Attempted suicide: lived experiences of refugees in Rhino Camp, West Nile, Uganda

AI Summary

Socioeconomic deprivation, gender based violence, trauma, physical illness, psychological distress, stigma and isolation interact to increase suicide attempt risk among refugees.
Refugee suicide attempts often occur as crisis responses amid cognitive overload and cumulative losses from war, displacement and intimate partner conflict.
Community rescue, institutional interventions and targeted psychosocial support foster coping, meaning making and recovery, so strengthening these systems is essential.

AI Summary

BACKGROUND: Suicide is among the leading causes of death worldwide, and every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria, breast cancer, war, and homicide. PURPOSE: This study explored the lived experiences of refugee suicide survivors in Rhino Camp, West Nile, Uganda, using Thomas Joiner's interpersonal theory of suicide attempts. Participants described socioeconomic deprivation, intimate partner conflict and gender-based violence, trauma loss and war experiences, health burdens and physical vulnerability, psychological distress and cognitive overload, suicide attempt as crisis responses, stigma, social judgment, and isolation as a broad set of interconnected subjective experiences and triggers shaping suicide attempts among refugees.

Basic summary

BMC Public Health. 2026 May 25. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27871-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Suicide is among the leading causes of death worldwide, and every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria, breast cancer, war, and homicide. Suicide rates are high among vulnerable groups that experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants.

PURPOSE: This study explored the lived experiences of refugee suicide survivors in Rhino Camp, West Nile, Uganda, using Thomas Joiner’s interpersonal theory of suicide attempts.

METHODS: This study employed an interpretative phenomenological research design and purposive sampling techniques to select 15 participants (seven key informants and eight refugee suicide survivors). Face-to-face interviews using in-depth interview guides and observations were used to gather data. Data were collected between June and July 2023.

RESULTS: Among refugee suicide survivors, saturation was reached after the seventh interview, and key informants reached saturation after the sixth interview, at which point no new themes emerged. Participants described socioeconomic deprivation, intimate partner conflict and gender-based violence, trauma loss and war experiences, health burdens and physical vulnerability, psychological distress and cognitive overload, suicide attempt as crisis responses, stigma, social judgment, and isolation as a broad set of interconnected subjective experiences and triggers shaping suicide attempts among refugees. Community rescue, institutional intervention, and psychosocial support were identified as supportive systems, while refugee suicide attempt survivors described meaning-making, coping, and recovery.

CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic deprivation, psychological distress, gender-based violence, stigma, and isolation heighten vulnerability among refugees, leading to suicide attempts. Strengthening available supportive systems enhances support for refugee suicide survivors.

PMID:42178523 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-026-27871-7

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