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There has been a significant disruption in the transmission of parenting practices across generations of Canadian Indigenous communities (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada [TRC], 2015). As a result, there is a pressing need for effective and culturally appropriate programs for Indigenous parents (TRC, 2015). Review of currently available parenting programs in Canada may help by synthesizing Indigenous and non-Indigenous parenting knowledge. To that end, a scoping review of sources that described parenting programs for Indigenous families was completed using 11 databases and available grey literature. All programs integrated cultural components into treatment, though specific activities, content, and structure varied. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research are provided.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with increased mental health difficulties across a lifespan. Given increased health disparities among Indigenous populations compared to non-Indigenous populations, screening for ACEs is particularly relevant as it can inform future preventative care and treatment approaches. There has been no literature to date about how to best integrate these practices into routine psychological assessment with Indigenous clients. We describe five recommendations for assessing ACEs with Indigenous clients that are based on anecdotal research and clinical practices but aligned with standard evidence-based assessment practices. The preliminary recommendations for ACE assessment are: (1) determine the relevance of the assessment, (2) convey a sense of purpose and meaning during assessment, (3) use therapeutic assessment techniques, (4) use the ACE model for further client psychoeducation, and (5) use culturally relevant measurement techniques. These suggestions may provide a more meaningful and culturally relevant psychological assessment, but research is needed to support them.

Electronic health interventions involve health services delivered using the Internet and related communication technologies. These services can be particularly relevant for Indigenous populations who often have differential access to health-care services compared to general populations, especially within rural and remote areas. As the popularity of electronic health interventions grows, there is an increased need for evidence-based recommendations for the effective use of these technologies. The current study is a systematic review of peer-reviewed and available grey literature with the aim of understanding outcomes of electronic health interventions for mental health concerns among Indigenous people. Studies used electronic health technologies for substance use treatment or prevention, suicide prevention, parenting supports, goal setting and behaviour change and consultation services. Various technological platforms were used across interventions, with both novel and adapted intervention development. Most studies provided qualitative results, with fewer studies focusing on quantitative outcomes. Some preliminary results from the engagement of Indigenous individuals with electronic health services has been demonstrated, but further research is needed to confirm these results. Identified barriers and facilitators are identified from the reviewed literature. Recommendations for future development of electronic health interventions for Indigenous youth are provided.

Health concerns in Indigenous people are often greater in comparison to those in non-Indigenous populations, including increased rates of chronic diseases and mental health concerns. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may be an explanatory variable for such heightened rates of mental and physical health difficulties for Indigenous populations as these communities have experienced a lack of adequate health care due to remoteness, historical traumas, cultural insensitivity, racism, and perpetuating systemic discrimination. To date, relatively few studies have examined ACEs within an Indigenous population and their relevance to both physical and mental health outcomes. The present study explored existing ACE literature relevant to Indigenous populations and mental or physical health outcomes by retrieving and organizing available ACE literature. A systematic review was conducted using 14 electronic databases of peer-reviewed literature and 18 grey literature databases. Twenty-one publications investigating general health outcomes and prevalence of ACEs met eligibility criteria. ACEs were reported to be higher in Indigenous populations when compared to non-Indigenous population. Higher ACE scores for Indigenous participants were associated with increased rates of suicidality and psychological distress. Protective factors to reduce the impact of ACEs were cultural identity and connectedness, education, social support, and psychological resilience. Future research may further explore the relationship between ACE scores and protective factors, varying prevalence within specific sub-populations, and consistent reporting of outcomes across studies. Ongoing research has the potential to clarify existing dose–response relationships between early traumatic experiences and current health disparities experienced within some Indigenous communities.

Examining treatment outcomes of nonresidential and residential treatment programs may suggest best practices for Indigenous communities delivering treatment services. A systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literatures comparing treatment outcomes for Indigenous populations was completed. Three studies compared treatment outcomes and reported varying results. Reported outcomes were retention and relapse rates, cultural knowledge, and participant treatment duration. Most retrieved studies described residential treatment outcomes, but it was unclear whether this modality is the best option for Indigenous people seeking treatment. Further research describing treatment modalities, across a continuum of care, situated within culturally developed treatment frameworks is required.

