ASSESSMENT OF SUICIDAL IDEATION AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN OWO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ONDO STATE

Suicide is one of the leading health concerns in the world in general among adolescents and the presence of suicidal ideation (SI) is quite high, with up to 20-30% of adolescents reporting it at some point.. The study is to assess the suicidal ideation among adolescents in Owo community, Ondo State with a view to determine the assess the level of knowledge on suicidal ideation among adolescents, determine the rate of suicidal ideation among adolescents, find out the factors contributing to suicidal ideation among adolescents. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study design and quantitative method for data collection. A sample of 181 adolescents were obtained with Taro Yamane’s formula and they were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results revealed that majority (84.5%) had good knowledge of suicide and suicidal ideation, (77.0%) of the respondent had low rate of suicidal ideation. Minority of the respondent indicted that the following factors influencing suicidal ideation which gives (24.3%) failed many subjects, (30.4%) got pregnant while in school, (23.2%) said their lecturers and friends made fun of them. In conclusion, suicide and suicidal ideation is a public health issue that has been on a rise recently thus giving a necessity for this study. It cuts across all races, gender and age groups making it a serious health issue. Respondents in this study have demonstrated high level of knowledge about the concept and very low rates of suicidal ideation.