Abstract
This article reports results of the life trajectories from 92 Inuit who died by suicide, matched for age and gender with 92 living-controls. A proxy-based procedure and semi-structured interviews with informants were conducted to obtain trajectories of developmental events occurring over the life course for suicide and community-matched controls. Results from this research indicate two different trajectories that differentiate the control-group from the suicide-group throughout the life course. Even though the number of suicide attempts are similar between both groups, the suicide-group had a more important burden of adversity, which seemed to create a cascading effect, leading to suicide.
Highlights
Inuit are a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and the United States
Individuals in the living control group were on average older (Mean Age = 27.8, SD = 9.0) than the suicide group (Mean Age = 23.2, SD = 9.0) (t (182) = 3.48)
As for people included in the suicide group, they were significantly more exposed to early adversity and were exposed to a higher level of adversity in different spheres of life
Summary
Inuit are a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and the United States. The majority live in the Inuit homeland of Inuit Nunangat, which is comprised of four Inuit regions: Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region [1]. Inuit in Canada currently suffer from one of the highest rates of suicide in the world [2,3,4]. Rates range from five to 25 times the Canadian average. In the five-year period, from 2009–2013, Canada’s suicide rate was 11 per 100,000. In Inuit Nunangat, rates ranged from 60 per 100,000 in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region to 275 per 100,000 in Nunatsiavut [5]. Rates are highest for young Inuit men, who are 40 times more likely to die by suicide than their peers in Southern Canada [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
