Project 445646

Indigenous peoples in Canada experience more health difficulties compared to non-Indigenous populations and are more likely to have poorer access to factors that may reduce the impact of these disparities, such as continuous health services in remote or rural settings. Further, Indigenous peoples in Canada have unique experiences of historical oppression and colonization, resulting in subsequent marginalization, discrimination, and loss of culture. Decades of research across non-Indigenous populations has identified that ten specific adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor health outcomes and the presence of chronic diseases. These ACEs describe experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction (such as having a parent incarcerated). However, the relationship between intergenerational trauma, ACEs, and health outcomes among Indigenous peoples is not well documented. There is also a lack of research that examines how factors such as cultural connectedness, community support, and resilience protect Indigenous adults who have a history of ACEs. The proposed community-based participatory research project aims to examine the relationship between ACEs and various aspects of wellbeing, in order to have a knowledge base that Indigenous community-based organizations can use to better support their community members facing difficulties with mental health and addictions. To that end, the proposed project also aims to evaluate the use of pilot data to inform three therapy groups offered to Indigenous adults with chronic substance use difficulties at the partnering organization. Ultimately, results can be used by Indigenous organizations to tailor substance use treatment for their clients to adequately address potential origins of substance use, in a trauma-informed and culturally relevant way.