Coping mechanisms adopted following a suicide attempt among refugees in humanitarian settings within northern Uganda

Most suicides happen following maladaptive coping among suicide survivors; however, coping mechanisms adopted by refugee suicide survivors, especially in Uganda, have hardly been studied. This study assessed the coping mechanisms adopted following suicide attempts among refugees in humanitarian settings in Northern Uganda. A concurrent mixed-methods design was used to study adult refugee-suicide survivors of South Sudanese origin. They were consecutively sampled across four settlements and engaged in structured, in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 25 using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Fewer than a quarter (17%) of suicide attempts were coped with adaptively. Most refugees coped emotionally by rarely accepting sympathy and understanding (37.5%), frequently trying to keep their feelings to themselves (50.0%), self-blame (50.0%), self-isolation (62.5%), making a plan to act (37.5%), bursting out in anger and other emotions (75.0%), and having fantasies or wishes about how things might turn out (62.5%). These coping mechanisms were congruent with those identified in the qualitative exploration. Refugees in Northern Uganda with a history of suicide attempts maladaptively cope with that history, implying that they could be at high risk of repeated suicide attempts and potentially suicide, based on evidence shown in previous studies.