Ground-up approach to understanding the impacts of historical trauma in one reserve-dwelling first nations community.

Abstract

Objective: First Nations peoples experience disproportionate health inequities compared to most non-Indigenous populations. Historical trauma is one factor that has received growing attention in relation to health inequities among First Nations populations. The goal of the present study was to improve understanding of the specific forms, impacts, and mechanisms of transmission of events that lead to historical trauma and the historical trauma response in First Nations peoples. Method: Five focus groups were conducted among adult members of one First Nations community in Canada (N = 34; 70.4% female). Results: Conventional content analysis revealed the numerous forms that historical trauma take in this First Nations community; individual-, familial-, community-, and societal-level impacts of historical trauma; and ways in which historical trauma has been transmitted in this community. Loss of culture, alcohol use, and parenting were major themes identified across these domains. Conclusions: Findings provide important information on the experience of historical trauma in one First Nations community, highlighting the roles of loss of culture; alcohol use; and parenting in the forms, impacts, and transmission of historical trauma.