scholarly journals A study protocol for a quasi-experimental community trial evaluating the integration of indigenous healing practices and a harm reduction approach with principles of seeking safety in an indigenous residential treatment program in Northern Ontario

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. Marsh ◽  
C. Eshakakogan ◽  
J. K. Eibl ◽  
M. Spence ◽  
K. A. Morin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Residential Treatment ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Indigenous Healing ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Safety Intervention

Abstract Background Indigenous communities in Canada face significant challenges with intergenerational trauma, which manifests in substance use disorders. There is consensus that connecting treatment approaches to culture, land, community, and spiritual practices is a pathway to healing trauma and substance use disorders for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous residential addiction treatment programs have been established as the primary intervention to provide healing for Indigenous peoples with substance use disorders and intergenerational trauma. However, there is limited evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of these programs. In collaboration with the Benbowopka Treatment Centre, this paper describes a study protocol which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of blending Indigenous Healing Practices and Seeking Safety for the treatment of Indigenous patients with intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders. Methods We will conduct a pre/post Quasi Experimental Community trial, to compare historical treatment outcomes for patients following the implementation of Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety. We will conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses to understand the differences before and after the intervention is implemented. The pre- Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety intervention study window will span from 2013 to 2016; n = 343, and the post-Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety intervention study window from 2018 to 2020; n > 300. All participants will be enrolled in the Benbowopka residential treatment for the first time during the study periods. All data will be anonymized at the time of data entry. Propensity matching will be undertaken for patient characteristics, including sex/gender, age, and substance use type. Results and conclusions The study findings could be used to inform intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders residential treatment programming for Indigenous communities across Canada. Our work will contribute to the field of community-based intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders programming by addressing objectives that consider: (a) the patient perspective, (b) the program perspective, and (c) the community perspective. The study findings may validate an innovative approach for evaluating the effectiveness of residential addiction treatment and particularly the effective and appropriate care for Indigenous patients with intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders.

scholarly journals The Impact of Training Indigenous Facilitators for a Two-Eyed Seeing Research Treatment Intervention for Intergenerational Trauma and Addiction

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Teresa Naseba Marsh ◽  
David C. Marsh ◽  
Lisa M. Najavits
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sharing Circles

Intergenerational trauma in Indigenous Peoples was not the result of a targeted event, but rather political and governmental policies inflicted upon entire generations. The resultant effects of these traumas and multiple losses include addiction, depression, anxiety, violence, self-destructive behaviors, and suicide, to name but a few. Traditional healers, Elders, and Indigenous facilitators agree that the reclamation of traditional healing practices combined with conventional interventions could be effective in addressing intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders. Recent research has shown that the blending of Indigenous traditional healing practices and the Western treatment model Seeking Safety resulted in a reduction of intergenerational trauma (IGT) symptoms and substance use disorders (SUD). This article focuses on the Indigenous facilitators who were recruited and trained to conduct the sharing circles as part of the research effort. We describe the six-day training, which focused on the implementation of the Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety model, as well as the impact the training had on the facilitators. Through the viewpoints and voices of the facilitators, we explore the growth and changes the training brought about for them, as well as their perception of how their changes impacted their clients.

scholarly journals The Sweat Lodge Ceremony: A Healing Intervention for Intergenerational Trauma and Substance Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Naseba Marsh ◽  
David C Marsh ◽  
Julie Ozawagosh ◽  
Frank Ozawagosh
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Sweat Lodge ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices

Many traditional healers and Elders agree that strengthening cultural identity, incorporating traditional healing practices, and encouraging community integration can enhance and improve mental health and reduce substance use disorders (SUD) in Indigenous populations. Despite the fact that traditional healing practices have always been valued by Indigenous Peoples, there is very little research on efficacy. Recent research by one of the authors in this group (T. Marsh) has shown that the blending of Indigenous traditional healing practices and a Western treatment model, Seeking Safety, resulted in a reduction in intergenerational trauma (IGT) symptoms and substance use disorders (SUD). This article focuses on the qualitative evidence concerning the impact of the traditional healing practices, specifically the sweat lodge ceremony. Participants reported an increase in spiritual and emotional well-being that they said was directly attributable to the ceremony. This study demonstrates that it would be beneficial to incorporate Indigenous traditional healing practices, including the sweat lodge ceremony, into Seeking Safety to enhance the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples with IGT and SUD.

