Socio-psychological factors of rising trend of suicidal ideation among Indigenous workforce: Evidence from Himalayan Range

Apart from socio-economic disparities, indigenous people of the Himalayan range in Asia face an increasing trend of suicides. The tragic suicidal events usually go unaddressed, and no strategies are presently in place to mitigate suicides in the future. This study aims to explain the prevailing causes of suicidal ideation to come up with some policy recommendations. Through a preliminary survey, we identified social stigma, social isolation, lack of healthcare facilities, and domestic violence as the potential reasons for suicidal ideation. We identified individuals with suicide ideation for further data collection to test the relationships between the identified variables and suicidal ideation. A quantitative, explanatory and cross-sectional design was used to test the hypotheses. Inferential statistics were applied to the data containing 314 responses, and the results revealed that all the predictive variables influence the formation of suicidal ideation. The study uncovered some new dimensions of social stigma and social isolation that are common among the indigenous people. The results also indicate that some domestic violence is socially acceptable and considered a normal familial matter. The findings have theoretical and practical implications. We have identified new dimensions of social stigma, social isolation, and domestic violence that are new additions to the existing bank of literature. It provides insights to encourage public authorities, healthcare providers, and NGO managers to play their role in the right direction to mitigate the problem. This study opens further venues for researchers to investigate the complex issue of suicide more deeply.