Definitions of Suicide and Self‐Harm Behavior in an Australian Aboriginal Community |
| |
Authors: | Terri Farrelly DHlthSc Karen Francis RN PhD |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Executive Director of The Echidna Group—Indigenous Research & Development Consultancy, Thirroul, Australia;2. Head, School of Nursing and Midwifery and Professor Rural Nursing at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. |
| |
Abstract: | In this small qualitative grounded theory study (21 interviews and focus groups with a total of 26 participants) investigating the understandings of and attitudes toward suicide and self‐harm of Aboriginal peoples in a coastal region of New South Wales, Australia, we found that cultural factors particular to these communities influence the way such behavior is defined in an Aboriginal context. A continuation of certain “traditional” cultural forms of self‐harm behavior was evident in participant definitions, notably the practice of female hair cutting, also described as a mourning ritual, which appears to serve as a marker both to the individual and others. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|