Resilience within public health is conceptualized to be fostered through individual, community, and systemic initiatives that promote capacity through interconnected primary, secondary, and tertiary health interventions. Within community public health settings, particularly for Canadian Indigenous communities, an emphasis on interconnected, multisystemic interventions that promote resilience can be particularly useful. Fostering resilience within Indigenous health seeks to prioritize unique needs of individuals and communities, through both process- and outcome-based measurement. Given that Indigenous individuals’ needs may differ from non-Indigenous populations in Canada, careful consideration of how to best conceptualize, measure, and promote resilience is required. Tools such as the Native Wellness Assessment and the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework can be helpful to both measure and conceptualize resilience, as they can provide insight on what is considered to be best practices to increasing wellness within Indigenous communities. Such tools continue to prioritize the multisystemic promotion of resilience.

There is a high prevalence of Indigenous youth experiencing either precarious housing or homelessness in northwestern Ontario. Given that Indigenous pathways to homelessness can differ from non-Indigenous youth, interventions that address homelessness must also adapt to meet diverse needs. The Housing Outreach Program Collaborative (HOP-C) is a tertiary prevention intervention designed to provide congruent housing and peer and mental health supports for youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto, Ontario. Less is known regarding its adaptability to adequately serve Indigenous youth in northwestern Ontario. This study assessed the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of an adaptation of the HOP-C North program for transitional aged Indigenous youth exiting homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Participants completed premeasures (n = 15) and postmeasures (n = 8) as well as qualitative interviews regarding their experiences in the program. Qualitative interviews were also conducted with staff (n = 14) engaged in implementing the program. After completing the HOP-C North program, participants reported improvements in a number of outcomes, including increased educational enrollment, attainment of employment, reduced hospitalizations, and increased engagement in clinical mental health services. Specific program aspects that participants found helpful included increased program flexibility, accessibility, emphasis on relationships, relevance of programming, fostering participant autonomy, and an adaptive approach to program implementation. These findings suggest that the HOP-C North model, when adapted, is a helpful program for Indigenous youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Background Conducting culturally-relevant research with Indigenous populations requires a balance of approaches that benefit Indigenous communities, while perceiving and mitigating the potential risk of harm when engaging in research-related activities. Reducing the burden of research is especially useful for research with Indigenous populations as ongoing systemic marginalization and discrimination through historical colonial practices may result in a higher likelihood of experiencing harm from research activities. One way to ensure that stakeholder experiences with the research processes are not burdensome, and to understand how study implementation practices are perceived across research teams, supporting organizations, and individual participants is to build this into the study method. Objective The current study describes stakeholder experiences within a broader research study, entitled the First Nations ACE Study, which examined early childhood experiences and health outcomes for Indigenous people seeking treatment for substance use. Participants and setting Five treatment centre staff participated in ongoing consultations with the research team and described their experiences within a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) study. Method A document review of client satisfaction questionnaires of seventy-five participants provided quantitative feedback on experiences in addition to qualitative interviews with staff. Results Overall, experiences of both treatment centre staff and clients were generally positive. Additional results described the importance of continuous stakeholder participation, and ongoing study adaptations to remain aligned with CBPR approaches as pressure for expediency and convenience have the potential to encroach upon CBPR values. The study method was described to mitigate participant and staff burden, as well as risk of participant harm. Conclusions Directions for future research are discussed, including discussion of modifications that will be made to future iterations of the presented research study.

Moving towards reconciliation within Indigenous research requires the careful examination of existing practices at all stages of the research process. Engagement in and dissemination of reflexive processes may increase the relevance of research results for Indigenous communities and partners. This article describes and contextualizes the results obtained from this qualitative research study examining parenting needs and child reunification in these communities. The initial results were deemed relevant by the partnering community but research stakeholders reported that they did not reflect all community values. Based on the advice of the Research Advisory Group, the research team decided to further analyze the results to address these shortcomings. The reanalysis process focused on improving the perceived meaningfulness and relevance to communities. Exploration of how these results were re-situated in an Indigenous framework of wellbeing is discussed. Researcher reflections about the project processes and considerations for future research are explored.

Indigenous communities and federal funding agencies in Canada have developed policy for ethical research with Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous scholars and communities have begun to expand the body of research regarding their peoples, and novel and innovative methods have begun to appear in the published literature. This review attempts to catalogue the wide array of Indigenous research methods in the peer-reviewed literature and describe commonalities among methods in order to guide researchers and communities in future method development. A total of 64 articles met inclusionary criteria and five themes emerged: General Indigenous Frameworks, Western Methods in an Indigenous Context, Community-Based Participatory Research, Storytelling, and Culture-Specific Methods.