Authors :
Henry Khakavo Sunguti; Michael Katola Phd; Dr. Margaret Gecaga, Phd
Volume/Issue :
Volume 8 - 2023, Issue 5 - May
Google Scholar :
https://bit.ly/3TmGbDi
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/ye8usjax
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8088823
Abstract :
Several approaches have been used to address
the issue of suicide in contemporary society. However, a
religious approach in Kenya has received less input. This
article, which is a product of a research conducted in
Ruaraka Deanery in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi
on the rise of suicide among youth, is an attempt to
contribute to a balanced understanding of the causes of
suicide as well as the mitigation of suicide among youth
from a religious perspective. Religions and cultural
traditions strongly oppose suicide. Moreover, several
African nations including Kenya prohibit suicide
attempts (Mugisha, 2021). It is believed that religion
serves as a protective coping mechanism that aids people
in finding comfort and purpose when dealing with
traumatic life events or situations like suicide. The youth
deal with a range of challenges in life. One such grave
challenge is the rise in suicide-related incidents. The
Roman Catholic Church (RCC) asserts that God is the
author of life. Suicide has long been seen as an
unforgivable sin because of this. As a result, those who
committed suicide were not given the required church
funeral services. However in recent years, a new
understanding of suicidal behaviours from the
standpoint of mental health has altered public opinion of
the RCC (CCC, 1992). The research adopted two
interrelated theories of suicide: Thomas Joiner’s (2005)
Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) as first theory
and the second being David Klonsky and Alexis May’s
Three-Step Theory of Suicide (3ST) (2015). The research
used a descriptive survey methodology. The respondents'
attitudes, perceptions, and methods of teaching the
doctrine of the sanctity of human life were successfully
gathered using this approach for data collecting. Focus
groups, questionnaires, and interview guides were the
three devices utilized to collect primary data. The youth,
catechists, parish administrators, and clergy of Ruaraka
Deanery were the study's target demographics. For
clergy, catechists, and leaders, the respondents were
chosen using a purposive sampling strategy, while the
adolescents were picked using a simple random sampling
technique that allowed every youth a chance of
participating. 161 (70%) of the sample population of 230
participated in the research. Data analysis was done
using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-
2021). The study exposed flaws in the catechists' training
and insufficient teaching strategies for the sanctity of
human life hence a need to establish new approaches to
mitigate problem of suicide.
Keywords :
Suicide, Youth, Deanery, Roman Catholic Church, Clergy.
Several approaches have been used to address
the issue of suicide in contemporary society. However, a
religious approach in Kenya has received less input. This
article, which is a product of a research conducted in
Ruaraka Deanery in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi
on the rise of suicide among youth, is an attempt to
contribute to a balanced understanding of the causes of
suicide as well as the mitigation of suicide among youth
from a religious perspective. Religions and cultural
traditions strongly oppose suicide. Moreover, several
African nations including Kenya prohibit suicide
attempts (Mugisha, 2021). It is believed that religion
serves as a protective coping mechanism that aids people
in finding comfort and purpose when dealing with
traumatic life events or situations like suicide. The youth
deal with a range of challenges in life. One such grave
challenge is the rise in suicide-related incidents. The
Roman Catholic Church (RCC) asserts that God is the
author of life. Suicide has long been seen as an
unforgivable sin because of this. As a result, those who
committed suicide were not given the required church
funeral services. However in recent years, a new
understanding of suicidal behaviours from the
standpoint of mental health has altered public opinion of
the RCC (CCC, 1992). The research adopted two
interrelated theories of suicide: Thomas Joiner’s (2005)
Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) as first theory
and the second being David Klonsky and Alexis May’s
Three-Step Theory of Suicide (3ST) (2015). The research
used a descriptive survey methodology. The respondents'
attitudes, perceptions, and methods of teaching the
doctrine of the sanctity of human life were successfully
gathered using this approach for data collecting. Focus
groups, questionnaires, and interview guides were the
three devices utilized to collect primary data. The youth,
catechists, parish administrators, and clergy of Ruaraka
Deanery were the study's target demographics. For
clergy, catechists, and leaders, the respondents were
chosen using a purposive sampling strategy, while the
adolescents were picked using a simple random sampling
technique that allowed every youth a chance of
participating. 161 (70%) of the sample population of 230
participated in the research. Data analysis was done
using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-
2021). The study exposed flaws in the catechists' training
and insufficient teaching strategies for the sanctity of
human life hence a need to establish new approaches to
mitigate problem of suicide.
Keywords :
Suicide, Youth, Deanery, Roman Catholic Church, Clergy.
