“If you do not birget [manage] then you don’t belong here”: a qualitative focus group study on the cultural meanings of suicide among Indigenous Sámi in arctic Norway

Abstract

Suicide is a major public health issue across the Arctic, especially among Indigenous Peoples. The aim of this study was to explore and describe cultural meanings of suicide among Sámi in Norway. Five open-ended focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 22 Sámi (20) and non-Sámi (2) participants in South, Lule, Marka, coastal and North Sámi communities in Norway. FGDs were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed employing thematic analysis. Six themes were developed from the analysis: “Sámi are treated negatively by the majority society”, “Some Sámi face negative treatment from other Sámi”, “The historic losses of the Sámi have turned into a void”, “Sámi are not provided with equal mental health care”, “The strong Sámi networks have both positive and negative impacts” and “‘Birgetkultuvvra’ might be a problem”. The findings indicate that the participants understand suicide among Sámi in relation to increased problem load for Sámi (difficulties in life not encountered by non-Sámi) and inadequate problem-solving mechanisms on different levels, including lack of equal mental health care for Sámi and cultural values of managing by oneself (“ieš birget”). The findings are important when designing suicide prevention initiatives specifically targeting Sámi.

The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review

“…On the other hand, for indigenous populations, deforestation has a deeper impact, leading to profound maladaptive disorders and depression. In general, people believe that forests are a source of health and protection from various types of stress (132).…”

“…Among these populations, the elderly is a clear example of difficulty in re-adaptation. These minorities and atrisk groups, such as the Inuit communities, first nations, and aborigines (146), are experiencing rapid change in climatic conditions (132,147,148). In the Canadian arctic, the Inuit refer to having a protective factor for their mental health and well-being in "being on the land".…”

Suicide among reindeer herding Sámi in Sweden, 1961–2017

“…Fourthly, men might run a higher risk, as they are more often directly responsible for the herding business in the family. Fifthly, the focus on independence and autonomy in male gender roles is perhaps leading males into a gender trap, where they cannot ask for help or solve their personal problems [9,10,20]. This is especially worrisome as the only study on mental health in the reindeer herding population in Sweden found that almost 40% of reindeer herding men reported clinically relevant (mild to severe) levels of anxiety symptoms, as measured with the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) [21].…”

“…Also, sociocultural dynamics such as traditional "hardening" up-bringing styles, lateral violence and multiplex relations among Sámi are being discussed in the Sámi discourse on suicide. The small, tight-knit Sámi community may result in many bereaved by each case of suicide [9,10].…”

“…Two small clusters of suicide among young male reindeer herders during the last decades made suicide a matter of great concern in the Sámi community. The authors have been engaged in a number of projects over time to study and contribute to prevent further suicides [7][8][9][10]. There is an urgent need for more data on the nature of reindeer herder suicide in Sweden [11,12].…”