CONSEQUENCES OF COMMITTING SUICIDE AMONGST UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA
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1Dr Ugochukwu Ifeyinwa Offor
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1Department of Educational Foundations,NnamdiAzikiweUniversity, Awka
The study
examined the consequences of committing suicide amongst undergraduate students
in public universities in South East, Nigeria. Three research questions guided
the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The
population of the study comprised of all 400 level undergraduates of 2023/2024
academic session in the 10 public universities in South East geopolitical zone.
The 400 level students were involved in this study because majority of them
were affected with the high rate of suicide. The total population is 93,126.
The sample of the study was 600 undergraduates selected through simple random
sampling technique. Questionnaire was the instrument
used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by three experts, two
in Sociology of Education; one in Measurement and Evaluation, all from Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability was calculated using Cronbach Alpha
for each of the subsections; 0.81, 0.80 and 0.82 were the scores obtained for
the subsections. Mean rating was used for data analysis. The findings showed that the psychological effects of suicide
have a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of students,
leading to increased anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The social effects lead to social isolation, stigma, and a breakdown in social
cohesion, while the economic effects result in significant losses in human
capital, productivity, and economic growth. It is imperative that the
management of public universities in South East, Nigeria, should take proactive
steps to address the root causes of suicide among undergraduate students. This
includes providing adequate mental health resources, support systems, and
counseling services, as well as promoting a culture of care, compassion, and
understanding. It was recommended among others that universities should establish and strengthen counseling
services and mental health support systems to provide students with access to
professional help.