Quarshie, EN-B orcid.org/0000-0002-8720-2355 (2022) Adolescent self-harm with medicines: Intentional paracetamol overdose could be the commonest in Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal, 19 (1). pp. 1-15. ISSN 0855-4730
Abstract
This research note describes self-reported medicines used by adolescents for self-harm in Ghana and highlights some of the emerging evidence on access to the identified medicines. A secondary analysis of data drawn from a 2017 regionally representative survey on self-harm among in-school and street-connected adolescents in Ghana was performed. Frequencies and proportions were applied to data provided by an analytical sample of 56 adolescents (in-school = 40; street-connected = 16) who reported self-poisoning using medicines. More females (n = 46) than males (n = 10) reported using medicines for self-harm. Paracetamol was the most frequently used over-the-counter medicine, and sleeping pill was the commonly used prescription medicine. Most in-school adolescents accessed medicines at home and community pharmacies, while street-connected adolescents accessed medicines mainly on the black market. In-school adolescents had access to (grand)parents’ prescribed medications and other random medicines at home. These initial exploratory findings are not aimed at providing representative descriptive evidence on self-poisoning with medicines among adolescents in Ghana. Although this research note recommends some preventive measures, broadly, the findings are intended to lay the groundwork for a systematic investigation of adolescent self-poisoning involving the use of medicines and the development of evidence-informed intervention and prevention strategies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | adolescents, overdose, paracetamol, community pharmacy, self-harm |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Sep 2022 14:22 |
Last Modified: | 19 May 2023 15:13 |
Published Version: | https://journals.ug.edu.gh/index.php/gssj/article/... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190625 |