Indigenous suicide rates investigated
THE ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma, disempowerment and disengagement cannot be overlooked if Indigenous suicide rates are to be reduced, according to University of Southern Queensland Associate Professor Raelene Ward.
A registered nurse, Dr Ward is a senior lecturer at USQ’s College for Indigenous Studies Education and Research School of Nursing, and recently completed her PhD in suicide prevention, specifically exploring Aboriginal understandings of suicides.
“It is well known that suicides among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are much more frequent in comparison to other Queenslanders,” Dr Ward said.
“I consulted more than 50 Aboriginal residents across Darling Downs and the South West Queensland who have been affected by suicide and understand their experiences, where they feel they were let down or what could have been done differently, and their ideas around what could put in place for their communities in the future.
“Our region has been affected greatly by suicide in recent years, and there’s been a lot of commentary from the Indigenous community around negative experiences with attempting to access mental health services and support.”
Professor Ward will share the key findings of her research at a community forum in Toowoomba next month.
“Some people wonder how things that happened in Aboriginal families sixty, seventy or eighty years ago can impact a young person today to the point of taking their own life, but these are traumatic events that have played a factor in modern day disadvantage within the larger social and health context,” she said.