intergenerational trauma and the protective effects of culture in relation to Mental Health among Indigenous populations

VIDEO AND SLIDES

The video is available for viewing above or from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9S23z9_EQs&t=5s
To download the powerpoint slides from the event, click here.

These materials are available for non-commercial use only. If you use of these materials for non-commercial purposes, please make sure to give proper attribution: 

Bombay, Amy. (2023, March 2). Intergenerational trauma and the protective effects of culture in relation to mental health among Indigenous populations - SFU Psychology Indigenous Reconciliation Committee: Invited Scholar Colloquium, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9S23z9_EQs&t=5s

The events and recording are offered free to attendees and others. If you would like to make a donation in appreciation of these materials, please see below for some suggestions.

ABOUT THE EVENT

When: March 2, 2023
Format: Virtual Zoom

As with other events in the Indigenous Scholar Speaker Series, there was a main pubic colloquium. Additionally, there will be a smaller event for Indigenous students to meet in a small group with each other and the invited speaker immediately after the public colloquium.

Opening was provided by Elder Marie Hooper.

This event was organized by Psychology's Indigenous Reconciliation Committee as part of the Indigenous Scholar Speaker Series, which combines public main colloquia, with a small group meeting for selected Indigenous students. 

We are pleased that the Developmental Psychology Area of the SFU Department of Psychology joined the SFU Psychology's IRC as a co-sponsor by co-funding this pair of events. We are appreciative of the Developmental Psychology area's support in helping make the events possible. 

The events were offered free to attendees. If you would like to make a donation in appreciation, you may wish to consider some of the following options:
- the First Nation Children and Family Caring Society, visit: https://fncaringsociety.com/what-you-can-do/donate
- the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, visit: https://www.irsss.ca/
- Indspire, visit: https://indspire.ca/ways-to-give/donate/

Abstract for the main colloquium:

The health and wellness of Indigenous peoples continues to be affected by ongoing and intergenerational consequences of colonialism. Our work focuses on identifying the root causes of health and social inequities that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This presentation will highlight our research program that uses population data and community-research to understand how the Indian Residential school system and other harmful government policies have come to impact health and wellness in Indigenous populations. We will examine the pathways through which the effects of collectively experienced stress and trauma can be passed down across generations, as well as how culture and cultural identity can protect against these negative outcomes and promote wellness. 
 

About Dr. Amy Bombay:

Dr. Amy Bombay (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Amy Bombay is a member of Rainy River First Nations and her primary areas of inquiry have explored the links between intergenerational and contemporary exposure to stress and trauma, cultural identity, and health among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Her research exploring the different pathways by which the effects of Indian Residential Schools are transmitted across generations has been influential in educating the public about the long-term effects of colonialism and in influencing policy and practice related to Indigenous health

For more information: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/health/nursing/faculty-staff/faculty/amy-bombay.html
 

SELECTED RESOURCES

• Hahman, T., Perri, A., ..., Bombay, A. (2022). Parent and/or grandparent Grandparent Attendance at Residential School and Dimensions of Cultural Identity and Engagement: Associations with Mental Health and Substance Use among First Nations Adults Living off Reserve. Society and Mental Health. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/21568693221108766
  
• McQuaid, R. J., Schwartz, F. D., Blackstock, C., Matheson, K., Anisman, H. and Bombay, A. (2022). Parent-Child Separations and Mental Health among First Nations and Métis Peoples in Canada: Links to Intergenerational Residential School Attendance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (11), https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116877
• Matheson, K., Bombay, A., .... Anisman, H. (2020). Interntergenerational communication regarding Indian Residential Schools: Implications for cultural identity, perceived discrimination, and depressive symptoms. Transcultural Psychiatry 57(2),  https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461519832
• Bombay, A., McQuaid, R. J., Young, J., Sinha, V., Currie, V., Anisman, H. & Matheson, K. (2020). Familial Attendance at Indian Residential School and Subsequent Involvement in the Child Welfare System Among Indigenous Adults Born During the Sixties Scoop Era. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 15(1), 62–79. https://doi.org/10.7202/1068363ar
  
• Bombay, A., McQuaid, R., Young, J., Sinha, V., Currie, V., Anisman, H., & Matheson, K. (2020). Personal and familial attendance at Indian Residential School and subsequent involvement in the child welfare system among Indigenous adults born during the Sixties Scoop era. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 15(1), 62-79. https://fpcfr.com/index.php/FPCFR/article/view/401
  
• Bombay, A., McQuaid, R.J., Schwartz, F., Thomas, A., & Anisman, H., Matheson, K. (2019). Suicidal thoughts and attempts in First Nations communities: Links to parental Indian residential school attendance across development. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 10, 123-131. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-developmental-origins-of-health-and-disease/article/abs/suicidal-thoughts-and-attempts-in-first-nations-communities-links-to-parental-indian-residential-school-attendance-across-development/ACA78FE13D2D4242B4CF55677160CEC0
  
• Bombay, A., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2014). The intergenerational effects of Indian Residential Schools: Implications for the concept of historical trauma. Transcultural Psychiatry, 51(3), 320-338. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1363461513503380

Other Dr. Amy Bombay publications: 

• Hajizadeh, M., Hu, M., Asada, Y. & Bombay, A. (2021). Explaining the gaps in psychological distress and suicidal behaviours between non-Indigenous and Indigenous adults living off-reserve in Canada: A cross-sectional study. Canadian Medical Association Journal Open, 9(1), E215-E223. https://www.cmajopen.ca/content/9/1/E215
  
• Bombay, A. (2015). A call towards eliminating mental health disparities faced by Indigenous Peoples. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 861-862. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00352-1/abstract
  

Other Readings

• Auger, Monique (2021). Understanding our past, reclaiming our culture: Métis resistance, resilience, and connection to land in the face of colonialism. Journal of Indigenous Social Development, 10(1).  https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jisd/article/download/70465/54820/215635
  
• Moon-Riley, K.C.; Copeland, J.L.; Metz, G.A.; Currie, C.L. (2019). The biological impacts of Indigenous residential school attendance on the next generation. SSM-Popul. Health 2019, 7, 100343 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.100343
• Lehrner A, & Yehuda R. (2018).Trauma across generations and paths to adaptation and resilience. Psychological Trauma. 10(1): 22-29. doi: 10.1037/tra0000302. PMID: 29323523. 
• Panofsky, S., Buchanan, M., John, R., & Goodwill, A. (2021). Indigenous trauma intervention research in Canada: A narrative literature review. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 12 (2). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2021.12.2.10936

If you are interested in additional resources on topics around Reconciliation/Decolonization/EDI, you may also interested in visiting the SFU Psyc IRC Resources page and links. They are continually being updated: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/about/indigenous-reconciliation/resources.html