Exploring the lived experiences of native american women of the northern plains who have lost a loved one to suicide: mental health implications – ProQuest. (n.d.). 

Abstract

For every completed suicide without accounting for race or ethnicity it is estimated there are at least six other people who are intimately affected. They are referred to as survivors of suicide. Among the Native American people, the intentional taking of one’s life is contradictory to the cultural worldview yet the rates of suicide have reached an alarming rate among many Tribal communities. Despite such adversity, Native American women have remained resilient and have persevered; yet the research has largely ignored the voices of these women as survivors of suicide. When it comes to addressing the loss associated with losing a loved one to suicide among Native American people, Native America women have been at the heart of this loss. Through a qualitative phenomenological methodology and a resiliency and cultural resiliency theoretical framework, data was generated from in-depth interviews with ten Native American women. This study allowed Native American women of the northern plains to have a voice in describing the lived experiences of losing a loved one to suicide and some insight has been gained into the coping methods of a specific group of survivors of suicide. This research study has begun to address the unique experiences of Native American women who are survivors of suicide by identifying culturally relevant themes related to suicide survivorship in order to guide, improve and implement strategies related to survivors of suicide among Native American people.