Una consideración de los factores que contribuyen al suicidio indígena en Guatemala:

Abstract

Background: The Guatemalan municipality of Nebaj is an indigenous Mayan community with suicide rates perceived to be higher than the national average. Aims: This article assesses perceptions of factors related to suicide in Nebaj to inform suicide prevention strategies. Method: This research uses qualitative and quantitative methods. The data come from 19 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Nebaj along with case reviews of official administrative records from the National Civil Police (PNC) and aggregate statistics of official suicide records collected by the PNC and the Nebaj hospital. Results: Local stakeholders link suicide to outstanding debts, the dissolution of romantic relationships, mental health issues, intrafamilial conflicts and substance abuse. At the community-level, interviewees cite the dissolution of families via migration and resulting debts. Limitations: Public institutions that address suicide are siloed and do not work together or collect data for the same purposes. Available data are fragmented and difficult to align across sources. Conclusion: Interviews reveal common themes in perceived contributing factors in suicide in Nebaj. Empirical data show that young people are more likely to participate in both fatal and non-fatal suicide attempts. Analyses also show that the most prevalent method of suicide is ingestion of agricultural pesticides.