scholarly journals Implementation and Evaluation of a Text Message–Based Addiction Counseling Program (Text4Hope-Addiction Support): Protocol for a Questionnaire Study

10.2196/22047 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e22047
Author(s):  
Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong ◽  
Marianne Hrabok ◽  
Wesley Vuong ◽  
April Gusnowski ◽  
Reham Shalaby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Demographic Correlates

Background With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing counseling to people with drug or alcohol addiction while maintaining physical distance has been challenging. This protocol describes the use of text messaging (as used in the Text4Hope-Addiction Support program) as a convenient, evidence-based, cost-effective, and accessible population-level mental health intervention with high user satisfaction proven in prior research. Objective The project goal is to implement a program of daily supportive text messaging (Text4Hope-Addiction Support) to reduce drug or alcohol cravings as well as anxiety and depression, typically associated with alcohol and substance use disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms; demographic correlates of the same; and the outcomes of the Text4Hope-Addiction Support intervention in mitigating cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Methods Self-administered, anonymous, online questionnaires will be used to assess cravings for the primary substance of addiction (Brief Substance Craving Scale), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Data will be collected at baseline (onset of receiving text messages), program midpoint (6 weeks), and program end (12 weeks). Results As of October 2020, data collection is in progress; and it is expected to be completed by fall 2021. Data analysis will include parametric and nonparametric techniques, focusing on primary outcomes (ie, cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) and metrics of use, including the number of subscribers and user satisfaction. Conclusions This Text4Hope-Addiction Support project will provide key information regarding the prevalence rates of cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among persons with alcohol and substance use disorders; demographic correlates of cravings, anxiety, and depression; and outcome data related to this scalable population-level intervention. Information from this study will be valuable for addiction care practitioners; it will inform the policy and decision making regarding population-level addiction treatment and support during emergencies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/22047

scholarly journals Co -occurring Mental Disorders among In-patients in a Substance use Disorder Treatment Center in Plateau State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-229
Author(s):  
D M Makput
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Functional Abnormality ◽  
Plateau State

Patients with psychoactive substance use disorders (SUD) often have co- occurring medical and mental disorders. This occurs as a result of a number of factors, for instance, drug abuse may facilitate the full expression of a latent psychiatric disorder; mental disorder may lead to SUD (drugs used for self- medication; or both SUD and mental disorders are caused by the same underlying brain deficit such as genetic vulnerability, neurotransmitter abnormality, structural or functional abnormality, and so on. After obtaining ethical clearance, the case notes of all patients who were admitted in the Centre for Addiction Treatment and Research, (CATR) Vom, Plateau state throughout the first quarter of year 2019 were traced. A systematic random sample of every third consecutive patient was selected beginning with the first patient admitted and relevant data were collected and analyzed. A total of fourty- eight (48) in-patients were analyzed. Ninety -four percent (94%) of the patients were males, the mean age of 23.6 + 5 years with 46% being below 25 years of age. Fourty-six percent (46%) had cannabis as their primary drug followed by alcohol (32%) and opioids (28%). Only 1 % had a history of injecting drug use. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of the SUD patients had co-occurring depression, nine percent (8%) had anxiety disorder, and five percent (4%) had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in addition to their substance use disorder. In line with sustainable development goals (SDG) goal 3.5 which seeks to “strengthen prevention and treatment of substance abuse including narcotics drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol”; identifying co-occurring mental disorders among patients with substance use disorders is one way of moving closer towards achieving this SDG.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document