Sámi men’s stories of suicidality and the roads to recovery

The main aim is to increase knowledge on suicidality among Sámi men by exploring stories of the process leading to suicide ideation and roads to recovery. Aspects of gender, masculinities and ethnicities will be of particular interest to improve clinical practice and culturally adapted suicide prevention measures, targeting this population.

To access the experiences of living with suicidality, a qualitative, narrative methodology is suitable to get into the depth of context and real-life situations, by focusing on the personal stories and emphasize the contextual and individual diversities surrounding the suicidal process. 

The project will recruit Sámi men, over 18 years old from the Norwegian side of Sápmi, with a history of suicide ideation and/or suicide attempt. It will be interesting to speak to a wide range of Sámi men from different Sámi communities and contexts, with different Sámi language competence, ages, socio- economic backgrounds and personal experiences with health services.  

The following research objectives are set:

1. Explore, in depth, how aspects of gender, masculinities and ethnicity are relevant to Sámi men’s processes leading to suicide ideation and their roads to recovery.
2. Identify individual, relational, and contextual factors highlighted in Sámi men’s stories of suicide ideation and their roads to recovery.
3. Suggest strategies/models for cultural safe help and support tailored to Sámi men in clinical settings and for contextual suicide prevention.

And these research questions:

1. How do Sámi men describe the meanings of gender, masculinities, and ethnicities in their suicidal processes and roads to recovery?
2. How are individual, relational, contextual factors experienced by the Sámi men and their significant others in the stories of suicide ideation and roads to recovery?
3. How is useful and valuable help and support described, in the suicidal processes, for help seeking and in the roads to recovery?
   1. How do they experience the health care system?
   2. For those not seeking help with suicide ideation: How do they describe barriers on individual, relational, organizational, and contextual levels?

Project group:

Marianne Larssen, Ph.D. candidate, SANKS, Sámi Klinihkka

Hege Kristin Andreassen, Ph.D., Centre for Care Research, Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT (main supervisor)

Anne Silviken, Ph.D., SANKS, Sámi Klinihkka/ Centre for Sami Health research, Institute for community medicine, UiT (project leader and co-supervisor)

Jon Anders Petter Stoor, Ph.D., Global Health, Ume University (co-supervisor)  

Prosjektet er finansiert av Helse Nord Forskningsfond