First Nations Youth

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Introduction
Both recently and historically, First Nations youth in British Columbia and across Canada have suffered from significantly higher rates of suicide in comparison to non-First Nations youth (Kirmayer, Brass, & Holton, 2007). Epidemiological data has shown that increased rates of suicide among First Nations youth aged 10-19 years are particularly evident in certain rural British Columbia First Nations communities (BC Ministry of Health, 2007). A startling example of the this trend occurred in May 2012, when Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Tribes First Nation declared a state of emergency in response to a disturbing spike in suicides and suicide attempts in youth within their community (CTV News, 2012). Elevated rates of suicide in First Nations youth arise from a …show more content…
Previous large-scale studies, such as those by Hallet, Chandler and Lalonde (2007) and Kirmayer, Brass and Holton (2007), have examined the factors are associated with increased rates of youth suicide in First Nations populations. However, a large proportion of studies have neglected to engage First Nations communities in a reciprocal manner and have mostly employed deficit-based, biomedical approaches to addressing the problem. Furthermore, many studies have failed to integrate the knowledge of the determinants of youth suicide into effective and impactful interventions aimed at addressing the root causes of youth suicide in First Nations communities they have studied.
My study will investigate youth suicide within the Cowichan First Nation community. The objectives of this research project are two-fold. The first is to elucidate the most salient factors that are affecting the high rate of suicide among youth in the community. Both protective factors, as well as factors that place the youth at an increased risk for suicide will be explored. To

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