Suicide in a Colombian indigenous community: Beyond mental illness.

BACKGROUND

Among the causes associated with suicide there are social factors such as forced displacement has been described and health factors in general that have an impact on pediatric mental health.

AIMS: To describe clinical and psychosocial factors, and their relationship with suicidal behavior in a Colombian indigenous community.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

The mean age were 9.23 years old, 53.7% male and 46.3% female.

METHOD: Mixed approach study. A thematic analysis was carried out with the youth of the community to investigate emotional aspects. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out and correlations between variables were made.

RESULTS

Correlations were found between suicidal behavior and medical findings. When comparing the mental health disorders and nutritional problems, statistically significant differences were found in the Suicide Risk domain (<.001). This was reaffirmed in the thematic analysis, where factors such as migration and difficulty understanding the language are highlighted as related to suicidal behavior in the pediatric population.

CONCLUSIONS

Suicidal behavior should not be approached solely from psychopathology. Hunger, the weakening of one's own culture, armed conflict, migration, and other clinical conditions are found to be associated with suicidal behavior.