Prof. Charity Sylvia Akotia

Charity S. Akotia is Professor at the Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon. Her specialty is Social/Community Psychology and she teaches both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Russian from the University of Ghana, a Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada, and a PhD from the University of Ghana.

Her main research interest is in suicidal behaviour in a cultural context and how to prevent suicide. She has collaborated with colleagues from Norway and Uganda to work in this area of psychology for several years. In recent times, she has also developed an interest in the multifaceted needs of the ageing and how they navigate on daily basis to improve on their lived experiences. She has also done some work on the psychology of eating behaviour. This area of research is new in Ghana and is a very interesting area where an attempt is made to understand how people eat and what eating means to them. Prof. Akotia also researches on personhood in an African context. This project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and focuses on understanding how people conceptualize personhood and the factors that determine personhood.

She is a member of the Ghana Psychology Association (GPA) and have been licensed by the Ghana Psychology Council. Internationally, she is a member of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the Critical Suicidology Group. She is the current National Representative of the IASP and a Co-Chair of the Council of National Representatives of the IASP.

Research Area(s) (including ongoing research).

• Suicide and suicide prevention
• Gender and gender role attitudes
• Ageing, care and spirituality
• Psychology of eating behaviour
• Personhood in an African context

Teaching

Current Courses Being Taught:

• PSYC 448: Community Psychology
• PSYC 672: Social Psychology of Gender
• PSYC 603: Research Methods
• PSYC 661: The Nature of Contemporary Issues in Social Psychology
• PSYC 714: Advanced Topics in Psychology
• PSYC 704: Advanced Research Methods

Courses previously taught:

• PSYC 101: Elements of Psychology
• PSYC 102: Psychology for Everyday Living
• PSYC 222: Emotion and Motivation
• PSYC 202: Theories of Psychology
• PSYC 301: Learning
• PSYC 403: Theory and Research in Social Psychology
• PSYC 404: Some Contemporary Issues in Social Psychology

Selected Scientific Publications

Akotia, C.S., & Anum, A. (2015). Gender, Culture, and Inequality in Ghana: An examination of socio-cultural determinants of gender disparity. In S. Safda & N. Kosakowska (eds). The Psychology of Gender through the Lens of Culture: Introduction‏, (pp. 375 – 394). New York: Springer.

Akotia, C. S., & Mate Kole, C. C. (2014). Contemporary Psychology: Readings from Ghana (eds.), Tema: Digibooks.

Akotia, C. S. (2014). Community psychology: Moving psychology into the community. In C.S. Akotia & C.C Mate Kole (eds.), Contemporary Psychology: Readings from Ghana (eds.), (pp. 163 – 178). Tema: Digibooks.

Quarshie, E, N-B., Asante, K. O., Andoh-Arthur, J., Akotia, C. S., & Osafo, J. (2021). Keep the law or to repeal It: Views of parliamentarians on the call to decriminalise attempted suicide in Ghana. Omega – Journal of Death and Dying, https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00302228211066683

Anum, A., Adjorlolo, S., Akotia, C.S., & de-Graft Aikins, A. (2021). Validation of the multidimensional WHOQOL-OLD in Ghana: A study among population-based healthy adults in three ethnically different districts. Brain and Behaviour, https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2193

Krys,  K., Yeung, J. C., Capaldi, C. A., …. Akotia, C. S. et al., (2021). Societal emotional environments and cross-cultural differences in life satisfaction: A forty-nine country study, The Journal of Positive Psychology, http://hdl.handle.net/10993/44773

Eriksson, K., Strimling, P., Gelfand, M., Wu, J., Abernathy, J., Akotia, C. S., ….. et al, (2021). Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies, Nature Communications, http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21602-9

Osafo, J., Akotia, C. S., Andoh-Arthur, J., & Puplampu, B. M. (2021). The role of religious leaders in suicide  prevention in Ghana. A qualitative analysis. Pastoral Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-021-00955-4

Adzimah-Alade, M., Akotia, C. S., Annor, F., & Quarshie, E. N. B (2020). Vigilantism in Ghana: Trends, Victim Characteristics, and Reported Reasons. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 59 (2), 194–213

Osafo, J., Oppong, A, K., Akotia, C. S. (2020). Suicide Prevention in the African Region. Crisis 41(Suppl 1), S53–S71. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227–5910/a000668

Aglozo, E., Akotia, C. S., Osei-Tutu, A., & Annor, F. (2020), Spirituality and subjective well-being among Ghanaian older adults: Optimism and meaning in life as mediators. Aging & Mental Health (CAMH), DOI:10.1080/13607863.2019.1697203

Sproesser , G., Ruby, M. B., Arbit. N., Akotia, C. S., Alvarenga, M dos S., Bhangaokar, R., Furumitsu, I., Hu., X , Imada., et al. (2019). Understanding traditional and modern eating: the TEP10 framework. BMC Public Health, 19, 1606 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7844-4

Akotia, C. S., Osafo, J., Asare-Doku, W., & Boakye, K., (2019). News editors’ views about suicide and suicide stories in Ghana. Psychological Studies, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-019-00511-4

Akotia, C. S., Knizek, B. L., Hjelmeland, H., Kinyanda, E., & Osafo, J. (2019). Reasons for attempting suicide: An exploratory study in Ghana. Transcultural Psychiatry, 56(1), 233 – 249.

Selected Conference Proceedings

Akotia, C. S. (2021). Decriminalization of suicide in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects. Presented at the South American Congress, 11th November. Uruguay.

Akotia, C. S. (2021). Gender-based violence and suicide. Presented at the iVAMHN International Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network online conference, October.

Sproesser , G., Ruby, M. B.,Arbit. N., Akotia, C. S., Alvarenga, M dos S. et al. (2020). Assessing what constitutes traditional eating across countries: A reflection on methodological challenges. Presented at the European Health Psychology Society, 

Sproesser, G., Ruby, M. B., Arbit, N., Akotia, C. S., Alvarenga, M., Bhangaokar., R., Furumitsu, I., et al. (2020) Traditional and modern eating from a cross-cultural perspective: The TEP10 framework. Presented at the German Psychological Association Conference

Akotia, C.S., Anum, A., de-Graft Aikins, A, et al. Lived experiences of the ageing in Ghana. Paper presented at the dissemination workshop on the Ageing Project, 6th September 2019.

de-Graft-Aikins, A., Anum, A., Akotia, C.S., Representations of the Ageing in Ghana. Paper presented at the dissemination workshop on the Ageing Project, 6th September 2019

Anum, A., Akotia, C. S., & de-Graft Aikins, A.  Ageing in Ghana: A psychological study of the multifaceted needs of the elderly in Ghana. A paper presented at the 5th School of Social Sciences International Conference, University of Ghana, Legon, April, 2019.

Knizek, B. L., Akotia, C. S., Osafo, J., & Hjelmeland, H. Men’s suicide attempts in Norway and Ghana: Triggers and responsibility attribution. Paper presented at the 29th World Congress, IASP, Kuching, Malaysia, 18 -22 July 2017.

Akotia, C.S., Osafo, J., Boakye, K., & Quarshie, E., Andoh-Arthur, J. To Arrest or to Help: Police views of Suicidal Persons and the Law in Ghana. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference for Community Psychology (ICCP 2016) hosted by UNISA, on the theme “Global dialogues on Critical Knowledges, Liberation and Community”. May 27 – 30, 2016, Durban, South Africa.

Extension Activities (If Any)

Some of the extension activities I engage in include presentations in the media, psychoeducation in communities, and presentations to various categories of international students. I also avail myself to serve on various Boards and Committees, both within the University and nationally.