Megan Humphreys, Jeffrey M. Lating, Ph.D., Matthew W. Kirkhart, Ph.D.
Risk and Protective Factors Related to Suicidal Ideation among Heavy Industry Workers in Labrador City, Newfoundland
According to the World Health Organization (WHO, suicide is the second leading cause
of death worldwide among individuals aged 15-29 years (WHO, 2017a). This daunting
statistic is a particularly acute concern for individuals who are members of the United
Steelworkers (USW) and are working in Labrador City, an isolated rural small mining
community in the province of Newfoundland, Canada that has been experiencing a “suicide
cluster” for approximately two years (A. McDougall, 2018).
The purpose of this research is to explore risk and protective factors within this
emotionally and physically challenging industrial environment that are associated
with suicidal ideation and behaviors. Data were collected using a convenience sample
of current and retired heavy industry workers (n=246) who self-selected to complete
standardized measures about the putative protective and pathology factors of depression,
alcohol consumption, trauma exposure, hope, and social support. These predictive factors
will be correlated with the total score of the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire (SBQR),
a short-form measure of overall suicidal ideation. Preliminary exploration of these
data will be presented. The results offer potentially meaningful implications for
community-wide interventions and could guide additional research, which will be explored
in the poster.
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