Beyond Care: Validating a First Nations Mental Wellness Framework
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
5 April 2021
Abstract
Worldwide, Indigenous peoples focus on being well rather than merely managing diseases and illnesses. We have elaborated on a mental wellness framework earlier developed with Manitoba First Nations (FN). This article further explores wider community perspectives in relation to the themes previously shared by FN Elders. Surveys were administered to a simple random sample of participants by household in 8 participating FN communities. We determined what resonates from the wellness framework in order to expand understanding of mental wellness in FN communities. Appropriate application of traditional health knowledge and practices may result in increased self-awareness and contribute to mental well-being in FN people.
Résumé
Partout dans le monde, les peuples autochtones se concentrent sur le bien-être plutôt que sur la gestion des maladies. Nous avons précédemment détaillé un cadre de bien-être mental élaboré avec certains aînés des Premières Nations (PN) du Manitoba. Nous présentons ici des perspectives plus larges en lien avec les thèmes précédemment abordés avec ces aînés. Les enquêtes ont porté sur un échantillon aléatoire de familles issues de 8 communautés des PN. Nos résultats nous ont permis de définir un cadre plus large du mieux-être en incluant l’application appropriée des connaissances et pratiques traditionnelles en matière de santé, avec pour effet d’augmenter la prise de conscience et de contribuer ainsi au bien-être mental des PN.
Formats available
You can view the full content in the following formats:
References
Absolon K. 2010 Indigenous wholistic theory: A knowledge set for practice First Peoples Child and Family Review 5 2 74 -87
Adelson N. 1991 “Being alive well”: the praxis of Cree health Arctic Medical Research Suppl 230 -232
Adeponle A. B., Thombs B. D., Groleau D., Jarvis E., and Kirmayer L. J. 2012 Using the cultural formulation to resolve uncertainty in diagnoses of psychosis among ethnoculturally diverse patients Psychiatric Services 63 2 147 -153 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201100280
Auger M., Howell T., and Gomes T. 2016 Moving toward holistic wellness, empowerment and self-determination for Indigenous peoples in Canada: Can traditional Indigenous health care practices increase ownership over health and health care decisions? Canadian Journal of Public Health. Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique 107 4–5 e393 -e398 https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.107.5366
Boksa P., Joober R., and Kirmayer L. J. 2015 Mental wellness in Canada’s Aboriginal communities: striving toward reconciliation Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 40 6 363 -365
Brave Heart M. Y. H. 1998 The return to the sacred path: Healing the historical trauma and historical unresolved grief response among the Lakota through a psychoeducational group intervention Smith College Studies in Social Work 68 3 287 -305 https://doi.org/10.1080/00377319809517532
Davy C., Harfield S., McArthur A., Munn Z., and Brown A. 2016 Access to primary health care services for Indigenous peoples: A framework synthesis International Journal for Equity in Health 15 1 163 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0450-5
de Leeuw S. 2017 Putting calls into action: Treating aboriginal patients in collaboration with indigenous healers and elders Canadian Family Physician 63 1 56 -59
Firestone M., Smylie J., Maracle S., McKnight C., Spiller M., and O’Campo P. 2015 Mental health and substance use in an urban First Nations population in Hamilton, Ontario Canadian Journal of Public Health. Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique 106 6 e375 -381 https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.106.4923
The First Nations Information Governance Centre, F. (2014). Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAPTM): The Path to First Nations Information Governance. Author. Retrieved from https://fnigc.ca/sites/default/files/docs/ocap_path_to_fn_information_governance_en_final.pdf
Freemantle J., Ring I., Arambula Solomon T. G., Gachupin F. C., Smylie J., Cutler T. L., and Waldon J. A. 2015 Indigenous mortality (revealed): the invisible illuminated American Journal of Public Health 105 4 644 -652 https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301994
Gone J. P. 2011 The red road to wellness: cultural reclamation in a Native First Nations community treatment center American Journal of Community Psychology 47 1–2 187 -202 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9373-2
Greene M. C., Jordans M. J. D., Kohrt B. A., Ventevogel P., Kirmayer L. J., Hassan G., Chiumento A., van Ommeren M., and Tol W. A. 2017 Addressing culture and context in humanitarian response: preparing desk reviews to inform mental health and psychosocial support Conflict and Health 11 21 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-017-0123-z
Greenwood M. L. and de Leeuw S. N. 2012 Social determinants of health and the future well-being of Aboriginal children in Canada Paediatrics & Child Health 17 7 381 -384
Gundersen C. and Ziliak J. P. 2015 Food insecurity and health outcomes Health Affairs 34 11 1830 -1839 https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0645
Hackett C., Feeny D., and Tompa E. 2016 Canada’s residential school system: measuring the intergenerational impact of familial attendance on health and mental health outcomes Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 70 11 1096 -1105 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2016-207380
Hart, M. (2002). Seeking mino-pimatisiwin: An aboriginal approach to helping. Fernwood Publishers.
