Canadian Research and Knowledge Translation Agenda on Suicide

What is the social-epigenetics of suicide risk as a co-occurring condition of FASD, and what is the intergenerational co-occurring risk?

Individuals diagnosed with FASD are at a greater risk for suicide, yet little is known about the social-epigenetics of this co-occurring cluster. As well, little is known about the intergenerational underpinning of this risk, including the unfortunate suicide risk potential of a mother who gives birth to a child who is diagnosed with FASD. Further, It is equally important to develop proactive prevention and intervention programs that focus on this co-occurring cluster, child and mother, FASD and suicide. This research would build on Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action and a recently developed social- biobanking initiative called Translating to the Community: A social epigenetic study of FASD. This University-Indigenous Community-FASD Clinic Social Biobank is seeking to develop an earlier diagnosis of FASD and its associated conditions and behaviours and to refine and develop programs that improve the quality of life for children, youth, adults, families and communities impacted by this life-long condition and social-biological-health cluster.

What strategies are most effective in reducing the number of boys and men dying by suicide?

Why is the number of male suicides roughly 3 times higher than that of females in most age categories?

Gendering suicide

How can those with lived experience be meaningfully engaged within suicide prevention and/or stigma reduction efforts?

Those with lived experience, such as suicide attempt survivors, suicide loss survivors, those with chronic suicide ideations, and/or those who care for them, are not always engaged in a meaningful way within suicide prevention efforts. They may be represented on councils or boards, but can be tokenised in this context and their knowledge may not be valued as highly as the clinical, academic knowledge shared at these tables. Additionally, when looking at stigma reduction efforts, celebrities who have experienced mental health experience are often sensationalized and used as an example of hope when often they are highly unrelatable. Many people with lived experience of suicidality may be lower income or without a permanent home or stable job, and may find that their intersectionality within multiple stigmatized populations has potential to give them less hope, not more, when they see examples of the rich and famous who have had the resources to support them in their healing journey. Those with lived experience have strong, passionate, knowledgeable voices. We should investigate how these voice would like to be meaningfully engaged within suicide prevention, stigma reduction, and suicidology research - and follow-up on the research findings by providing opportunities for this engagement to occur. This will engage a valuable perspective within suicide prevention work that will overall strengthen the validity and sincerity of suicide prevention within Canada.

What’s the relationship at a population level between macro-economic and social trends and suicide & what’s this mean for policy/programs?

Peer-reviewed publications of research studies and systematic reviews

These are NOT the most accessible nor quickest means of obtaining information. However, if one has a high stake in a topic (e.g., because one is personally or professionally invovled with the topic) and one doesn't want to rely on someone else's summary of the research, one really has to plow into the primary literature.

Educational material and fact sheets

Accessible documents that allow for various populations to access research findings and implement their suggestions

There is always a gap in time between the creation of knowledge and the implementation of that knowledge. This gap may be in part due to the difficulty of access to research findings by those outside of academic circles. Relevant research findings should not be available only to those with paid access to peer-reviewed journal articles or the ability to attend conferences. A knowledge transfer plan for suicide research findings should include free public access to information in various forms, such as online materials and print materials in accessible language. By working together to close the knowledge transfer gap, we can quicken the uptake of new, evidence-based practices, and overall improve the ability of communities at large to strengthen suicide prevention efforts.

One page, easy to read summary of research findings and impact on practice and/or behaviour

Traditional means of communication are great if you know how to access them and have the time to do so. Front-line practitioners and members of the public are usually lacking at least one of these requirements. Make it simple, in language that someone outside of health care can understand.

All mediums in easy to comprehend language

It's not the medium that needs to change it's the language so that all walks of life can understand, get rid of the medical language so the 90% of the population can be educated