Background Suicide is more prevalent among disadvantaged, discriminated, and marginalised people with the majority of global suicide deaths occurring in the low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). This can be attributed to sociocultural contexts and exacerbated by access to limited resources and services that can assist with early identification, treatment, and support. Accurate information on the personal experiences of suicide is lacking, as many LMICs legislate that suicide is illegal.

Methods This study aims to review the qualitative literature to explore the experiences of suicide in LMICs from the first-person perspective. Following the PRISMA-2020 guidelines, the search for qualitative literature published between January 2010 and December 2021 was undertaken. A total number of 110 qualitative articles from 2569 primary studies met the inclusion criteria. Included records were appraised, extracted, and synthesised.

Results The results provide lived experience insight into suicide from those living in LMICs, including understanding variations of the causes of suicides, the impacts on others exposed to suicide, existing support systems, and prevention measures to reduce suicide among LMICs. The study offers a contemporary understanding of how people in LMIC experience suicide.

Conclusions The findings and recommendations are derived from the similarities and differences within the existing knowledge base that is dominated by evidence from high-income countries. Timely suggestions for future researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers are provided.

Given that Indigenous populations globally are impacted by similar colonial global legacies, their health and other disaprities are usually worse than nonindigenous people. Indigenous peoples of Australia have been seriously impacted by colonial legacies and as a result, their health has negatively been affected. If Indigenous health and wellbeing are to be promoted within the existing Australian health services, a clear understanding of what preventive health means for Indigenous peoples is needed. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the available literature on the uptake/engagement in health assessments or health checks by Indigenous Australian peoples and to determine the enablers and barriers and of health assessment/check uptake/engagement. Specifically, we aimed to: investigate the available evidence reporting the uptake/engagement of health checks/assessments for Australian Indigenous; assess the quality of the available evidence on indigenous health checks/assessments; and identify the enablers or barriers affecting Indigenous persons’ engagement and access to health assessment/health checks. A systematic search of online databases (such as Cinhl, Scopus, ProQuest health and medicine, PubMed, informit, Google Scholar and google) identified 10 eligible publications on Indigenous preventive health assessments. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three major themes on preventive health assessments: (1) uptake/engagement; (2) benefits and limitations; and (3) enablers and barriers. Findings revealed that Indigenous peoples’ uptake and/or engagement in health assessments/check is a holistic concept varied by cultural factors, gender identity, geographical locations (living in regional and remote areas), and Indigenous clinical leadership/staff’s motivational capacity. Overall, the results indicate that there has been improving rates of uptake of health assessments by some sections of Indigenous communities. However, there is clearly room for improvement, both for aboriginal men and women and those living in regional and remote areas. In addition, barriers to uptake of health asessments were identified as length of time required for the assessment, intrusive or sensitive questions and shame, and lack of access to health services for some. Indigenous clinical leadership is needed to improve services and encourage Indigenous people to participate in routine health assessments.

Objectives: There has been debate regarding the working conditions for employees of the Bangladesh readymade garment (RMG) industry since the 1980s. Little is known how the existing working conditions of the Bangladesh RMG sector impact workers' health and overall wellbeing, which remains the key aim of this study. Methods: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Twenty-seven RMG workers (female: 21, male: 6) were purposively recruited for focus groups (FGs) from both the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and non-EPZ factories located in Dhaka and Chattogram, the two largest cities in Bangladesh. FGs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive thematic analysis was performed to review the transcribed data and to identify themes. Results: The study identified that the existing working conditions impacted workers' health and wellbeing severely. These conditions mainly comprise of inadequate workplace facilities (lack of pure drinking water, unavailability of qualified doctors, and fabricated signage of childcare facilities) and poor working environments (lack of hygienic practices, unavailability of safety equipment, sexual harassment, mandatory nights shifts, inappropriate sitting arrangements, and workplaces as death traps). All the female workers reported experience of verbal or sexual harassment at least once inside the factories also noted anxiety and feeling unsafe while working during night shifts. These conditions are presented within the socioeconomic conditions of Bangladesh. Conclusions: This study contributes to understanding the nexus between factory owners' profit maximization mindset and workplace conditions in relation to workers' health and wellbeing status. Strict monitoring of the workplace conditions of Bangladesh RMG factories is warranted.

Sensitive, emotionally laden research requires mental strength, emotional fortitude, and logistic supports for novice researchers. Little is known about the challenges that the novice researcher faces while conducting sensitive, emotionally laden research. This is exacerbated where participants of such studies have little/no idea about expressing the value of a particular research study (i.e., where the first question to arise from the participants is "what would be my benefit if I participate in your research?"). Based on the student researcher's self-reflections, this article focuses on the inherent challenges that a researcher faced while conducting in-depth interviews among a group of emotionally vulnerable people-survivors of the disastrous Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh. It suggests how the challenges can be reduced or mitigated, and the researcher's self-care can be ensured. It also raises important methodological questions, including whether in-depth narrative interviews are appropriate in relation to those living with significantly different cultural norms.

There is no regular mandated increase in minimum wages for workers employed in the Bangladesh ready-made garment (RMG) industry. Workers in the past have relied on optional bonuses added to their monthly incomes to supplement their wages. However, a new minimum wage implemented in January 2019 in the Bangladesh RMG sector increased wages for many workers who are known to work under poor and exploitative working conditions. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen currently employed RMG workers (female: 13, male: 2), which led to data saturation. The participants were purposively recruited from both export processing zone (EPZ) and non-EPZ factories located in Dhaka and Chattogram, the two largest cities of Bangladesh where the majority of RMG factories are situated. Transcribed interviews were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that working hours, production targets, work pressure, and workplace abuse have an impact on workers' health and well-being. In line with the Marxist notion of the "accumulation of capital", we argue that due to the profit maximization mindset of RMG owners and international brands, workers have not received the potential benefit of the newly implemented minimum wage as their conditions have been changed in other ways to offset the increase in salary. The article contributes to understanding how factory owners' profit maximization mindset dispossessed workers from receiving the real benefits of the newly implemented minimum wage and forced them to continue working within exploitative working environments. The study shows that the impact of minimum wages on poverty reduction is unlikely and outlines the need for RMG labor market reform.