Hart, M. (2015). A brief overview of Indigenous ways of helping. In P. Menzies, L. F. Lavallée, Centre for Addiction Mental Health, & V. Harper, (Eds.), Journey to healing: Aboriginal people with mental health and addiction issues: What health, social service and justice workers need to know. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Health Intelligence, & Peachey, D. (2017). Provincial clinical and preventive services planning for Manitoba: Doing things differently and better. https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/documents/pcpsp.pdf
Isaak C. A. and Marchessault G. 2008 Meaning of health: The perspectives of Aboriginal adults and youth in a northern Manitoba First Nations community Canadian Journal of Diabetes 32 2 114 -122 https://doi.org/10.1016/s1499-2671(08)22008-3
Jessiman-Perreault G. and McIntyre L. 2017 The household food insecurity gradient and potential reductions in adverse population mental health outcomes in Canadian adults SSM Population Health 3 464 -472 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.05.013
Katz A., Enns J., and Kinew K. A. 2017 Canada needs a holistic First Nations health strategy Canadian Medical Association Journal 189 31 E1006 -E1007 https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.170261
Kinew, A. K., Paynter, F., & Chiefs, A. o. M. . . (2006). Language and wellbeing: Manitoba First Nations study to analyze the correlation between First Nations language use and wellbeing, as understood by the First Nations participants. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Kirmayer L., Simpson C., and Cargo M. 2003 Healing traditions: culture, community and mental health promotion with Canadian Aboriginal peoples Australasian Psychiatry 11 sup1 S15 -S23 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1038-5282.2003.02010.x
Kirmayer L. J., Dandeneau S., Marshall E., Phillips M. K., and Jenssen Williamson K. 2011 Rethinking resilience: From Indigenous perspectives Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 56 2 84 -91
Kyoon-Achan G., Lavoie J., Avery Kinew K., Phillips-Beck W., Ibrahim N., Sinclair S., and Katz A. 2018 Innovating for transformation in First Nations health using community-based participatory research Qualitative Health Research 28 7 1036 -1049 https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732318756056
Kyoon-Achan G., Lavoie J., Kinew K. A., Ibrahim N., Sinclair S., and Katz A. 2019 What changes would Manitoba First Nations like to see in the primary healthcare they receive? A qualitative investigation Healthcare Policy – Politiques de sante 15 2 85 -99 https://doi.org/10.12927/hcpol.2019.26069
Kyoon-Achan G., Phillips-Beck W., Lavoie J. G., Eni R., Sinclair S., Avery Kinew K., Ibrahim N., and Katz A. 2018 Looking back, moving forward: a culture-based framework to promote mental wellbeing in Manitoba First Nations communities International Journal of Culture and Mental Health 11 4 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/17542863.2018.1556714
Leung C. W., Epel E. S., Willett W. C., Rimm E. B., and Laraia B. A. 2015 Household food insecurity is positively associated with depression among low-income supplemental nutrition assistance program participants and income-eligible nonparticipants Journal of Nutrition 145 3 622 -627 https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.199414
Linklater, R. (2014). Decolonizing trauma work: Indigenous stories and strategies. Fernwood Publishing.
