Coping with suicidal crisis in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland): inuit youth lived experiences of recovery and protective processes - a qualitative pilot study

Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) continues to experience a very high burden of suicide, while knowledge about culturally meaningful recovery processes remains limited. This qualitative pilot study explores how Inuit individuals with lived experience of suicide attempts describe coping, turning points, and pathways toward thriving lives. Six participants who had experienced suicide attempts in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, took part in semi-structured interviews conducted in Kalaallisut. Data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Findings show that recovery was not experienced as an individual trait but as a relational and culturally embedded process. Supportive relationships, cultural grounding, connections to nature and land based practices, language-accessible services, and opportunities for belonging and contribution functioned as key protective resources. Inuit worldviews, including understandings of Sila and Inua, and engagement with land-based practices supported emotional regulation, meaning-making, and hope.