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Youth And Adult Community Member Beliefs About Inupiat Youth Suicide And Its Prevention, Lisa Wexler, Brenda Goodwin

Lisa Wexler

Objectives. To better understand youth and adult community members’ perceived causes and possible preventative steps to address the high Inupiat youth suicide rates in Northwest Alaska. Study Design. A five-item, open-ended survey focusing on community members’ perceptions of suicide causes, warning signs, and protective factors was administered in the twelve Native villages served by the Maniilaq Association, a native non-profit organization. Methods. A total of 382 surveys were completed. Qualitative answers were assigned to categories by two reviewers. Main categories are described reflecting the percentages of all response categories and those of youth and adult respondents. To discern whether the …