Grant: Planning Grants - PA: First Nations, Inuit or Métis Planning Activities

Suicide is a major health issue in Nunavut. Suicide deaths (1961-2009) have increased, and the suicide rate (1981-2007) for both genders is much higher than the Canadian average, particularly for males age 15-24 (Suicide Prevention Strategy Working Group, 2010). Thus, the chances of exposure to others' suicide and suicide contagion are significant. Suicide contagion is seen in a clustering of suicide deaths following direct or indirect exposure to a suicide death (Gould, 2001). Research indicates that adolescents are particularly susceptible to it (Colucci & Martin, 2007), particularly when the suicide decedent is of the same ethnicity (Stack, 2000). Recent findings show that exposure to a schoolmate's suicide predicted suicide ideation and suicide attempts in young people aged 12-17, and that the effects lingered 2 years after for those aged 12-15 (Swanson & Colman, 2013). Given the Nunavut suicide statistics, the importance of containing suicide contagion among Inuit youth, cannot be under-estimated. Suicide prevention efforts in Nunavut are undertaken by communities, organizations, and the government. The present project involves a gathering of knowledge users, community partners, and health researchers from Nunavut and Ontario to network, exchange knowledge, and consolidate a partnership for the purpose of identifying gaps in the area of suicide contagion among school-aged Nunavut youth aged 12-19, and developing research priorities and prevention strategies to contain suicide contagion. The three primary outcomes from this meeting are (i) identification and prioritization of joint research interests and prevention strategies with outcome measures, (ii) action plans to develop further the research interests and prevention strategies and identify potential funding sources where necessary, and (iii) a written report in English and Inuktitut versions for dissemination.