Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts among Adolescents and Young Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol

This scoping review protocol aims to systematically map the evidence on factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents and young adults (aged 10–24) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Guided by the Socio-ecological Model, risk and protective factors will be categorized across four levels: individual, interpersonal, community, and societal. Electronic databases, including PubMed, will be searched for English-language primary studies, excluding humanitarian settings and multinational studies where Sub-Saharan African data cannot be separately extracted. Adhering to JBI methodology, findings will be summarized using narrative synthesis and quantitative mapping to visually highlight geographic and thematic evidence gaps, thereby informing future research priorities and suicide prevention strategies in the region.