No time to grieve: Inuit loss experiences and grief practices in Nunavik, Quebec.

This article presents an overview of past and current grief rituals and practices and existing grassroots and institutional initiatives seeking to address the complex, prolonged, and traumatic grief experienced by many Inuit living in Quebec. While conducting a study seeking to identify the strengths, resources, and challenges for Nunavik's Inuit communities related to end-of-life care, results emerged concerning how family caregivers' grief related to the dying process was compounded by the sequelae of historic loss experiences (e.g., losses related to Canada's federal policies, including residential schools, forced relocations, and dog slaughters) and by present loss experiences (e.g., tragic and sudden deaths in local communities). To better support caregivers, an understanding of these grief experiences and a vision of bereavement care inclusive of community mobilization efforts to develop bereavement training and support is needed. We conclude with a discussion of a community capacity approach to bereavement care.

Methodological consideration of story telling in qualitative research involving indigenous peoples.

BACKGROUND: The use of storytelling in qualitative research involving Inuit compliments the oral tradition of Inuit culture. The objective of the research was to explore the use of qualitative methods to gain understanding of the experience of living with diabetes, with the ultimate goal of better formulating health care delivery and health promotion among Inuit. METHODS: In-depth interviews were analyzed and interpreted using thematic analysis, open coding, and structured narrative analysis. Inuit community members acted as partners through all stages of the research. RESULTS: ''Because the more we understand, the more we're gonna do a prevention on it ... What I want is use my, use my diabetes, what I have ... so that it can be used by other people for prevention because they'll have understanding about it'' - an Inuk storyteller speaks to the value of education in health promotion. Key methodological issues found relevant to improving qualitative research with Indigenous Peoples include: (i) participatory research methods, grounded in principals of equity, through all phases of research; (ii) the presentation of narratives rather than only interpretations of narratives; (iii) understanding of culture, language, and place to frame the interpretation of the stories in the context within which storytellers experience living with their diabetes, and (iv) the value of multiple methods of analyses. INTERPRETATION: This article comments on the challenges of conducting rigorous research in a cross-cultural setting and outlines methodologies that can improve qualitative narrative analyses research. The research highlighted experiences of living with diabetes and the ways in which storytellers coped and negotiated social support.

Canadian Inuit community engagement in suicide prevention.

OBJECTIVES: To review suicide patterns among Inuit in Canada and highlight new developments in Inuit-driven and community-based suicide prevention. Study design. Narrative overview of suicide among Inuit in Canada, strides towards Inuit autonomy, and community and government action towards suicide prevention. METHODS: Review of Inuit meanings of mental health, movements towards Inuit control across Inuit Nunaat (the 4 Inuit regions) of Canada, and of community and government action towards suicide prevention. RESULTS: Economic advancement is occurring in Inuit Nunaat following land claim settlements, and territorial and provincial governments are overseeing Inuit well-being. Inuit community engagement in suicide prevention is taking place and studies are being planned to evaluate the efficacy of such action for suicide prevention and community mental health. Initial evidence demonstrates that community control over suicide prevention itself can be effective towards preventing suicide. CONCLUSIONS: A new orientation is taking place in Canada in the name of Aboriginal community empowerment. There is a new hope for the model of meaningful community engagement and partnership with the Canadian government in suicide prevention and well-being.

Living with diabetes on Baffin Island: Inuit storytellers share their experiences.

BACKGROUND: The prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a concern in Inuit communities across Canada. Although Inuit living with diabetes in remote Canadian Arctic communities could help guide the development of health services, their voices have not been heard. The experiences and perceptions of Inuit themselves are often overlooked in research. In this study, Inuit living in a small rural Arctic community on Baffin Island were invited to share their experiences of living with diabetes. METHODS: A qualitative multi-case study approach was taken. In-depth interviews (n=4), field observations, and informal interviews over one month in the community were used to build and contextualize the cases. In-depth interviews were transcribed, and analyzed using holistic thematic analysis and open coding. RESULTS: Accessibility was a concern with respect to foods, health knowledge, language interpretation and health services. In all methods of analysis, the importance of language and effective cross-cultural communication figured prominently. It was also evident that trust and rapport is crucial when discussing diabetes. There was strong interest in promoting diabetes education and prevention within the community. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that current health education and services may not be adequate for this setting. The voices of Inuit should be integral in steering the direction of their future diabetes education and health service delivery. Focusing on language barriers may help to improve the accessibility of knowledge about diabetes and nutrition, and enhance relationships between non-Inuit health service providers and Inuit.