The tragedy of becoming tired of living : youth and young adults' suicide in Greenland and Denmark
Background: Suicide is a tremendous public health issue and worldwide the second leading cause of death among young people. In 2015, Greenland had the highest burden of disease due to self-harm with loss of 2,952.97 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 inhabitants, more than six times as many...
| Published in: | International Journal of Social Psychiatry |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8609870 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8609870 https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764018766198 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8609870/file/8609871 |
| Summary: | Background: Suicide is a tremendous public health issue and worldwide the second leading cause of death among young people. In 2015, Greenland had the highest burden of disease due to self-harm with loss of 2,952.97 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 inhabitants, more than six times as many as Denmark. Aims: What are possible reasons for Greenland's higher youth suicide rate compared to Denmark, despite being one kingdom of Denmark? Method: Mixed methods in the form of qualitative, semi-structured interviews, the analysis of available data for 2003-2016 and a literature review were conducted with the aim to answer this question. Results: Several exposures cause this difference, most significantly adverse effects of the colonial past, such as social issues and experienced traumas in Greenland compared to its former coloniser Denmark. Conclusion: The ongoing burden of youth suicide in Greenland requires enhanced actions of all stakeholders involved in suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. |
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