Suicide and suicidality in Fiji: a scoping review

Suicide and suicidality in Fiji: a scoping review

Suicide is considered a major social and public health issue in Fiji, with the increasing number of deaths per year being of concern. Despite this, there is no recent synthesis of research regarding suicide and suicidality in Fiji to assist with understanding and planning appropriate preventative and intervention supports. To address this gap, a scoping review was conducted to identify what is known about suicide and suicidality in Fiji. Ten electronic databases were searched, resulting in 2459 potential studies being identified. After title and abstract screening, 30 studies were included for final analysis. A PRISMA flowchart was utilised to report the results with results being synthesised using a textual narrative approach. Some unique findings of this study include a high rate of suicide and suicidality among Indo Fijian females aged 15 to 30 years. Other key findings include a focus on singular suicide concepts such as death by suicide, a lack of clarity relating to suicide risk factors, a lack of emphasis on recent suicide theories, and the use of limited study design. This study is the first of its kind to widely scope and map the existing literature, to identify the unique features of suicide and suicidality in Fiji, and to identify the gaps in the existing literature. Findings from this study provide a basis to guide future research that will facilitate an enhanced understanding of suicide and suicidality in Fiji.

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