MacDonald J. P., Ford J. D., Willox A. C., and Ross N. A. 2013 A review of protective factors and causal mechanisms that enhance the mental health of Indigenous circumpolar youth International Journal of Circumpolar Health 72 21775 https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21775
Matheson K., Bombay A., Haslam S. A., and Anisman H. 2016 Indigenous identity transformations: The pivotal role of student-to-student abuse in Indian residential schools Transcultural Psychiatry 53 5 551 -573 https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461516664471
Oster R. T., Bruno G., Montour M., Roasting M., Lightning R., Rain P., Graham B., Mayan M. J., Toth E. L., and Bell R. C. 2016 Kikiskawawasow – prenatal healthcare provider perceptions of effective care for First Nations women: an ethnographic community-based participatory research study BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 16 1 216 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-1013-x
Phillips-Beck W., Kyoon-Achan G., Lavoie J. G., Krueger N., Kinew K. A., Sinclair S., Ibrahim N., and Katz A. 2019 Negotiation, reciprocity, and reality: The experience of collaboration in a community-based primary health care (CBPHC) program of research with eight Manitoba First Nations International Indigenous Policy Journal 10 4 https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2019.10.4.8334
Power E. M. 2008 Conceptualizing food security of aboriginal people in Canada Canadian Journal of Public Health. Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique 99 2 95 -97
Richmond C. A. 2007 Narratives of social support and health in Aboriginal communities Canadian Journal of Public Health. Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique 98 4 347 -351
Richmond C. A. M. and Ross N. A. 2009 The determinants of First Nation and Inuit health: A critical population health approach Health & Place 15 403 -411 https://doi.org/DOI:10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.07.004
Richmond, C. A. M., Ross, N. A., & Bernier, J. . . (2013). Exploring Indigenous concepts of health: The dimensions of Métis and Inuit health. In vol. 4: Moving Forward, Making a Difference. Aboriginal Policy Research Series. Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi). 115. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/aprci/115
Robbins J. A. and Dewar J. 2011 Traditional Indigenous approaches to healing and the modern welfare of traditional knowledge, spirituality and lands: A critical reflection on practices and policies taken from the Canadian Indigenous example International Indigenous Policy Journal 2 4
Rountree J. and Smith A. 2016 Strength-based well-being indicators for Indigenous children and families: A literature review of Indigenous communities’ identified well-being indicators American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research 23 3 206 -220 https://doi.org/10.5820/aian.2303.2016.206
Ryder A. G., Sunohara M., and Kirmayer L. J. 2015 Culture and personality disorder: from a fragmented literature to a contextually grounded alternative Current Opinion in Psychiatry 28 1 40 -45 https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0000000000000120
Schnarch B. First Nations Centre, & National Aboriginal Health Organization 2004 Ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP) or self-determination applied to research: A critical analysis of contemporary First Nations research and some options for First Nations communities Journal of Aboriginal Health 80 -95 https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijih/article/view/28934/24060
Todd R. 2008 Aboriginal peoples and the land: Ownership, understanding and development British Journal of Canadian Studies 21 1 105 -128 152
Waldram J. B. 2013 Transformative and restorative processes: revisiting the question of efficacy of indigenous healing Medical Anthropology 32 3 191 -207 https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2012.714822
Waldram J. B. 2014 Healing history? Aboriginal healing, historical trauma, and personal responsibility Transcultural Psychiatry 51 3 370 -386 https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461513487671
Wilk P., Maltby A., and Cooke M. 2017 Residential schools and the effects on Indigenous health and well-being in Canada—a scoping review Public Health Reviews 38 8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-017-0055-6
Willows N., Veugelers P., Raine K., and Kuhle S. 2011 Associations between household food insecurity and health outcomes in the Aboriginal population (excluding reserves) Health Reports 22 2 15 -20
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 40 • Number 1 • May 2021
Pages: 67 - 80
History
Version of record online: 5 April 2021
Key Words
Mots-clés
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Other Metrics
Citations
Cite As
Grace Kyoon-Achan, Naser Ibrahim, Rachel Eni, Wanda Phillips-Beck, Josée Lavoie, Kathi Avery Kinew, and Alan Katz. 2021. Beyond Care: Validating a First Nations Mental Wellness Framework. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
40(1): 67-80. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2021-005
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
There are no citations for this item
View Options
View options
Login options
Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Subscribe
Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
