Three to 10 percent of NA youth drop out before graduating high school, the highest dropout rate of any ethnic/racial group in the United States ( Stark and Noel, 2015). Violence, including intentional injuries, homicide and suicide, account for 75 percent of deaths for NA youth ( Center for Native American Youth, 2015). Suicide is 2.5 times the national rate and has been the second leading cause of death for more than 30 years ( Heron, 2016). First, there is a significantly higher rate of substance use, including the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). With one-half of tribal enrollment on this reservation under the age of 18 and growing up in poverty, Brockie detailed a number of outcomes that emerge among at-risk Native American (NA) youth when compared to U.S. In 2010, after six suicides and 20 attempts in 5 months, Brockie said that the tribal leadership declared a state of emergency. The tribal law enforcement is estimated at 50 percent of what is needed to police this area and population, and the violent crime rate in 2011 was five times higher than the rest of the state and three times higher than the U.S.
The reservation is listed among the 100 poorest in the country and among the 10 for least healthy, with nearly one-half of the population living below the federal poverty level. The reservation consists of more than 2 million acres, covers four counties, and includes six reservation communities and two Plains tribes with populations of more than 11,000. As an example, she described an isolated rural reservation established in 1851 by the Fort Laramie Treaty where she conducted her dissertation research. Further, mandatory boarding schools “led to the loss of traditional family practices, including parenting loss of identity, language, and traditions and a radical change in the role of the Native male.”īrockie said current living conditions continue to tell the story of the effect of those policies. These underresourced communities have encountered concerns around neighborhood safety, access to quality education, geographic isolation, and increased morbidity and mortality. Those living on reservations experienced concentrated poverty, food deserts, employment deserts, and intergenerational poverty.
The adverse effects of these policies were great, said Brockie. To better understand the severity of this demographic collapse, she outlined policies that contributed to the assault on cultural identity and health of Native populations, including the Indian Appropriation Act (1851–1880) and the Mandatory Boarding School Era (1878–1920). Finally, there should be a focus on funding locally developed and Indigenous-led programs that promote community governance and self-determination.Focusing on historical trauma as experienced by Native Americans in the United States, Brockie began by stating that 95 percent of people indigenous to the present-day United States died during colonization. Additionally, trauma-informed and healing-aware approaches are essential to program success in addressing intergenerational trauma. The review highlights that there is a strong policy framework to address Indigenous Australians’ social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB), but few that explicitly address the interaction between intergenerational trauma and SEWB. The paper adopts an Indigenous Standpoints approach meaning that Indigenous research and voices are privileged within the report. A comprehensive review of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant literature. This paper aims to define the link between intergenerational trauma and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health and to identify current best-practice policies and programs to address this issue. This prolonged and continuing exposure to trauma and risk factors places Indigenous Australians at a heightened risk of mental ill-health. The colonisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the oppressive practices that followed has resulted in a legacy of unaddressed intergenerational trauma.
Where trauma is unacknowledged, it can result in the re-traumatisation of later generations. The link between exposure to trauma and increased risk of poor mental health is well established. Social & emotional wellbeing Mental health Suicide prevention Family & community Culture, Country & spirituality Service provision Abstract