Lived Experiences of Suicide Risk and Resilience among Alaska Native and American Indian People

Shaw, Jennifer L.; Beans, Julie A.; Comtois, Katherine Anne; Hiratsuka, Vanessa Y.

doi:10.3390/ijerph16203953

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Lived Experiences of Suicide Risk and Resilience among Alaska Native and American Indian People

Jennifer L. Shaw

Julie A. Beans

^1,*

Katherine Anne Comtois

² and

Vanessa Y. Hiratsuka

Research Department, Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 325 9th Ave, Box 359911, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(20), 3953; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203953

Received: 30 August 2019 / Revised: 4 October 2019 / Accepted: 13 October 2019 / Published: 17 October 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Suicide: Prevention, Intervention and Postvention)

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Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of suicidality and help-seeking for suicide prevention among Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people in a tribal health system. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to analyze semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 15 individuals (ages 15–56) with self-reported histories of suicide ideation and/or attempt. Several factors were found to be central to acquiring resilience to suicide risk among AN/AI people across a wide age range: meaningful and consistent social connection, awareness about how one’s suicide would negatively effect loved ones, and knowledge and utilization of available health services. Findings highlight the mutable nature of suicide risk and resilience, as well as the importance of interpersonal factors in suicidality. View Full-Text

Keywords: Alaska Native; American Indian; lived experience; suicide

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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MDPI and ACS Style

Shaw, J.L.; Beans, J.A.; Comtois, K.A.; Hiratsuka, V.Y. Lived Experiences of Suicide Risk and Resilience among Alaska Native and American Indian People. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3953. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203953

AMA Style

Shaw JL, Beans JA, Comtois KA, Hiratsuka VY. Lived Experiences of Suicide Risk and Resilience among Alaska Native and American Indian People. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(20):3953. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203953

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shaw, Jennifer L., Julie A. Beans, Katherine Anne Comtois, and Vanessa Y. Hiratsuka. 2019. "Lived Experiences of Suicide Risk and Resilience among Alaska Native and American Indian People" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 20: 3953. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203953

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