Native Americans Students

In the United States, there are 574 federally recognized Native American Nations, each with their own culture, history, and language. Indigenous communities have a wealth of unique cultural strengths, including the value of extended family and kinship, collectivist community mindset, ancestral knowledge and wisdom, traditional languages and cultural practices, and much more. It is important to recognize the enduring impacts of colonization, and ways that cultural and historical trauma have led to disparate mental health outcomes for Native Americans. As such, suicide remains a critical issue amongst Native & Indigenous populations in the United States. Specifically, the rate of suicide amongst Native American youth (ages 10-24) are almost twice as high as the national average.

According to studies, suicide risk of Native Americans may increase due to experiences such as:

• Ongoing trauma due to forced assimilation such as disruption of traditional language and cultural practices
• Relationships concerns
• Individual and parent unemployment and/or alcoholism

Barriers to seeking help may include:

• Mental health stigma and shame
• Less availability of mental health services, especially in rural areas or reservations
• Systems of care failing to address environmental, social, cultural, and spiritual matters
• Lack of culturally responsive mental health services

Protective factors that can decrease risk:

• Family support
• Commitment to tribal spirituality and sense of cultural belonging
• Community control over resources & institutions (education, safety, and health)
• Cultural reclamation efforts such as traditional language use, spiritual orientation, and cultural centers

Suicide prevention initiatives within Native American student communities may include:

• Culturally relevant and comprehensive suicide prevention approaches that address systemic inequities among Indigenous people
• Consider cultural values and practices such as storytelling and mind-body healing practices
• Increase access to culturally sensitive mental health services (i.e. cultural competency training for non-Native health professionals)