142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Online Program

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

297886
"But I didn't want to go to hell" Addressing Faith Communities' Stigmatization of Suicide Among Young, Rural Micronesian Men

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Alexander Plum, MPH(c) , Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
  
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Significance: The Micronesian state of Chuuk has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Between the ages of 15 and 24, 1-in-40 young Chuukese men will complete suicide, according to a 2002 ethnographic study. Existing literature points to shifting dynamics within the extended family to explain why. This study is the first to explore how Christian religious identity informs the suicide experiences of young Chuukese men. Christian faith communities play an unmatched role setting cultural and moral norms. Many have stopped performing funerals and ministering to surviving victims of suicide. Suicide is regarded as sin and not considered a mental health issue to be treated or prevented.

Purpose: Taking an emic perspective, this study explored the cultural context of suicide among young men.

Methods: In-depth, face-to-face, qualitative interviews (n=39) were conducted with adolescent boys (aged 14-18) on rural islands in the Micronesian state of Chuuk in July 2013. Participants were recruited from among attendees of one of three adolescent health promotion camps from 2010 to 2012. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the data.

Findings: Three main themes emerged from the data: 1) ideated or attempted suicide was triggered by a conflict within a young man’s family (usually between son and parent); 2) young men kept secret their suicidal intentions because of feelings of shame and embarrassment; and 3) these feelings were rooted in the teachings of faith communities that suicide is sinful and morally wrong.

Discussion/Conclusion: Because of the shame and resultant secrecy that surrounds young Chuukese men’s suicidal ideation, opportunities to intervene are rare. Engaging faith communities in dialogue about this issue will help promote a broader understanding of mental illness. This is an important first step to build culturally competent public health interventions that address and prevent ideated and attempted suicide.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the cultural context of suicide in this region. Identify barriers to suicide-prevention interventions for young men in this region.

Keyword(s): Asian and Pacific Islanders, Child/Adolescent Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I lived in the Mortlocks outer-island region of Chuuk, Fed. States of Micronesia from 2008-2011 as a Peace Corps Volunteer. There I taught high school English and facilitated community-based participatory research to identify strategies to address and prevent suicide among young men. I partnered with community and church leaders to initiate a culturally-competent psychoeducational week-long camp for boys promoting healthy adolescence and addressing suicide. This camp is now in its fourth year.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3336.0: Global perspectives and approaches to Asian and Pacific Islander health