Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempts, and Associated Factors among Cancer Patients in the Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahirdar, Ethiopia

Abstract

Cancer is a stressful and life-threatening event that may lead to psychiatric problems, which may, in turn, lead to suicide and other self-induced injurious behavior.

To assess suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and associated factors among cancer patients at Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, in 2025.

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2024, at the Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Referral Hospital, with a total of 423 participants. The World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to assess suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The Oslo-3 Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) was applied to assess social support. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression, with a Cronbach's α of 0.87. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values < 0.05 were used to identify significantly associated factors.

The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among our study population was found to be 56 (13.2%) and 31 (7.3%), respectively. Poor social support (AOR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.09–9.25), moderate social support (AOR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.00–11.98), history of hospital admission (AOR = 6.0; 95% CI: 2.43–15.22), depression (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.54–9.66), and moderate pain (AOR = 4.0; 95% CI: 1.11–14.60) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Factors associated with suicide attempts included depression (AOR = 6.0; 95% CI: 1.82–20.97) and poor social support (AOR = 5.0; 95% CI: 1.25–20.95).

The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among cancer patients was found to be high.