‘Hidden troubles’: Exploring suicide risk and suicide prevention with Gypsy and Traveller communities

Research team

• Dr Laura Tucker, Research Associate, University of York
• Professor Martin Webber, Professor of Social Work, University of York

Co-Investigators

• Dr Natalie Forster, Northumbria University

• Professor Gene Feder, University of Bristol

• Violet Cannon, York Traveller’s Trust

• Dr Mark Crowe, Humankind Charity

• Michaela Tyers

Project Summary

Research aim and background

Gypsy and Traveller communities experience high rates of suicide but they are often missed out of plans to prevent suicide in local areas. This means there is lots we still don’t understand about what leads to suicide among Gypsy and Traveller communities and how this can be prevented.

This research aims to find out what types of support would help to stop suicide from happening in Gypsy and Traveller communities.

We believe Gypsies and Travellers are best placed to decide what will help prevent suicide in their own communities. Our goal is to work with community partners and health professionals in Yorkshire and the North- East to develop a suicide prevention model, designed by and for Gypsy and Traveller Communities.

Research design and methods

The research uses a qualitative approach, which listens to the views of community members and health practitioners.

We will set up two groups of peer researchers with lived experience as Gypsies and Travellers who we will work alongside at all stages of the project.

After this, we will seek Gypsy and Traveller views on the risks and causes of suicide in their communities, and the forms of support which could help. As this is a sensitive topic, community members will be offered a choice in whether they speak to a peer or non-community researcher, and how they take part. This could involve group discussions, individual interviews, or activity-based sessions to help people feel more comfortable, such as arts and crafts, gardening or pool games.

We will also interview health professionals to understand how suggestions put forward by community members could be put into practice.

Patient and Public Involvement

This proposal came from discussion with Gypsies and Travellers about research topics they thought were important. Decisions to offer a flexible choice of data collection methods were also informed by community views.

Community voices are central at all stages of the research. Gypsy and Traveller community members form a core part of our project team, and peer researchers will shape the direction of the project as well as being actively involved in all stages of the research (including data collection, analysis, and sharing findings).