Rural Perspectives on Suicide Prevention in Canada

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
10 May 2023

Abstract

Rural residence has been identified as a risk factor for suicide, especially for men. Little qualitative research exists on rural suicide, which might help deepen understandings of prevention strategies within rural places. Therefore, virtual focus groups were held across six Canadian provinces to give voice to rural community members and service workers about suicide prevention. Barriers to accessing services and the need to strengthen rural support networks were discussed. Enhancing peer support was highlighted as a strategy to better address the needs of rural Canadians.

Résumé

Le fait d’habiter en zone rurale a été identifié comme un facteur de risque de suicide, en particulier chez les hommes. Il existe peu de recherches qualitatives sur le suicide en zone rurale permettant d’approfondir la compréhension de stratégies de prévention. Pour pallier cette carence, des groupes de discussion virtuels ont été organisés dans six provinces canadiennes afin de donner la parole aux membres des communautés rurales et aux intervenants en prévention du suicide. Les obstacles à l’accès aux services et la nécessité de renforcer les réseaux de soutien en milieu rural ont été discutés. L’amélioration du soutien par les pairs a été mise en évidence comme une stratégie visant à mieux répondre aux besoins des Canadiens en zone rurale.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 42Number 1May 2023
Pages: 1 - 14

History

Version of record online: 10 May 2023

Key Words

  1. rural
  2. suicide
  3. suicide prevention
  4. peer support

Mots-clés

  1. zone rurale
  2. suicide
  3. prévention du suicide
  4. pair-aidance

Authors

Affiliations

Andrea E. Thomson [email protected]
Candice Waddell-Henowitch
Rachel Herron
Donna Epp
Kyrra Rauch
Kimberley D. Ryan
Sharran Mullins

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