Conceptualising and co-designing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander systems approach to suicide prevention through Aboriginal participation action research

Abstract

Previous suicide prevention research has privileged Western worldviews and approaches. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide requires different approaches. This paper outlines the co-design process of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander systems approach to suicide prevention, using Aboriginal Participatory Action Research (APAR). It conceptualises the requirements for this systems approach, drawing on Indigenous Knowledge systems and methods of knowledge sharing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous scholars, knowledge holders, practitioners, community-controlled representatives, and lived-experience advocates convened to co-design this project. This paper demonstrates how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worldviews can be embedded throughout co-design, using APAR and Indigenous Consensus Yarning. The results highlight the need for culturally informed, empowering, and collective methods when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in suicide prevention research.