The Life Promotion Project: An Indigenous Community Response to Suicides in Mackay Authors: Leda Barnett, Elizabeth Kendall, Kathy McKay, Michelle McIntyre, Kairi Kolves and Diego De Leo The phenomenon of suicide This research was conducted to better understand clusters features as an how suicide is perceived within Mackay’s important difference between Indigenous community and how this affects Indigenous and suicide. prevention, intervention and postvention strategies. The highest Indigenous suicide rates are amongst 1. The local experience of Indigenous suicide. Indigenous young people. A cluster of attempted and completed suicides had been Indigenous research reported in Mackay when this research was conducted. paradigms are paramount in The completed suicides of Indigenous people was facilitating change in consistent with Indigenous suicide statistics that indicate Indigenous communities. rates are highest among Indigenous people aged 15-24 Strategies to prevent years. Indigenous suicide need to be tailored to the specific needs 2. Why Mackay’s Indigenous community’s of the community. experience with suicide is important. Survivors of suicide need Identifying the social and cultural risk factors alongside services that will ensure the protective factors from the perspective of local community cycle of grief is broken and members works toward: prevent further suicides. emancipating Indigenous communities (by engaging an Services need to work Indigenist research paradigm) together to create a system that allows for the treatment enabling Indigenous people to contribute to health policy of all facets of Indigenous and practices that impact on lives wellbeing. Greater emphasis on facilitating community-directed solution-focused promoting cultural history and strategies, and tradition is needed to enhance creating important partnerships. Indigenous identity and resilience. 3. What this research tells us about the Mackay Indigenous community’s experiences with suicide. Mackay’s Indigenous community needed to engage strategies to prevent suicide that were tailored to meet the specific needs of the community. These strategies needed
The Life Promotion Project: An Indigenous Community Response to Suicides in Mackay Authors: Leda Barnett, Elizabeth Kendall, Kathy McKay, Michelle McIntyre, Kairi Kolves and Diego De Leo The phenomenon of suicide clusters features as an important difference between Indigenous and suicide. The highest Indigenous suicide rates are amongst Indigenous young people. Indigenous research paradigms are paramount in facilitating change in Indigenous communities. Strategies to prevent Indigenous suicide need to be tailored to the specific needs of the community. Survivors of suicide need services that will ensure the cycle of grief is broken and prevent further suicides. Services need to work together to create a system that allows for the treatment of all facets of Indigenous wellbeing. Greater emphasis on promoting cultural history and tradition is needed to enhance Indigenous identity and resilience. This research was conducted to better understand how suicide is perceived within Mackay’s Indigenous community and how this affects prevention, intervention and postvention strategies. 1. The local experience of Indigenous suicide. A cluster of attempted and completed suicides had been reported in Mackay when this research was conducted. The completed suicides of Indigenous people was consistent with Indigenous suicide statistics that indicate rates are highest among Indigenous people aged 15-24 years. 2. Why Mackay’s Indigenous community’s experience with suicide is important. Identifying the social and cultural risk factors alongside protective factors from the perspective of local community members works toward: emancipating Indigenous communities (by engaging an Indigenist research paradigm) enabling Indigenous people to contribute to health policy and practices that impact on lives facilitating community-directed solution-focused strategies, and creating important partnerships. 3. What this research tells us about the Mackay Indigenous community’s experiences with suicide. Mackay’s Indigenous community needed to engage strategies to prevent suicide that were tailored to meet the specific needs of the community. These strategies needed
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