Do Cigarette Smoking and Amphetamine Use Predict Suicide Behaviors Among Adolescents in Liberia? Findings from a National Cross-sectional Survey

The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of amphetamine use and cigarette smoking and their relationships with suicidal behaviors (thoughts, plans, and attempts) among adolescents in Liberia. The analysis included 2744 school-going adolescents who participated in Liberia's 2017 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). The study used descriptive statistics to evaluate prevalence estimates, and multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine how amphetamine use and cigarette smoking predict suicide behaviors. Prevalence of amphetamine use and cigarette smoking was 7.7% and 9.9%, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, amphetamine use and cigarette smoking independently increase the odds of suicide behaviors (suicide ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt) after controlling for other factors. High prevalent rates of substance use and their association with suicidal behaviors reported in this study highlight the need for these countries to target appropriate substance use interventions to curb the rates of suicide among adolescents.