DISTINGUISHING DIFFERENCES IN PATHWAYS TO RESILIENCE AMONG CANADIAN YOUTH (original) (raw)

The CIET Aboriginal Youth Resilience Studies: 14 Years of Capacity Building and Methods Development in Canada

Pimatisiwin, 2008

CIET started supporting Canadian Aboriginal community-based researchers of resilience in 1995. An evolving approach to Aboriginal resilience used a combination of standard instruments and questionnaires of local design. Over the years, CIET measured personal assets like sense of coherence, spirituality, knowledge, pride in one's heritage, mastery or self-efficacy, self-esteem, low levels of distress, involvement in traditional ways and activities, church attendance. Other indicators reflected the social dimension of resilience: feeling supported; parental care and support; parental monitoring, attitudes, and example; peer support; and support from the wider community.Pride in one's heritage, self-esteem, low distress, and mastery were measurable personal assets of resilient Aboriginal youth in a variety of cultures and circumstances. Early efforts to link resilience with specific features of culture or spirituality did not meet with success - largely reflecting failure to as...

Indigenous Youth and Resilience in Canada and the USA: a Scoping Review

Adversity and Resilience Science

Relative to non-Indigenous youth, Indigenous youth have been under-represented when studying pathways to mental wellness. Yet, a broad range of adversity is acknowledged, from intergenerational and ongoing trauma arising from colonial policies. This scoping review explores resilience definitions, measures, key stressors, and what Indigenous youth identify as pathways to their wellness, based on quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed literature in Canada and the Continental United States. Eight databases (EBSCO, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Social Science Citation Index, Web of Science, PsycARTICLES, and EMBASE) and hand searches of 7 relevant journals were conducted to ensure literature coverage. Two independent reviewers screened each article, with one Indigenous screener per article. The final scoping review analysis included 44 articles. In articles, no Indigenous term for resilience was found, but related concepts were identified (“walking a good path,” “good mind,” Grandfather...

A Systematic Review of Resilience Research among Indigenous Youth in Contemporary Canadian Contexts

The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 2017

The following article is a systematic review of health literature that considers processes of resilience among Indigenous youth in Canadian contexts. Through a systematic review of seventeen mixed-methods studies, this article briefly outlines the health disparities that exist among this population, while at the same time examining how resilience processes can inform strength-based approaches designed to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous youth in Canada. Central themes and prevalent findings discussed from this review include: (1) the role of cultural continuity; (2) community and family ties; and (3) empowering youth programs. Future implications for public health and community wellness initiatives should include a collaborative approach alongside Indigenous youth and their communities to understand resilience better as well as incorporating these relevant findings to contribute to strength within health and wellness related programming.

Instruments for Measuring the Resilience of Indigenous Adolescents: An Exploratory Review

Frontiers in Public Health, 2019

Introduction: Resilience is enabled by internal, individual assets as well as the resources available in a person's environment to support healthy development. For Indigenous people, these resources and assets can include those which enhance cultural resilience. Measurement instruments which capture these core resilience constructs are needed, yet there is a lack of evidence about which instruments are most appropriate and valid for use with Indigenous adolescents. The current study reviews instruments which have been used to measure the resilience of Indigenous adolescents in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (the CANZUS nations). The aim is to provide guidance for the future use of instruments to measure resilience among Indigenous adolescents and provide recommendations for research to strengthen evidence in this area. Method: Instruments were identified through a systematic search of resilience intervention and indicator studies targeting Indigenous youth from CANZUS nations. The studies were analyzed for information on the constructs of resilience measured in the instruments, their use with the targeted groups, and their psychometric properties. A second search was conducted to fill in any gaps in information. Instruments were included if they measured at least one construct of resilience reflecting individual assets, environmental resources, and/or cultural resilience. Results: A total of 20 instruments were identified that measured constructs of resilience and had been administered to Indigenous adolescents in the CANZUS nations. Instruments which measured both individual assets and environmental resources (n = 7), or only environmental resources (n = 6) were most common. Several instruments (n = 5) also measured constructs of cultural resilience, and two instruments included items addressing all three constructs of individual assets, environmental resources, and cultural resilience. The majority of the reviewed studies tested the reliability (75%) and content or face validity (80%) of instruments with the target population. Conclusion: There are several validated instruments available to appropriately measure constructs of resilience with Indigenous adolescents from CANZUS nations. Further work is needed on developing a consistent framework of resilience constructs to guide research efforts. Future instrument development and testing ought to focus on measures which include elements of all three core constructs critical to Indigenous adolescent resilience.

