The lived experiences of black South African university students who have had suicidal thoughts : a descriptive phenomonogical study

Abstract: This study reviews the lived experiences of South African university students who have coped with suicidality. Most suicides among the South African university population occur in those with identifiable stressors such as lack of support, use of alcohol and other substances, mental illness, and societal factors such as sexuality and gender. A range of triggers and factors have been reported to increase the risk of suicidality among the black university population. The current study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of university students who have coped with suicidality. The sample consisted of students from a South African university who had experienced and coped with suicidality. Relevant information was gathered through the use of a biographical questionnaire, The Columbia-Suicidality Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and open-ended interviews. The information was analysed using Giorgi’s (2009) Descriptive Phenomenological Method of analysis to identify descriptive themes in order to examine whether there were common themes. The findings revealed that isolation, regret as well as religious and spiritual coping formed part of the common themes experienced by South African university students who have coped with suicidality. Due to this study’s findings, it may assist in increasing knowledge about risk factors and coping strategies which may facilitate prediction in the future.M.A. (Counselling Psychology