Aim To provide exploratory and descriptive evidence on the prevalence estimate and some demographic correlates of suicidal behaviour among nursing and midwifery college students in Ghana. Design We used a cross‐sectional survey design. Method An anonymous survey involving a randomly selected sample of 305 nursing and midwifery college students was conducted in March–May 2017. The Suicide Behavior Questionnaire‐Revised was used to assess suicidal behaviour (i.e., ideation, planning, threat and attempt) and suicidal behaviour risk. Results The lifetime prevalence of suicide ideations (15.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.11–0.20), plans (6.6%; 95% CI = 0.04–0.10), attempts (2.3%; 95% CI = 0.01–0.05), threats (13.4%; 95% CI = 0.10–0.18) and 12‐month prevalence of ideations (21.3%; 95% CI = 0.17–0.26) are comparable to estimates found in both high‐income and low‐ and middle‐income countries. However, associations between the demographic variables studied and suicidal behaviour risk were not statistically significant.

Background Emotional regulation forms an integral part of healthcare delivery. In the performance of the core duties of nursing and midwifery, health professionals are expected to enhance occupationally/organisationally required emotions. The purpose of this study is to explore. The meaning nurses and midwives give to emotional labour as well as the coping resources employed by these professionals in order to manage the emotional demands of their profession. Method A qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide with fifteen (15) purposively selected nurses and midwives. Interviews were recorded and simultaneously translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Our findings showed that participants conceptualized emotional labour as display of rules. Sadness, abuse and bullying, poor incentivisation, emotional exhaustion and emotional mix bag were reported by the participants as emotional demands and deficits. Nurses and midwives coped with emotional labour through the use of five (5) main resources: psychological capital, routinisation of emotions, religious resources, social support and job security. Conclusion Nursing and midwifery professional duties are accompanied with emotional regulations which tend to have consequential effects on a myriad of work-related issues. Clinical healthcare training needs to intensify and equip professionals with the skills of regulating and managing their emotions since managing emotional demands are central to effective healthcare delivery.

Aim The present study was set out to establish the link between emotional labour (surface and deep acting) and job attitudes (job satisfaction organizational commitment) by introducing perceived organizational support as a moderating variable. Design The study made use of a cross‐sectional design by sampling three hundred and forty‐two (342) nurses and midwives from six health facilities in Ghana. Methods The study employed a quantitative approach to examine the relationships between the study variables. Results The study disclosed that whereas surface acting related negatively with job satisfaction but not with organizational commitment, deep acting did not relate significantly with both job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Perceived organizational support as a moderating variable showed a significant moderating effect between surface acting and job attitudes. However, Perceived organizational support moderated the relationship between deep acting and organizational commitment but not job satisfaction. The findings pose much contextual relevance to health professionals where emotional regulations are core responsibilities of health care.

PurposeNavigating the physical and emotional conditions of patients on daily basis can be emotionally exhaustive, requiring health professional to regulate their emotions in order to provide quality healthcare. The present study set out to examine the consequential effect of emotional intelligence and perceived organizational support (POS) on emotional exhaustion of nurses and midwives in the Ghanaian context. The study also examined the effects of age and cadres of nursing and midwifery on emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachThe study was quantitative in nature and employed the cross-sectional design in sampling respondents. The study was conducted in four public hospitals and two quasi-public hospitals in three main districts in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A sample of 342 nurses and midwives were proportionately sampled from various health facilities. The sample constituted of staff nurses and midwives.FindingsThe study revealed that while age, cadres of nursing and midwifery and POS had consequential effects on emotional exhaustion, emotional intelligence failed to predict emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueFindings of the study draw the attention to the importance of organizational support in attenuating the emotional exhaustion associated with the nursing profession.

PurposeAnchored with turbulence emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, the work environment has become more stressful with debilitating effects on the well-being of employees. Employees rely on varying means of coping including drug abuse. However, the association between drug abuse and suicidal thoughts among employees in Ghana is unknown. Therefore, this study sought to examine the relationship between drug abuse and suicidal thoughts among employees in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachIn a cross-sectional survey, this study purposively sampled 470 employees from three sectors of the Ghanaian economy (telecommunication, banking and manufacturing). The data was analysed using the multivariate analysis (MANOVA), Pearson’s r test and hierarchical regression.FindingsAnalysis of data revealed a positive relationship between drug abuse and suicidal thoughts, indicating that drug abuse is a risk factor for suicidal thoughts. Besides, it was also revealed that banking sector employees have a higher risk of having suicidal thoughts than employees in the telecommunication and manufacturing sectors.Practical implicationsManagers of organisations need to redesign work to embrace the challenging circumstances brought about as a result of COVID-19 and post-COVID implications. The work environment needs to be more supportive to shield employees from the physical and emotional demands of work during and after this period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today than ever, investment in the implementation of employee-assisted programmes (EAPs) and employee well-being programmes (EWPs) to equip employees with the needed skills to cope with stressful conditions has been more than justified.Originality/valueFrom a broader perspective, this study identifies drug abuse as a key risk factor for suicidal thoughts among employees, thereby highlighting the fact that smoking cessation programs and drug management therapies are an integral part of well-being programmes aimed at establishing equilibrium and gradually creating a wide gap between employees and suicidal thoughts.