and unwanted adultification in the family as key factors leading up to self-harm among both in-school and street-connected adolescents. Adolescentsâ explanatory accounts identified the contradictory role of adultification as a protective factor against self-harm among street-connected adolescents. Self-harm among in-school adolescents was identified as a means of âenactment of tabooed emotions and contestationsâ, as a âselfish act and social injuryâ, as âreligious transgressionâ, while it was also seen as improving social relations.
Conclusions:
The first-person accounts of adolescents in this study implicate familial relational problems and interpersonal difficulties as proximally leading to self-harm in adolescents. Self-harm in adolescents is interpreted as an understandable response, and as a strong communicative signal in response to powerlessness and family relationship difficulties. These findings need to be taken into consideration in the planning of services in Ghana and are likely to be generalisable to many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescents at risk of self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview study exploring the views and experiences of key adult informants
Background
In Ghana, rates of self-harm in young people are as high as they are in high income countries. Self-reported interpersonal, familial and societal stressors form the most important background, and self-harm is seen by young people as a way of responding to that stress. In the present study, we obtained the views of key adult informants about self-harm among adolescents in Ghana â what they thought as possible reasons for self-harm in young people and what actions might be needed at an individual or population level to respond to the problem.
Methods
We interviewed face-to-face 11 adults, using a semi-structured interview guide. We used an experiential thematic analysis technique to analyse the transcribed interviews.
Results
The analysis identified five themes: âunderestimating the prevalence of self-harm in adolescentsâ, âlife on the streets makes self-harm less likelyâ, âself-harm in adolescents is socially and psychologically understandableâ, âambivalence about responding to adolescent self-harmâ, and âfew immediate opportunities for self-harm prevention in Ghanaâ. Adolescent self-harm was acknowledged but its scale was underestimated. The participants offered explanations for adolescent self-harm in social and psychological terms that are recognisable from accounts in high income countries. Low rates among street-connected young people were explained by their overarching orientation for survival. Participants agreed that identification was important, but they expressed a sense of inadequacy in identifying and supporting adolescents at risk of self-harm. Again, the participants agreed that self-harm in adolescents should be prevented, but they recognised that relevant policies were not in place or if there were policies they were not implemented â mental health and self-harm were not high on public or political priorities.
Conclusions
The adults we interviewed about young people who self-harm see themselves as having a role in identifying adolescents at risk of self-harm and see the organisations in which they work as having a role in responding to individual young people in need. These are encouraging findings that point to at least one strand of a policy in Ghana for addressing the problem of self-harm in young people
Exploring the intersection between violence against women and children from the perspective of parents convicted of child homicide
Violence against women and violence against children are distinct research fields. Quantitative studies have demonstrated their
intersection, but qualitative data provides an opportunity for a comprehensive understanding of this interface. Interviews with 22
parents/caregivers convicted of child homicide provided an opportunity to explore the context of violent experiences in their lives
including their use of violence and their experiences of it in their intimate and parenting relationships. Using a feminist framework,
we found that patriarchal family structures, gender and power dynamics contribute to the use of violence. Revenge child
homicide was common with distinct gendered differences. This study calls for closer collaboration between the two fields to
assist in developing prevention interventions to address and eradicate both forms of violence