Gambling-related suicide in East African Community countries: evidence from press media reports

• Published in: BMC public health 2022-01, Vol.22 (1), p.158-158, Article 158
• Main Authors: Kaggwa, Mark Mohan, Mamun, Mohammed A, Najjuka, Sarah Maria, Muwanguzi, Moses, Kule, Moses, Nkola, Rahel, Favina, Alain, Kihumuro, Raymond Bernard, Munaru, Gideon, Arinaitwe, Innocent, Rukundo, Godfrey Zari, Griffiths, Mark D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; Anxiety; Behavior; Betting; Case reports; Casinos; Cellular telephones; College students; Domestic violence; East Africa; Economic development; Forecasts and trends; Gambling; Gambling - epidemiology; Gambling industry; Gaming machines; Health problems; Humans; Kenya; Legalized gambling; Male; Males; Mass Media; Media; Media coverage; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; News media; Online gambling; Psychological aspects; Risk factors; Search engines; Self destructive behavior; Sports; Suicide; Suicides & suicide attempts; Tanzania - epidemiology; Taxes; Uganda; University students; Websites
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12306-2

Gambling activities and associated mental health problems have become a topic of increased concern globally. Many individuals with a severe gambling disorder have gambling-related suicidality. However, no study has explored gambling-related suicide in East African Community (EAC) countries. The present study investigated the press media reporting of gambling-related suicide cases from EAC countries. As there is no established suicide database in that region, media reports were utilized to collect gambling-related suicide data. Gambling-related suicide case reports were searched for in EAC countries' press media websites using Google. After removing duplicates, a total of 18 suicides were found. The victims were all males aged 16 to 40 years. The most prevalent reason for the death was university students who had used their university tuition fees for gambling and losing the money (n = 4/17). All the suicide deaths were in Kenya (10/18), Uganda (7/18), and Tanzania (1/18). Betting on soccer was the most common type of gambling reported (n = 11/15), and hanging was the most used mode of suicide (n = 10/16). Based on the press media reports, 18 males were identified as having carried out gambling-related suicides. The countries with the most widespread opportunities to gamble had more gambling-related suicides, although the number of suicides was very small.