New publication explores Healing of the Canoe (HOC) suicide prevention outcomes

Healing of the Canoe (HOC) is a community-derived, culturally-grounded, and flexible curriculum for native youth that builds a connection to culture and community and teaches skills that increase participants’ feelings of hope, optimism, and self-efficacy.

The recently published paper, Healing of the Canoe: Preliminary Suicide Prevention Outcomes Among Participating and Non-Participating Youth, examines self-reported survey outcomes after the addition of suicide prevention and intervention modules into the curriculum and includes a comparison group of similar youth.

Youth that completed the additional modules experienced a significant positive effect on the hope and resilience scales from pre- to post-survey, while these scales decreased among youth that didn't complete the additional modules. While more research is needed, the results from this preliminary study are promising.