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Intimate Partnerships, Suicidal Ideation and Suicide-Related Hospitalization Among Young Kenyan Men

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Abstract

The first study focused on a three-month chart review containing information on suicide attempts (n = 34) admitted to a local mission hospital in Meru County, Kenya. The second study utilized a cross-sectional survey administered to men 18–34 years old (n = 532) residing in rural Kenya. Data posit intimate partnership discord as salient to suicide ideation and behavior. Men who reported their partner status was “divorced” had four-times the odds of reporting suicide ideation than other partnership states, an association significantly mediated by loneliness. Violent conflict tactics predicted suicidal ideation, mediated by loneliness and decreased marital satisfaction.

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Funding

This project was funded by the University of Texas Medical Branch.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA

    Michael L. Goodman, Derrick Gibson, Gwen Lin, Janki Patel & Philip Keiser

  2. Sodzo International, 4100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77002, USA

    Sarah E. Seidel

  3. Community Health Department, Maua Methodist Hospital, Maua, Meru County, Kenya

    Stanley Gitari

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  1. Michael L. Goodman
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  2. Sarah E. Seidel
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Goodman, M.L., Seidel, S.E., Gibson, D. et al. Intimate Partnerships, Suicidal Ideation and Suicide-Related Hospitalization Among Young Kenyan Men. Community Ment Health J 56, 1225–1238 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00572-0

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