Resiliency Factors and Substance Use Among First Nations Adolescents Living in Manitoba

This study examines the growth of alcohol and marijuana use during early adolescence among a sample of 746 Indigenous youth (aged 10–12 years at wave 1; 50.3% female) of the upper Midwest and Canada, with a special focus on potential gender differences in these patterns. Research documenting the disproportionately high rates of Indigenous substance use, coupled by our lack of understanding of gender patterns among this group—especially in very early adolescence—highlight the need for this culturally specific work. Results of latent growth curve analyses from three waves of annual data collection indicate that the females in our sample engage in alcohol and marijuana use at rates similar to or greater than their male peers. This finding counters conventional ideas of gender and substance use that place young males at elevated rates of use compared to females, and also adds to our understanding of gendered substance use patterns among Indigenous youth.

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First Nations Mental Wellness: Mobilizing Change through Partnership and Collaboration

Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health ◽

10.7870/cjcmh-2015-014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 89-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Brenda M. Restoule ◽

Carol Hopkins ◽

Jennifer Robinson ◽

Patricia K. Wiebe

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

First Nations ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Collaborative Partnerships ◽

Meaningful Change ◽

Effect Change ◽

Health Strategy ◽

Substance Use Services ◽

Mental Wellness

A key priority of the mental health strategy for Canada is to establish a coordinated continuum of mental wellness (mental health and substance use) services for and by First Nations, which include traditional, cultural, and mainstream approaches. This paper describes developments critical to informing the strategy and helping to create foundations for systems change at all levels with positive impacts being created in First Nations communities across Canada. Key lessons include the need to create mutually cooperative and respectful working relationships that will foster collaborative partnerships with First Nations in order to effect change in communities, and the use of culture as a foundation to create lasting and meaningful change.

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The rationale for developing a programme of services by and for Indigenous men in a First Nations community

AlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples ◽

10.1177/1177180119841620 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 158-167 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Julie George ◽

Melody Morton Ninomiya ◽

Kathryn Graham ◽

Sharon Bernards ◽

Samantha Wells

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

First Nations ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Well Being ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Mental Wellness ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

Nations Community

While mental well-being is recognized as a significant public health priority in numerous Indigenous communities, little work has focused on the mental health needs of Indigenous men. In this article, we describe results from the mixed-methods research used to inform the development of mental wellness programming for boys and men. Quantitative and qualitative data from two studies conducted in Kettle & Stony Point First Nation, an Indigenous community in southern Ontario, Canada, were used to (a) understand factors that contributed to issues of mental health, substance use and violence for men, (b) understand men’s experiences accessing and seeking supports and services, and (c) identify ways to address mental health, substance use and violence among boys and men in the community. We show how results from two studies ignited a group of men to develop a culturally strong and strengths-based programme of services as well as a wellness strategy for boys and men in the community.

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