A review of Evidence‐Based Evaluation of Measures for Assessing Social and Emotional Well‐Being in Indigenous Australians

Abstract

Addressing low levels of social and emotional well-being (SEWB) in Indigenous communities has been a national strategic priority for over 10 years and yet progress in assessing the impact of interventions has been slow. One of the key factors limiting the development of evidence-based practice has been the lack of well-validated instruments to assess SEWB and how it changes over time as a result of intervention. This article systematically reviews available measures, classifying them in terms of the evidence base that exists to support their use. It is concluded that there is an ongoing need to develop psychometrically sound, comprehensive, culturally appropriate measures to operationalise Indigenous SEWB at a population health, programme evaluation, and clinical level. It is suggested that seven pathways be followed to achieve this goal, including the need to recognise that the gold standard status for Indigenous measurement tools cannot be ascribed based on evidence-based assessment criteria alone.

The Cultural Validity of Diagnostic Psychiatric Measures for Indigenous Australians

“…What other techniques have been used to determine diagnosis such as clinical assessment? Screening instruments, general mental health measures, or SEWB measures were not considered, given that review articles on the cultural validity of these for Indigenous Australians already exist (Dingwall & Cairney, ; Newton, Day, Gillies, & Fernandez, ).…”

Culturally informed case conceptualisation: Developing a clinical psychology approach to treatment planning for non‐Indigenous psychologists working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients

“…It should be noted that there is a lack of assessment tools validated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Newton, et al, 2015). With this in mind, the DSM-5 CFI was chosen as the most recent cross-culturally specific interview tool, and the MSE was selected in light of the culturally specific considerations outlined by Sheldon (2001).…”

Non‐Indigenous Psychologists Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Towards Clinical and Cultural Competence

“…The development of tools to support practitioners to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients in conversations about mental health and wellbeing issues in a way that honours their cultural understandings (Balaratnasingam et al, ; Dingwall, Puszka, Sweet, & Nagel, ), and assessment instruments that reflect an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worldview of mental health and wellbeing (Haswell et al, ; Schlesinger, Ober, McCarthy, Watson, & Seinen, ; Thomas, Cairney, Gunthorpe, Paradies, & Sayers, ; Westerman, ), have been significant achievements in the field. Despite these developments, very few measures specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been developed, with most having undergone only initial validation with limited uptake by the wider psychology profession (Dingwall & Cairney, ; Newton, Day, Gillies, & Fernandez, ; Williamson et al, ).…”

“…The psychology profession has a responsibility to develop and support culturally appropriate, clinically effective, evidence‐based ways of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Calma et al, ; Newton et al, ). The work of the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) highlighted deficits in past education and training models and has led to the development of a strategic framework and guidelines to increase the capacity of psychology graduates to provide culturally competent services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ().…”