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National Inuit

Suicide Prevention Strategy

Inuit in Canada are faced with the challenge of elevated suicide rates. Shared, evidenced-based, Inuit-specific approaches to suicide prevention address this public health crisis.

Social Determinants of Inuit Health

The circumstances in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, are known as the social determinants of health. These factors have a large impact on our overall well-being and play a critical role in suicide prevention. Social determinants of health can vary from one culture and society to another. The social determinants of Inuit health include:

  • Quality of Early Childhood Development
  • Culture and Language
  • Livelihoods
  • Income Distribution
  • Housing
  • Personal Safety and Security
  • Education
  • Food Security
  • Availability of Health Services
  • Mental Wellness
  • Environment

Clear evidence links social disadvantage, such as living in poverty and not getting enough to eat, to higher rates of suicide. Addressing these underlying causes of social inequity, are necessary to prevent suicide and will also improve many other areas of Inuit life.

Social and Economic Inequity

Compared to most other Canadians, Inuit in Inuit Nunangat experience many social and economic inequities such as poverty, less access to quality healthcare, and unemployment. Creating social equity is essential to the prevention of suicide for Inuit in Canada.

Risk Factors

Effective suicide prevention should reduce suicide risk. Risk refers to factors in a person’s life that increase their chances of illness or death. Suicide risk can be something in the environment, an experience, a behavior, something inherited, or an unknown cause. The following are examples of risk factors.
Historical Trauma

Impacts of colonialism, residential schools, relocations, dog slaughter.

Community Distress

Social inequities including crowded housing, food insecurity, lack of access to services.

Wounded Family

Intergenerational trauma, family violence, family history of suicide.

Traumatic Stress and Early Adversity

Experiencing acute or toxic stress in the womb, witnessing or experiencing physical or sexual abuse.

Mental Distress

Depression, substance misuse, mental health disorder, self-harm.

Acute Stress or Loss

Recent loss, intoxication, access to means, hopelessness, isolation.

How Risk Multiplies In Our Societies

Suicide risk can multiply throughout a person’s lifetime. Individuall, we may face certain types of adversity and also be exposed to suicide, which creates a base level of risk in our communities.

Some people begin life with adversity, such as being
affected by acute stress while in the womb.
This base level of risk can multiply through stress factors related to social inequity such as poverty and poor education.
Personal experiences, including physical or sexual abuse, can further multiply a person’s overall risk for suicide.
Exposure is a risk factor. Knowing people who have died by suicide can add to a person’s overall risk.
Having high rates of suicide in our communities means that it touches every community member, creating an underlying risk that affects all Inuit.
As a result, many Inuit face individual risk factors as well as risk factors from their environment.

Protective Factors

People who experience stressful life situations react differently depending on their coping skills and the support and help they receive from their family and community. Protective factors are experiences, behaviours, or an inherited characteristic. They can support positive outcomes for people who experience stressful or challenging events and effectively protect against suicide.
Social Equity

Creating equitable economic, education, health, and other resources, will relieve some major stressors and improve suicide risk.

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Cultural Continuity

Instilling a strong and grounded sense of Inuit culture, history, and language through networks of support can reduce the risk of suicide.

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Coping With Acute Stress

Providing individuals with access to social supports and resources that help them regulate and cope with distress helps protect against suicide.

Family Strength

Providing children with safe environments that nurture social and emotional development will protect against other adversities.

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Protective factors

People who experience stressful life situations react differently depending on their coping skills and the support and help they receive from their family and community. Protective factors are experiences, behaviours or an inherited characteristic. They can support positive outcomes for people who experience stressful or challenging events and effectively protect against suicide. The following are examples of
protective factors.
Social Equity

Adequate economic, educational, health and other resources that support and foster resilience

Cultural Continuity

Strongly grounded in Inuit language, culture and history

Healthy Development

Providing children with safe environments that nurture social and emotional development

Mental Wellness

Access to Inuit-specific mental health services and supports

Coping with Acute Stress

Ability to regulate and cope with distress, access to social supports and resources

Family Strength

Safe, supportive and nurturing homes

Risk Factors

Risk factors increase a person’s chance of illness or death. They can come from the environment, an experience, a behaviour, something inherited, or an unknown cause.
Learn More About Risk Factors

Protective Factors

Protective factors decrease a person’s chances of illness or death. Protective factors can come from the environment, an experience, a behaviour, an inherited characteristic, or an unknown cause.
Learn About Protective Factors

Publications

Initiatives

This map aims to increase the information available on community-based initiatives that play an important role in reducing and preventing suicides in Canadian Inuit communities. By exploring the interactive map and resources, you will to learn more about these initiatives and the current public health crisis being faced by Canada’s Inuit population.

IRC Initiatives

The funds were used in a variety of ways to meet the objectives set: Student and Family Support Worker (SFSW)...

IRC Initiatives

The funds were used in three ways: Parenting to the Moon and Back; ASIST Trainer Development Program; and, Community Initiatives...

Nunavik Land-Based Healing Program (NUNAMI)

Between 2016 and 2019, the structure that the program would take was worked on, and two resource staff were subsequently...

Sexual Violence Prevention/ Outreach

The Sexual Violence and Outreach project has completed work in two major domains: the development and facilitation of workshops and...

Nain Youth Centre

The Youth Center has offered activities of:  Providing a safe, supportive drop-in space in the evenings for all youth (13-30)...

Building Capacity to Address and Prevent Childhood...

The project sought to improve service delivery practices to reduce problematic substance use among Nunatsiavut’s parents/guardians through a systemic review...

Nunavik sexual abuse intervention flying team proj...

A fly-in treatment team is proposed as a way of bringing experienced sexual abuse counselling services to the population of...

Expanding the evidence-based Inunnguiniq Childrear...

The Inunnguiniq Parenting/Childrearing Program is the only evidence-based program in Nunavut that is founded in Inuit values and philosophy related...

Our Life’s Journey

This project delivered Modules 1, 2, and 3 of Our Life’s Journey (OLJ): the Inuit Counsellors’ Training and Mentorship Program...

Reclaiming the Whole Man

Reclaiming the Whole Man is an Inuit-led initiative by the Pirurvik Centre to strengthen the resilience and wellbeing of Inuit...

Project Jewel

Project Jewel is an on-the-land wellness program that builds in after care supports for its participants. They strive to provide...

Nunavik Hotlines

Tel: 1 (877) 686-2845

Link: http://nrbhss.ca/sites/default/files/Mental_Health_Week_EN.pdf

If you live in Nunavik, you can contact your Community CLSC: 819-XXX-9090 in Inuktitut, English and French. Traditional Health Support workers are available from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and you can speak to someone in Inuktitut or English by calling 1 (877) 686-2845.

Hope for Wellness Line

Tel: 1-855-242-3310

Link: https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/

The Hope for Wellness Help Line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Phone and chat counselling is available in English and French. On request, phone counselling is also available in Inuktitut.

Submit your Initiative to National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Step 1 of 5 - Overview

  • Initiative Overview