The Bangladesh readymade garment (RMG) sector commenced in the 1980s and is now ranked second in clothing supply for international brands globally. This sector has created employment opportunities for more than four million workers, mainly female, with little or no education or previous skill. The sector is also considered a significant economic industry for Bangladesh accounting for 83 percent of the country’s total export earnings. Despite creating huge job opportunities and making enormous contributions to the national economy, the Bangladesh RMG sector is marred by poor working conditions, employees’ health and safety concerns, and workplace rights-related issues. One key example of the poor working conditions is frequent disasters, such as the physical collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013, killing more than 1130 workers, and the fire in Tazreen Fashion in 2012, where more than 112 garment workers died. Many thousands have sustained injuries from these disasters and regular workplace injuries continue to be reported. Further, workers’ daily working conditions remain unsafe and pose continuing hazards for the workforce.

Since Bangladesh RMG sector continues to expand to meet international clothing demands, it is timely to explore in what conditions the global fashions are made along with the impacts of those conditions on workers’ health and wellbeing. This thesis provides empirical data which examined why and how the currently employed RMG workers were vulnerable to different types of physical and psychological health issues. In addition, the research explores the impacts of a catastrophic event, structural changes in relation to wages, and the COVID-19 pandemic on RMG workers. A mixed-method approach, with multiple methods of inquiry, which drew on the principles of pragmatism, was used across five separate yet interconnected studies.

Study 1 presents findings from three focus groups (female: 21; male: 16) that aimed to explore the current working conditions, with a further focus on differences experienced by male and female RMG workers. The study found that RMG working conditions comprise a lack of available workplace facilities and safety measures, which eventually impact workers’ health and safety. Study 2 comprising a cross-sectional survey of 411 RMG workers (mean age=26.24 years, SD=6.40, female=80%) based in both Dhaka and Chattogram, the two largest cities with the highest density of RMG factories, examined the prevalence and risk factors of physical and psychological health. Results demonstrated that stress, anxiety, and boredom were prevalent among nearly two-thirds of the respondents, while headaches and colds were prevalent among more than half of the respondents. Overall, working conditions, workplace environments, the nature of RMG work, demographic characteristics, and geographical locations were significant risk factors for workers’ health illnesses. Three additional studies were undertaken to determine how sudden changes impacted RMG workers’ health and wellbeing. In-depth interviews, in Study 3, were conducted with Rana Plaza survivors to examine the long-term impacts of this disaster on them. The study found that Rana Plaza collapse resulted in significant physical (bone injuries/fractures and amputation, severe headache, kidney problems, and functional difficulties) and emotional trauma, depression, and suicidal ideation for those who survived this catastrophic event. In-depth interviews in Study 4 were undertaken to understand the impact of a newly implemented minimum wage structure on the currently employed RMG workers. The study found that working hours, production targets, work pressure, and workplace abuses have been increased alongside the new wage structure. Finally, Study 5 investigated the impact of COVID-19 finding the pandemic will have long-lasting effects on the RMG workers, especially related to their health issues, financial hardship, and inability to pay for essentials such as food, and future employment opportunities.

This multi-method, multi-study research contributes to an overall understanding of Bangladeshi RMG workers’ vulnerability to physical and psychological health illnesses. Specifically, identification of high prevalence rates of both physical and psychological health illnesses and modifiable risk factors, various health risks and safety concerns in relation to factory location (Dhaka vs Chattogram) and factory type (Export Processing Zone (EPZ) vs non-EPZ), add new knowledge to the existing literature. The findings of this research provide a holistic view of the challenges of RMG workers and can inform future policy development to ensure their health and safety at work. However, utilising the Marxist notion of ‘accumulation of capital’, the findings are also understood within the cultural conditions of Bangladesh, which severely impede any likely improvement in workplace safety for RMG workers within Bangladesh. Advocacy for such changes will be required through international pressure via clothing supply chains. This research will assist in informing the global evidence base to assist in such efforts.

Objective. Poor health outcomes of Bangladeshi readymade garment (RMG) workers tend to be associated with a variety of occupational factors. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, the physical and psychological health outcomes of Bangladeshi RMG workers. Methods. Responses to a cross-sectional survey from a convenience sample of 411 adult Bangladeshi RMG workers (mean age = 26.24 years; SD 6.40 years; female = 80%) were analysed using bivariate and multivariate (logistic regression models) analyses. Results. More than half of the participants reported headaches (61.6%) and colds/flu (51.3%), followed by fever (37.2%), diarrhoea (32.8%), bodily pain (29.9%) and respiratory infections (20.9%). For psychological health, stress (69.1%), anxiety (66.2%) and boredom (64.5%) were most prevalent, followed by sleeplessness (51.3%), depression (48.2%) and fear (34.3%). RMG workers from the factories located in Chattogram (a peripheral region compared to Dhaka) reported poorer physical and psychological health outcomes than those working in factories in Dhaka (the capital city of Bangladesh). Overall, compared to males, female RMG workers were more likely to be vulnerable to both physical and psychological health outcomes. Conclusion. Improvement in workplace conditions and safety programmes is needed to safeguard the overall health outcomes of Bangladeshi RMG workers.