Project Yarn Circle: development and pilot evaluation of a cultural connection suicide prevention program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people
Creators: name: Gibson, Mandy
name: Rolls, Charles
name: Robson, Mark
name: Ward, Raelene
name: Stuart, Jaimee
name: Lambden, Debbie
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Science Policy
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Mental Health

description: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people experience markedly higher suicide mortality than non-Indigenous youth in Australia, yet there is little evidence of effective preventative strategies. Many are misaligned to the needs of First Nations young people due to a lack of consideration of protective factors such as community and cultural connection. To date no research has examined whether increasing cultural connectedness may reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicidality. The current study outlines the development, implementation, and pilot evaluation of Project Yarn Circle, a school-based suicide prevention initiative utilising cultural education and connection. Project Yarn Circle was piloted by an Indigenous owned and managed youth mental health organisation, delivering 5 weekly sessions to 276 young people at 9 schools in Southeast Queensland, Australia, between 2019 and 2023. Sessions connected students to cultural knowledge and practices (stories, painting, dance, Indigenous languages) with Elders and local cultural knowledge facilitators. Pre- and post-program evaluation questionnaires completed 6–8 weeks apart found that participants had significantly lower suicidal ideation (GHQ-18-SS), pre 7.16, post 6.61, <i>p</i> = .043 higher positive ideation/reasons for living (PANSI-PI) pre 22.44, post 23.60, <i>p</i> = .009, and higher self-esteem (RSES) pre 16.55, post 23.60, <i>p</i> = .005. Analyses of cultural connectedness items co-designed for this evaluation study and validated using Exploratory Factor Analysis found that students demonstrated greater cultural identity clarity, peer cultural competence, strength from culture, salience of cultural continuity and sense of belonging. These findings provide new evidence towards utilising cultural connectedness as an intervention mechanism in Indigenous youth suicide prevention. <b>What is already known about this topic:</b>Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide rates are persistently higher than for other young people, with little evidence of effective suicide prevention strategies.Interventions often are misaligned to the different risk and protective factors experienced by First Nations young people.Connection to culture is promoted as a unique protective factor to reduce suicide risk for First Nations young people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide rates are persistently higher than for other young people, with little evidence of effective suicide prevention strategies. Interventions often are misaligned to the different risk and protective factors experienced by First Nations young people. Connection to culture is promoted as a unique protective factor to reduce suicide risk for First Nations young people. <b>What this topic adds:</b>To our knowledge this is the first published cultural engagement intervention to report significant improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicidality, providing an example of the development and delivery of a new program approach.This is the first study to explore increases in connection to culture in conjunction with lowered suicidal ideation and higher reasons for living.The findings suggest that connection to culture can be used as a therapeutic mechanism to reduce suicidality. To our knowledge this is the first published cultural engagement intervention to report significant improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicidality, providing an example of the development and delivery of a new program approach. This is the first study to explore increases in connection to culture in conjunction with lowered suicidal ideation and higher reasons for living. The findings suggest that connection to culture can be used as a therapeutic mechanism to reduce suicidality.