Alcohol use, self-harm and suicide: a scoping review of its portrayal in the Sri Lankan literature

Suicide is a global public health problem. Compared to other middle-income countries, much literature has been generated on the topic of self-harm and suicide in Sri Lanka. Harmful use of alcohol is a well-known risk factor to self-harm and suicide, however the connection needed further exploration....

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Heliyon 2023-07, Vol.9 (7), p.e17566-e17566, Article e17566
Hauptverfasser: Sørensen, Jane Brandt, Pearson, Melissa, Pushpakumara, Janaka, Leth-Sørensen, Dominique, Buhl, Alexandra, Konradsen, Flemming, Senarathna, Lalith
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Suicide is a global public health problem. Compared to other middle-income countries, much literature has been generated on the topic of self-harm and suicide in Sri Lanka. Harmful use of alcohol is a well-known risk factor to self-harm and suicide, however the connection needed further exploration. The aim was to investigate alcohol's role in self-harm and suicide in Sri Lanka to inform policy and prevention programs and future research priorities. We performed a scoping review exploring how the association between alcohol use, self-harm and suicide in Sri Lanka is presented in scientific literature from August 1, 2008 to December 31, 2022. Thematic analysis was used to explore emerging themes. Altogether 116 peer-reviewed articles were included. Three themes emerged: (i) gendered, inter-relational explanations of alcohol's role in self-harm, (ii) hospital management of patients who co-ingested alcohol and pesticides, and (iii) proposed research and interventions targeting alcohol, self-harm and suicide. The articles' recommendations for policy, prevention and research priorities included: Family- and community-based alcohol, self-harm and suicide reduction interventions; viewing self-harm as a window of opportunity for health personnel to intervene in families affected by harmful alcohol consumption; and introduction of and increased access to treatment of alcohol use disorder at the individual level. Suggestions for alcohol, self-harm, and suicide prevention interventions were primarily targeted at the community, though this might also reflect the limited treatment, mental health, and alcohol support available in the country. Future research should explore and test context-appropriate interventions integrating alcohol and self-harm prevention and treatment.
ISSN:2405-8440
2405-8440
DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17566