Abstract: (838 Views)
Background and Objectives: Suicidal behaviour is a complex and wide-reaching concern which brings far-reaching social, psychological, emotional, and economic consequences. Suicidal behaviour can be explained by several theoretical models. Amongst them, the psychological perspective has long been involved as an important academic orientation to analyse suicidal behaviour. This critical review examines the status of South African studies that were found compatible with the psychological perspective of suicidal behaviour. It aims to provide some directives to enrich the works on suicidal behaviour in the context of South Africa.
Methods: This review includes South African scholarly literature on suicidal behaviour published between 2008 and 2018. Scholarly works were searched through PubMed, EBSCO and Google Scholar. Thirteen relevant studies were included in this analysis.
Results: Although several South African studies have apparently been conducted from the standpoint of the psychological aspects of suicide, they eventually do not maintain very sharp relevance to the key theoretical and methodological prescriptions embedded in the broader domain of the psychology of suicide. For example, only a very few South African studies have used scales developed from the major psychological theories of suicidal behaviour. At the same time, the overreliance on measurement scales has made South African studies more positivist in methodological orientations.
Conclusion: The psychological perspective requires robust attention to appropriately tap the complex dynamics of suicidal behaviour in the context of South Africa. Researchers in South Africa must strive to make a meaningful methodological and epistemic development by using the key theoretical and methodological advances in the field of psychology. It is also equally important to integrate multidisciplinary models to investigate suicidal behaviour in South Africa.
Type of Study:
Applicable |
Subject:
Special Received: 2023/06/25 | Accepted: 2023/03/1 | Published: 2023/03/1