Constructing a Culturally Sensitive Suicide Risk Assessment Framework for Secondary School Counsellors in Nigeria

Suicide risk assessment tools used in Nigerian secondary schools are predominantly adapted from Western frameworks that inadequately capture the cultural expressions of suicidal distress, protective factors, and help-seeking patterns specific to the Nigerian context. This study aimed to construct a culturally sensitive suicide risk assessment framework for secondary school counsellors in Nigeria, drawing on cross-cultural counselling theory, community-based participatory research, and empirical testing. A mixed-methods design was used across four phases. Phase 1 involved focus groups with 80 adolescents and 40 counsellors from the South West, North Central, and South South zones to identify culturally specific suicidal ideation expressions and protective factors. Phase 2 involved expert delphi consultation with 25 Nigerian counselling psychologists. Phase 3 involved framework construction and validation through cognitive interview testing with 30 counsellors. Phase 4 involved empirical testing of the framework's psychometric properties with 400 secondary school students. The resulting framework demonstrated strong content validity, acceptable construct validity, and culturally responsive psychometric properties. It incorporates distinctively Nigerian protective factors including religiosity, community shame, filial obligation, and extended family surveillance. The study provides an original Nigerian-specific suicide risk assessment instrument representing a significant methodological contribution to school mental health research. Keywords: suicide risk assessment, cultural sensitivity, secondary school counsellors, Nigeria, suicidal ideation.