Influences on the suicide crisis amongst First Nation Youth in northern Ontario

Suicide is an ongoing crisis for many First Nation communities in northern Ontario. First Nation youth taking their own lives as become highly prevalent in many small communities, leaving behind friends and family struggling with grief and loss. Despite a significant volume of literature on the suicide crisis, there are some gaps that continue to be seen on the influences on First Nation youth suicide. In utilizing secondary data analysis (SDA), this research explores the those influences in these areas: First Nation people's access to resources, grief and loss to suicide, the effects of Indian Residential School, and one’s connectedness to land, spirituality and culture. I discuss the effects of colonization and intergenerational trauma in relation to the findings. This research is conducted in hopes to expand future suicide prevention strategies and encourage ways the social work profession can better provide services for First Nation communities.