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Self-inflicted gunshot wounds among Alaska Natives
Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Alaska Natives experience a suicide rate three times higher than the U.S. population, with self-inflicted gunshot wounds being common. Interpersonal conflicts and alcohol use were noted factors in survivors of these incidents.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Psychiatry
- Sociology
Background:
- Violence, including suicide, is significantly increasing among Alaska Natives.
- Alaska Natives have a suicide rate three times higher than the general U.S. population.
- Self-inflicted gunshot wounds accounted for 75% of suicides among Alaska Natives between 1976 and 1980.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review psychiatric consultations of Alaska Native individuals who survived self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
- To identify common characteristics and contributing factors among survivors.
- To examine cultural and intrapsychic factors influencing high rates of self-destructive behavior.
Main Methods:
- Review of psychiatric consultations for 34 Alaska Native individuals who survived self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
- Analysis of demographic data, alcohol use, motivations, and psychiatric history.
- Examination of cultural factors, including communication styles and social changes.
Main Results:
- 28 of the 34 survivors were male.
- 20 survivors had used alcohol at the time of the shooting.
- Most shootings were impulsive, motivated by interpersonal conflicts, with few patients having a prior psychiatric history.
Conclusions:
- High rates of self-destructive behavior among Alaska Natives may be linked to cultural factors, such as the prohibition of expressing negative emotions.
- Increased non-Native influences contribute to social disorganization and cultural conflict, potentially exacerbating self-destructive tendencies.
- Understanding these complex factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions.