Harnessing Community Strengths: Social Support Dynamics and Suicide Prevention Among Alaska Native Youth

Background and Purpose: Alaska Native (AN) youth experience disproportionately high rates of youth suicide, and have an abundance of social resources, which are often more plentiful and preferred than clinical care. Recent suicide prevention scholarship emphasizes the importance of building on local resources and strengthening social ties. This study uses survey data to report “support profiles” for AN youth, including people in their community (parents, other family members, friends, and service providers like clinicians and teachers), who they give and receive support from.

Methods: Cross sectional survey data, collected as part of a participatory intervention study focused on Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES), was used to describe the types (types (i.e., category), quantities (i.e., distribution and average number), sources (i.e., from whom), and frequencies (i.e., how often) of social support that AN young people (15-29) in rural and remote Alaska villages report giving and receiving. We also examined if these “support profiles” differ by age and gender.

Results: We find that: 1) most ANs reported receiving and giving nearly all supports, 2) compared with females, males reported giving and receiving fewer supports on average, 3) family was the most selected support, followed by close friends, and with service providers giving the least support, and 4) family (e.g., parents, siblings, and grandparents) provided support regularly (i.e., monthly or more). There were notably few differences by gender or age in self-reports of actions related to suicide prevention, except for differences by gender for offering interpersonal support to others. Findings inform future avenues for interventions targeted toward AN youth, particularly in relation to appropriate and useful support for young AN men.

Conclusions and Implications: Overall, this study highlights the preventative actions already happening through existing social support networks in rural AN communities and identifies common supportive and preventative actions and interactions. We underscore how community-based suicide prevention strategies may fruitfully engage existing social support networks to share prevention information, amplify community-based interpersonal support, reduce suicide risk and promote help-seeking for young people. Enhancing already existing relationships and resources, this study underscores the untapped potential of engaging with families and community members in prevention strategies to strengthen intergenerational support networks and home and community safety.