Cultural Perspectives on Suicide From a Rural Athabascan Alaska Native Community: Wellness Teams as a Strengths-Based Community Response

• Published in: Journal of rural mental health 2017-01, Vol.41 (1), p.4-16
• Main Authors: de Schweinitz, Peter A, Nation, Cyndi, DeCou, Christopher R, Stewart, Tracy J, Allen, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alaska Natives; American Indians; Community Involvement; Female; Human; Intervention; Male; Rural Environments; Suicide Prevention; Well Being
• ISSN: 1935-942X; 2163-8969
• DOI: 10.1037/rmh0000066

The Village Wellness Team Program is a locally developed, strength-based initiative of rural Athabascan Alaska Native villages to promote community resilience and wellness as a community-level universal suicide prevention effort. We used focus-group methodology to explore perceptions of Alaska Native residents in a rural Interior Alaska community about causes and prevention of suicide and the functioning of Village Wellness Teams. Our qualitative analysis of the transcripts suggests that focus-group participants (a) were eager to directly confront the topic of suicide and its prevention; (b) connected the topic of suicide prevention to larger issues of public security and well-being, including the community's capacity to respond to emergencies, as well as the creation of safe, alcohol- and drug-free events, especially for youth just out of high school; (c) believed suicide could be in part attributed to the loss of culture, language, and subsistence activities, as well as (d) limited local economic opportunities, especially for recent high school graduates; (e) desired greater access to community-appropriate systems of behavioral health care, including professional counseling, peer-led resources, and psychiatric aftercare upon return to the village; and (f) perceived the Wellness Team program as a source of hope and action for the community, while desiring more participation by men. Women described barriers to men's participation related to differences in emotional sharing; both men and women suggested activities more directed to men's interests. Barriers to women's participation included lack of childcare and limited free time. The importance of reaching out to members of the community who do not currently participate in Wellness Teams was emphasized.