In Between: A Case Study of Frontline Workers and Response to Suicide

Abstract

Suicide is a tragic, multi-faceted and complex global issue which disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. This case study examines the experience, impact and recommendations from frontline workers who endured a prolonged youth suicide crisis within a marginalized, northern Indigenous community. This thesis examines how frontline workers experienced a youth suicide crisis, with the hope that the findings might influence policy with respect to how provincial and federal governments engage with communities that struggle with the same challenges. A thematic analysis of eight interviews with professionals who worked in a variety of frontline services that were impacted during a youth suicide crisis in northern Saskatchewan (2008-2009) was completed. The findings of this research indicate that oppression plays a key role in how well a community responds, and is responded to, during the initial, intermediate and post phases of a youth suicide crisis. Implications of this study indicate that effective suicide prevention in Indigenous communities will dismantle personal, cultural, and structural oppression, and has the potential to influence systemic change with respect to suicide.