A Systematic Scoping Review of the Resilience Intervention Literature for Indigenous Adolescents in CANZUS Nations

Frontiers in Public Health, 2020

Background: The concept of resilience offers a strengths-based framework for interventions to enhance Indigenous adolescent social and emotional well-being. Resilience interventions in or with schools encompass individual, social, and environmental factors that encourage health-promoting behaviors and assist adolescents in navigating toward resources that can sustain their health and well-being in times of adversity. This scoping review examined the literature on resilience-enhancing interventions for Indigenous adolescent students in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (CANZUS nations). Intervention strategies, adherence to theoretical constructs, and outcomes were analyzed. Methods: A systematic search was conducted of intervention studies aimed at improving Indigenous adolescent resilience and published in CANZUS nations between January 1990 and May 2016. Eleven peer-reviewed databases and 11 websites and clearing houses were searched for relevant studies. Following double-blinded screening, a total of 16 intervention papers were included for analysis. Study characteristics were identified and study quality was assessed using appropriate assessment tools. Results: Twelve interventions (75%) were delivered in school settings and four (25%) were community-based, conducted in partnership with schools. Seven publications (44%) reported interventions focused exclusively on fostering individual resilience. Another seven (44%) included components that aimed to build staff, school, and/or community capacity to support adolescent resilience, and two (12.5%) had community/school capacity-building as the primary focus. Culturally based approaches to enhancing resilience were evident in most studies (81%). The publications documented the use of a range of program models, processes, and activities aligned with resilience theory. Positive outcomes were reported for improved individual assets (e.g., strengthened self-esteem and Indigenous identity), environmental resources (e.g., increased peer support and social/community connection), and increased community capacity (e.g., increased youth training and leadership opportunities). On average, study quality was assessed as moderate to high. The strongest evidence of intervention effectiveness was for improvements in mental health symptoms and outcomes. Jongen et al. Resilience Interventions for Indigenous Adolescents Conclusion: Interventions indicated strong alignment with ecological and culturally based resilience theories and models. While the results of the studies indicate some positive impacts on the resilience of Indigenous adolescents, future evaluations should aim to ensure high study quality and focus on measuring strengths-based resilience outcomes.

Intersectionality of Resilience: A Strengths-Based Case Study Approach With Indigenous Youth in an Urban Canadian Context

Qualitative Health Research, 2020

By bringing together two important areas of contemporary health research—resilience among Indigenous youth and intersectionality theory—this study advances an intersectionality of resilience framework that exposes intersecting forms of oppression within inner city urban contexts, while also critically reframing intersectionality to include strength-based perspectives of overlapping individual, social, and structural resilience-promoting processes. Drawing on Indigenous methodologies, a “two-eyed seeing” approach, and Stake’s case study methodology involving multiple data sources (i.e., four sharing circles, 38 conversational interviews, four rounds of photovoice, and naturalistic interactions that occurred with 28 youth over an entire year), this qualitative study outlines three intersecting processes that facilitate youth resilience and wellness in various ways: (a) strengthening cultural identity and family connections; (b) engagement in social groups and service to self and commu...

Cultural continuity, identity, and resilience among Indigenous youth: Honoring the legacies of Michael Chandler and Christopher Lalonde

Transcultural Psychiatry, 2024

This essay is an introduction to the thematic issue of Transcultural Psychiatry in honor of the work of Michael Chandler and Christopher Lalonde, developmental psychologists who made essential contributions to the study of identity and wellness among Indigenous youth in Canada and internationally. We outline their major contributions and illustrate the ways their innovative theory and methods have inspired decades of research, including the recent work presented in this issue, which addresses four broad themes: (1) the importance of a developmental perspective in mental health research; (2) the role of individual and collective continuity of identity in suicide prevention and mental health promotion; (3) Indigenous perspectives on trauma and resilience; and (4) Indigenous knowledge and values as a basis for culturally adapted and culturally grounded mental health services and interventions.

Mapping resilience pathways of Indigenous youth in five circumpolar communities

Transcultural psychiatry, 2014

This introduction to the Special Issue Indigenous Youth Resilience in the Arctic reviews relevant resilience theory and research, with particular attention to Arctic Indigenous youth. Current perspectives on resilience, as well as the role of social determinants, and community resilience processes in understanding resilience in Indigenous circumpolar settings are reviewed. The distinctive role for qualitative inquiry in understanding these frameworks is emphasized, as is the uniquely informative lens youth narratives can offer in understanding Indigenous, cultural, and community resilience processes during times of social transition. We then describe key shared cross-site methodological elements of the Circumpolar Indigenous Pathways to Adulthood study, including sampling, research design, procedures, and analytic strategies. The site-specific papers further elaborate on methods, focusing on those elements unique to each site, and describe in considerable detail locally salient stre...

Perspectives on childhood resilience among the Aboriginal community: an interview study

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 2017

To describe Aboriginal community members' perspectives on the outcomes and origins of resilience among Aboriginal children. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 36 Aboriginal adults (15 health service professionals, 8 youth workers and 13 community members) at two urban and one regional Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in New South Wales. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically. We identified six themes: withstanding risk (displaying normative development, possessing inner fortitude); adapting to adversity (necessary endurance, masking inner vulnerabilities); positive social influences (secure family environments, role modelling healthy behaviours and relationships); instilling cultural identity (investing in Aboriginal knowledge, building a strong cultural self-concept); community safeguards (offering strategic sustainable services, holistic support, shared responsibility, providing enriching opportunities); and personal empowerment (awareness...