Intrapersonal Experiences and Suicide Ideation of University Students: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Elizabeth Koomson-Yalley 
, Justice Richard Kwabena Owusu Kyei & Peter Dwumah
Issue: Vol.3 No.10 October 2022 Article 4 pp. 459-474
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20223104 | Published online 17th October 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
There have been rising global reported cases of suicidal behaviors in schools and universities. In this qualitative study, the authors sought to explore how self-directed thoughts and emotions of intrapersonal experience that come from school performance precipitate suicide ideation among university students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to solicit self-reported information on self-directed thoughts and emotions of intrapersonal experience among 40 students from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. Two counselors from the Guidance and Counseling unit of the same institution were also interviewed. Theoretically, the paper employed Weiner’s motivational theory. This study used a six-phase thematic analysis. The study noted that intrapersonal experiences of self-directed thoughts, particularly unachieved expectancy of success and self-directed emotions of pride, guilt, and shame emanated from poor academic performance. From the data, the authors discovered that prayer, institutional support, for instance, the Guidance and Counseling Unit of KNUST and off-campus extracurricular activities mediated in curtailing or reducing the burden of suicide ideation with the eventual act of suicide. In conclusion, this paper has established that intrapersonal experience is complementary to the interpersonal experience of university students in the study of suicide ideation to holistically comprehend the internal and external factors that generate suicide ideation. This study recommends that the judicial system of Ghana should rethink decriminalizing suicide and attempted suicide if students are to acknowledge their state of suicide ideation for the necessary intervention.
Keywords – Intrapersonal experience, suicide ideation, university students, Ghana, academic performance
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Dr. Elizabeth Koomson-Yalley is a Lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana. She holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, USA. Her research focuses on Migration, suicide behavior, small-scale mining, reproductive health, and community engagement.
Dr. Justice Richard Kyei is a Lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on Religion, migration, suicide behavior, political vigilantism.
Dr. Peter Dwumah is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana. He holds a PhD from the same institution. His research focuses on Sociology of work and organization, suicide behavior, development studies, youth empowerment.
Yalley E.K, Owusu Kyei J.R.K, & Dwumah P. “Intrapersonal Experiences and Suicide Ideation of University Students: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.10 (2022):459- 474. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20223104
© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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