Abstract
In this small qualitative grounded theory study (21 interviews and focus groups with a total of 26 participants) investigating the understandings of and attitudes toward suicide and self‐harm of Aboriginal peoples in a coastal region of New South Wales, Australia, we found that cultural factors particular to these communities influence the way such behavior is defined in an Aboriginal context. A continuation of certain “traditional” cultural forms of self‐harm behavior was evident in participant definitions, notably the practice of female hair cutting, also described as a mourning ritual, which appears to serve as a marker both to the individual and others.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 182-189 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |