scholarly journals Colonialism as a Broader Social Determinant of Health

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Czyzewski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Indigenous Mental Health ◽  
Health Discourse ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

A proposed broader or Indigenized social determinants of health framework includes "colonialism" along with other global processes. What does it mean to understand Canadian colonialism as a distal determinant of Indigenous health? This paper reviews pertinent discourses surrounding Indigenous mental health in Canada. With an emphasis on the notion of intergenerational trauma, there are real health effects of social, political, and economic marginalization embodied within individuals, which can collectively affect entire communities. Colonialism can also be enacted and reinforced within Indigenous mental health discourse, thus influencing scholarly and popular perceptions. Addressing this distal determinant through policy work necessitates that improving Indigenous health is inherently related to improving these relationships, i.e. eliminating colonial relations, and increasing self-determination.

‘Best Intentions’ Lives on: Untoward Health Outcomes of Some Contemporary Initiatives in Indigenous Affairs

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Indigenous Mental Health

Objective: A shortened version of a presentation to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, this paper raises questions regarding policy and program directions in Indigenous affairs with consequences for Indigenous health. Method: The author notes the inadequate Indigenous mental health database, and describes contemporary conflicts in the arena of Indigenous mental health, drawing on personal experience in clinical service delivery, policy and programme development. Results: Medicalized responses to the Stolen Generations report and constructions of suicide that accompanied the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody are presented to demonstrate unforeseen health outcomes. Examples are also given of wellintentioned social interventions that, in the context of contemporary Indigenous society appear to be contributing to, rather than alleviating, harm. Problems of setting priorities that confront mental health service planners are considered in the light of past and continuing social disadvantage that informs the burden of mental disorder in Indigenous communities. Conclusions: The importance of acknowledging untoward outcomes of initiatives, even when motivated by concerns for social justice, is emphasized. The tension within mental health services of responding to the underpinning social issues versus providing equity in access to proven mental health services for Indigenous populations is considered.

scholarly journals Indigenous Trauma Intervention Research in Canada: A Narrative Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Sarah Panofsky ◽  
Marla J. Buchanan ◽  
Roger John ◽  
Alanaise Goodwill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Indigenous Mental Health

Contemporary Indigenous mental health research is beginning to address colonization, contextualizing Indigenous health within a history of colonial relationships and inadequate mental health responses. In practice, however, dominant counselling models for mental health in Canada have neglected Indigenous perspectives and there is a paucity of research regarding interventions that address psychological trauma with Indigenous populations. We identified 11 Canadian studies that employed culturally appropriate trauma interventions within Indigenous communities. We discuss the findings in relation to the study participants, outcomes reported, and research design. Recommendations are provided to address the need for evidence-based trauma interventions that have efficacy for Indigenous people in Canada to address Indigenous historical trauma.

Culture, a Social Determinant of Health and Risk: Considerations for Health and Risk Messaging

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Iwelunmor ◽  
Collins Airhihenbuwa
Keyword(s):  
Health Communication ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Cultural Frameworks ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health ◽  
Improve Health

We provide an overview on the role of culture in addressing the social determinants of health and risk. The fact that everyone is influenced by a set of locally defined forms of behavior means that while not overtly expressed, culture’s effects can be ubiquitous, influencing everything including the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping health and risk messaging. While the dynamic nature of culture is underestimated and often not reflected in most research, efforts to close the gap on social determinants of health and risk will require greater clarity on what culture is and how it impacts culture-sensitive health communication. Thus, the paper begins by reviewing why culture is so vital and relevant to any attempts to improve health and reduce health inequalities. We discuss what is meant by the term “culture” through a narrative synthesis of historical and recent progress in definitions of culture. We conclude by describing three distinct cultural frameworks for health that illustrate how culture can be effectively used as a vehicle through which to address culturally sensitive health communication in local and global contexts. Overall, we believe that culture is indispensable and important for addressing inequalities and inequities in health as well as for facilitating culture-sensitive health communication strategies that will ultimately close the gap on the social determinants of health and risk.

scholarly journals The missing voices of Indigenous Australians in the social, cultural and historical experiences of tuberculosis: a systematic and integrative review

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e001794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Devlin ◽  
David MacLaren ◽  
Peter D Massey ◽  
Richard Widders ◽  
Jenni A Judd
Keyword(s):  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
The Social ◽  
Biomedical Diagnosis

IntroductionDisparities in tuberculosis (TB) rates exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in many countries, including Australia. The social determinants of health are central to health inequities including disparities in TB rates. There are limitations in the dominant biomedical and epidemiological approaches to representing, understanding and addressing the unequal burden of TB for Indigenous peoples represented in the literature. This paper applies a social determinants of health approach and examines the structural, programmatic and historical causes of inequities for TB in Indigenous Australia.MethodsAboriginal Australians’ families in northern New South Wales who are affected by TB initiated this investigation. A systematic search of published literature was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and Informit ATSIhealth databases, the Australian Indigenous Health, InfoNet and Google. Ninety-five records published between 1885 and 2019 were categorised and graphed over time, inductively coded and thematically analysed.ResultsIndigenous Australians’ voices are scarce in the TB literature and absent in the development of TB policies and programmes. Epidemiological reports are descriptive and technical and avoid analysis of social processes involved in the perpetuation of TB. For Indigenous Australians, TB is more than a biomedical diagnosis and treatment; it is a consequence of European invasion and a contributor to dispossession and the ongoing fight for justice. The introduction and spread of TB has resulted in the stealing of lives, family, community and cultures for Indigenous Australians. Racist policies and practices predominate in the experiences of individuals and families as consequences of, and resulting in, ongoing structural and systematic exclusion.ConclusionDevelopment of TB policies and programmes requires reconfiguration. Space must be given for Indigenous Australians to lead, be partners and to have ownership of decisions about how to eliminate TB. Shared knowledge between Indigenous Australians, policy makers and service managers of the social practices and structures that generate TB disparity for Indigenous Australians is essential.A social determinant of health approach will shift the focus to the social structures that cause TB. Collaboration with Indigenous partners in research is critical, and use of methods that amplify Indigenous peoples' voices and reconfigure power relations in favour of Indigenous Australians in the process is required.

scholarly journals Stakeholder Perspectives on the Social Determinants of Mental Health in Community Coalitions

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supp) ◽  
pp. 389-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheryl H. Kataoka ◽  
Roya Ijadi-Maghsoodi ◽  
Chantal Figueroa ◽  
Enrico G. Castillo ◽  
Elizabeth Bromley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Community Violence ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Community Coalitions ◽  
Urban City

Objective: Although evidence supports the potential for community coalitions to posi­tively address social determinants of mental health, little is known about the views of stakeholders involved in such efforts. This study sought to understand county leaders’ perspectives about social determinants related to the Health Neighborhood Initia­tive (HNI), a new county effort to support community coalitions.Design: Descriptive, qualitative study, 2014.Setting: Community coalitions, located in a large urban city, across eight service planning areas, that serve under-resourced, ethnic minority populations.Procedures: We conducted key informant interviews with 49 health care and commu­nity leaders to understand their perspectives about the HNI. As part of a larger project, this study focused on leaders’ views about social determinants of health related to the HNI. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. An inductive approach to coding was used, with text segments grouped by social determinant categories.Results: County leaders described multiple social determinants of mental health that were relevant to the HNI community coalitions: housing and safety, community violence, and employment and education. Leaders discussed how social determinants were interconnected with each other and the need for efforts to address multiple social determinants simultaneously to ef­fectively improve mental health.Conclusions: Community coalitions have an opportunity to address multiple social determinants of health to meet social and mental health needs of low-resourced com­munities. Future research should examine how community coalitions, like those in the HNI, can actively engage with com­munity members to identify needs and then deliver evidence-based care.Ethn Dis. 2018;28(Suppl 2):389-396; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S2.389.

Impact of Mental Health on Surgical Outcomes in Pancreatectomy: An Unrecognized Social Determinant of Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 231 (4) ◽  
pp. S160-S161
Author(s):  
Katelyn Flick ◽  
Jason Zappia ◽  
Thomas K. Maatman ◽  
Mazhar Soufi ◽  
Cameron Colgate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Surgical Outcomes ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Employment as a Social Determinant of Health: A Review of Longitudinal Studies Exploring the Relationship Between Employment Status and Mental Health

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth C. Hergenrather ◽  
Robert J. Zeglin ◽  
Maureen McGuire-Kuletz ◽  
Scott D. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Job Loss ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Purpose: To explore employment as a social determinant of health through examining the relationship between employment status and mental health.Method: The authors conducted a systematic review of 48 longitudinal studies conducted in Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, and United States to explore the causal relationship between employment status and mental health.Results: Five common trajectories were identified as employment, unemployment, job loss, reemployment, and retired. Employment and reemployment were associated with better mental health (e.g., lower psychological distress, lower depression, lower anxiety), whereas unemployment and job loss were correlated with poorer mental health (e.g., higher depression, higher psychological distress).Conclusion: To enhance employment outcomes, service providers must acknowledge the relationship between employment status and mental health. The trajectories of employment and reemployment should be further explored by category (e.g., temporary, adequacy, income, skill level, hours, status). Additional research is needed to further elucidate the relationship between employment status and mental health.

scholarly journals Inequities in mental health and mental healthcare between international immigrants and locals in Chile: a narrative review

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Blukacz ◽  
Báltica Cabieses ◽  
Niina Markkula
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
International Migrants ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Abstract Mental health in a context of international migration is a particularly pressing issue, as migration is recognised as a social determinant of physical and mental health. As Chile is increasingly becoming a receiving country of South-South migration, immigrants face mental health inequities, with regards to outcomes and access to care. In order to identify and synthetize mental healthcare inequities faced by international migrants with regards to locals in Chile, a narrative review of the literature on national mental healthcare policies in Chile and a narrative review of the literature on migrants’ mental healthcare in Chile were conducted, with a focus on describing mental health outcomes, policy environment and persisting gaps and barriers for both topics. The existing literature on mental healthcare in Chile, both for the general population and for international migrants, following the social determinant of health framework and categorised in terms of i) Inequities in mental health outcomes; ii) Description of the mental health policy environment and iii) Identification of the main barriers to access mental healthcare. Despite incremental policy efforts to improve the reach of mental healthcare in Chile, persisting inequities are identified for both locals and international migrants: lack of funding and low prioritisation, exacerbation of social vulnerability in the context of a mixed health insurance system, and inadequacy of mental healthcare services. International migrants may experience specific layers of vulnerability linked to migration as a social determinant of health, nested in a system that exacerbates social vulnerability. Based on the findings, the article discusses how mental health is a privilege for migrant populations as well as locals experiencing layers of social vulnerability in the Chilean context. International migrants’ access to comprehensive and culturally relevant mental healthcare in Chile and other countries is an urgent need in order to contribute to reducing social vulnerability and fostering mechanisms of social inclusion. International migration, social determinants of mental health, mental health inequities, social vulnerability, review.

scholarly journals New Perspective on Why Women Live Longer Than Men: An Exploration of Power, Gender, Social Determinants, and Capitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 661
Author(s):  
Fran Baum ◽  
Connie Musolino ◽  
Hailay Abrha Gesesew ◽  
Jennie Popay
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Service Factors ◽  
Social Determinant Of Health

Background: Women live longer than men, even though many of the recognised social determinants of health are worse for women than men. No existing explanations account fully for these differences in life expectancy, although they do highlight the complexity and interaction of biological, social and health service factors. Methods: this paper is an exploratory explanation of gendered life expectancy difference (GLED) using a novel combination of epidemiological and sociological methods. We present the global picture of GLED. We then utilise a secondary data comparative case analysis offering explanations for GLED in Australia and Ethiopia. We combine a social determinant of health lens with Bourdieu’s concepts of capitals (economic, cultural, symbolic and social). Results: we confirmed continuing GLED in all countries ranging from less than a year to over 11 years. The Australian and Ethiopian cases demonstrated the complex factors underpinning this difference, highlighting similarities and differences in socioeconomic and cultural factors and how they are gendered within and between the countries. Bourdieu’s capitals enabled us to partially explain GLED and to develop a conceptual model of causal pathways. Conclusion: we demonstrate the value of combing a SDH and Bourdieu’s capital lens to investigate GLED. We proposed a theoretical framework to guide future research.

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