Disability and Suicidal Ideation among Indigenous Adults in Canada: Cultural Resources as Contingencies

The present study asks: Is disability associated with suicidal ideation among Indigenous adults in Canada? And if so, do cultural resources-as measured by cultural identity affect, cultural group belonging, cultural engagement, and cultural exploration-modify this association?

Data were from a nationally representative sample of First Nations peoples living off-reserve, Métis, and Inuit across Canada-the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (N = 16,125). A series of weighted logistic regression models were performed.

Indigenous adults with disabilities were significantly more likely than those without disabilities to report suicidal ideation, even after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and physical and mental health conditions. At the same time, people with multiple disabilities were at greater risk for suicidal ideation, with the largest association among those with five or more disabilities. Furthermore, the detrimental association between disability status and suicidal ideation attenuated among those who reported cultural group belonging. In a similar vein, the buffering role of cultural group belonging was also observed in the association between the number of disabilities and suicidal ideation.

This study provides compelling evidence that disability is a risk factor for suicidal ideation among Indigenous adults and that cultural group belonging plays a stress-buffering role in this relationship.