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Violence and Suicide Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Senegal
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 August 2025
Abstract
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Introduction
Assessing violence and suicide risk is a critical preventive action in the fight against suicide.
Objectives
This study aimed to analyze the vulnerability factors associated with violence and suicide risk in the general Senegalese population.
Methods
This was an observational, population-based, national, cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical survey. Data collection was conducted from July to August 2023 on 496 randomly selected households proportionally distributed according to the demographic weight of different areas. The assessment of suicide risk was derived from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) V5. Data were directly entered into ODK, and analysis was performed using R software. Ethical approval was granted by the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Senegal.
Results
A total of 2,174 individuals were surveyed, with a mean age of 41.4±12.2 years. The prevalence of violence in Senegal was 52.76%. The most common forms were psychological violence (47.38%), verbal violence (43.47%), and physical violence (32.84%) (Refer to table I: Distribution by type of violence). Associations of violence were observed, with physical violence associated with psychological violence accounting for 19.59%. Women were more exposed to the different type of violence. Geographic disparities were identified, with the Dakar region emerging as the main hotspot for these forms of violence (refer to image 1: mapping of violence by region of Senegal). The suicide risk was found to be 8.4%, with a high level at 1.66%. Regardless of the type of violence, the suicide risk was elevated; it was 47.6% for sexual violence (refer to image 2: Distribution of Suicide Risk According to the Type of Violence). Unfortunately, recourse to victim assistance was low, with 6.2% of victims receiving psychological support and 10.4% receiving police assistance.Table I:
Distribution by type of violence
| Nature of violence (N=2174) | Numbers | Percentages (%) | IC 95% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical violence | 714 | 32.84 | [31 - 35] |
| Sexual violence | 83 | 3.82 | [3.1- 4.7] |
| Psychological violence | 1030 | 47.38 | [45 - 50] |
| Neglect violence | 204 | 9.38 | [8.2 - 11] |
| Domestic violences | 332 | 15.27 | [14 -17] |
| Verbal violence | 945 | 43.47 | [41 - 46] |
| Domestic harassment | 273 | 12.56 | [11 -14] |
| Domestic assault | 184 | 8.46 | [7.3 - 9.7] |
| All violences | 1147 | 52.76 | [51 - 55] |
Image 1:
Image 2:
Conclusions
Violence was significant in Senegal, with gaps in administrative and medicopsychological assistance. The suicide risk is high, but suicide remains underreported. It is crucial for Senegal to have a political and health framework with a public health approach centered on vulnerable groups for managing violence and suicide risks.
Keywords
Violence, Suicide risk, Senegal, Africa
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared
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- European Psychiatry , Volume 68 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2025 , pp. S440 - S441
- Creative Commons
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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