Suicide in Indigenous Canadian Communities Critical Review

The researchers noticed a gap in academic literature on suicide (Walls et al., 2014, p. 48); that is, where were the perspectives of First Nation peoples in Canada? There had been several quantitative studies within Indigenous communities in Canada (Statistics Canada, and other surveys), yet consultation with Indigenous community members about why suicide was more prevalent among their populations than non-Indigenous populations, how prevention strategies should and are being implemented, and whether or not the current prevention strategies are effective or sustainable (p. 67) was missing from academic research. In the Walls et al. research study, Indigenous community members from three different First Nations communities in central Canada participated in responding to a series of questions during various focus groups to offer their perspectives on the prevalence, causes, and ways to reduce the number of suicides, particularly among Indigenous youth populations in their own communities. The study resulted in recommendations for “the most effective suicide prevention and mental health promotion programs” (Walls et al., p. 66) that could be used in the First Nations communities examined.  Furthermore, “themes that emerged from these data are being/have been used to develop community reports and inform the development of suicide prevention programming” (p. 52).