Psychological Well-being in Indigenous Communities: Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Interventions

Spatial proximity methods examine the minimum travel distance or time needed to access the nearest health service from residential locations , the average travel distance or time to all or selected health services, or the quantity of health services that can be reached within a specified distance that patients can accept . This process is composed of four stages, including (1) recognising the problem, (2) deciding to seek help, (3) deciding that the service to be received will be helpful, and (4) contacting the service provider (e.g., locating an accessible mental health service facility, selecting a proper health practitioner to seek treatment, and https://www.bet.com/article/n1rvpe/suicide-and-young-black-men-why-the-brothers-feel-alone physically accessing the service facility) 43, 44. We employed a comprehensive set of keywords to encompass various terms related to Indigenous populations’ mental health service studies. Potential access can be measured as geographical accessibility, namely the extent of individuals’ potential access to available services within a specific geographical area . This is not only true of Native American people, but also of the mainstream U.S. population, where despite all the money spent on mental health science, every single population-level metric has worsened in the past two decades. We worked together to figure out how to package traditional practices and healing into the health services they offered for their urban Indian clientele.

Mental wellness in Canada’s Aboriginal communities: striving toward reconciliation

• Meta-analysis could not be conducted due to the heterogeneity of the study designs.
• The RMWB is located in a northern region within the Canadian province of Alberta and on Treaty 8 Traditional Territory, which encompasses a landmass of approximately 840,000 square kilometres and is home to 39 First Nations communities across the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and the Northwestern Territories.
• Research that examined how Indigenous residents coped after the 2016 Horse River wildfire revealed the importance of kinship, social and community support, and connection to culture as positive coping mechanisms and factors influencing mental health and well-being .
• Reasons why include difficulties in securing funding, low participation rates and questions around the cultural appropriateness of using Western methodology to measure Indigenous psychology.

These conditions contribute to important contextual factors that influence mental health and overall well-being of AI/AN communities. Self-governance allows for significant policy and programmatic-driven decisions by and for tribal communities in a variety of domains, including health care and economy (The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, 2008). However, a history of genocidal practices, cultural assaults, and continuing oppression contribute to high rates of mental health and substance use disorders. CMHA provides advocacy, programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most established, most extensive community mental health federation in Canada.

Strengthening primary health care to tackle racial discrimination, promote intercultural…

Additionally, youth who had been transported to a tertiary care center could be referred to RNTS for follow-up care upon their discharge back to their community. Most Indigenous communities had telehealth equipment within their nursing stations or health centers, although the infrastructure and equipment in some locations was rudimentary. This mass trauma has been linked to negative mental health outcomes that continue today through effects of intergenerational trauma .

Offers immediate help for all Indigenous peoples across Canada 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The second root -niw- means “a person,” making kisêyiniw not just an old man, but a protector and a caretaker who sacrifices for future generations. While English is an analytic, noun-based language, Nêhîyawêwin (the Cree language) and many other Indigenous languages are polysynthetic, verb-based and highly contextual. Helping work is guided by an ethic of relational accountability and powered time spent together and deep, action-based dialogue.

Twenty studies had Indigenous individuals or organizations involved in some decision-making capacity, though extent of involvement varied widely. In total, 21 studies were eligible, comprising 8 randomized controlled trials, 10 single-group pre–post studies and 3 pre–post studies with comparison groups. MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Behavioural Research Ethics Board (BREB) of the University of British Columbia (UBC Ethics—18 July 2006 approval code # B ; VCH Ethics—25 July 2006, approval code# VC06-025).