Prevalence and Associated Factors of Suicidal Ideation and Attempt among Prisoners in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a serious cause of mortality worldwide and the single most common cause of death in the prison population. Studies on suicidal ideation and attempt among prison people in Ethiopia are limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation and attempt among prisoners in Debre Markos Correctional Center, northwest, Ethiopia, 2019. METHOD: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted using the simple random sampling technique; a total of 640 participants was recruited. Suicidal ideation and attempts were assessed using the suicidality module of the World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). RESULTS: The prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt were 21.9% and 13.1% with 95% CI (18.40, 25.20) and (10.60, 15.80) respectively. The study revealed that female sex (AOR=2.60, 95%CI: 1.39, 8.20) and family history of mental illness (AOR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.11, 3.90) were significantly associated with both suicidal ideation and attempt. Whereas divorced/widowed (AOR=3.67, 95%CI: 2.05, 6.58), common mental disorder (AOR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.25, 3.16) and poor social support (AOR=2.68, 95%CI: 1.42, 5.06) were statistically associated with suicidal ideation, and previous incarceration (AOR=2.38, 95%CI: 1.20, 5.16) was significantly associated with a suicide attempt. CONCLUSION: The result shows that the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt were serious problems among prisoners. As a result, inmate people need greater attention and interventions for suicidal behaviors.