Whānau-based strategies for preventing rangatahi suicide

Dr Clive Aspin's recent work involves investigating the role of whānau in the coronial process for rangatahi suicide.

Dr Clive Aspin is a public health researcher with a focus on addressing health and social inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand. His most recent work involves investigating the role of whānau in the coronial process for rangatahi suicide via a Health Delivery Research Activation Grant from the Health Research Council.

Alongside a group of leading experts in youth mental health and suicide, Dr Aspin is analysing 10 years of coroners’ reports to ascertain whether whānau have been involved, or not, in the decision of the coroner.

This project will shine a light on pathways for future research into rangatahi suicide and provide important suicide prevention strategies.

“Sometimes there are very thorough coronial investigations into the events surrounding a suicide and whānau are invited into the courtroom, but that is not always the case,” says Dr Aspin.

“A lot of the solutions to problems that Māori experience reside within whānau. If whānau were to be involved in the coronial process, we would have a much greater understanding of why a person decided to take their own life by suicide.”

The research comes at a time when youth suicide is reaching crisis levels in Aotearoa, a trend Dr Aspin observed during his time as a senior specialist adviser on the Suicide Mortality Review Committee, a position he held until 2020. Suicide rates among young Māori are now the highest of young people in the world.

The exploration of how these issues affect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities is of particular importance to Dr Aspin, who can recall meetings where leading experts believed rainbow communities had no higher rate of suicide than other groups, an assertion that evidence has now proven otherwise.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to do research within the Māori community and within the LGBT community. These are communities with which I identify very strongly,” he says.

“I have personal experience of the disparities that these groups encounter, and I am still around to do this timely and important work. It is a great privilege.”