According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide is one of the three main
causes of deaths in the age group 15 to 34 years. Persons who previously attempted
to commit suicide are more inclined to succeed with a second attempt.
With the eventual focus on suicide prevention by means of life guidance as an
assistance strategy in social work, the researcher undertook qualitative exploration
amongst a specific group of adolescent girls between ages 15 and 21 years. These
girls were each admitted to hospital after having attempted to commit suicide. The
researcher used semi–structured in–depth interviews as a qualitative data collection
method until data saturation was reached.
The investigation was discussed against the backdrop of the strength perspective,
crisis intervention, the system theory and existentialism. A discussion was led in
Article 1 about findings regarding the psychosocial needs of adolescent girls who
displayed suicidal behaviour. From the interviews, three overarching needs were
foregrounded, namely the need for love and acceptance, the need for
communication and the need for a secure future. The psychosocial needs were
subdivided into sub–themes, which were discussed respectively.
In Article 2 a discussion followed regarding the findings in terms of the support
systems adolescents possess. Life guidance was eventually based on the needs of
adolescent girls, as identified in Article 1, and the involvement and responsibility of
the support systems, as discussed in Article 2. The guidelines for life guidance, as
set out in Article 3, serve as a guiding recommendation and framework for
intervention programmes for adolescent girls who display suicidal behaviour, as well as for the support systems involved. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/6920 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Du Toit, Andrea |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
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