Key Messages

• Indigenous health research worldwide documents common vectors of illness transmission: underfunded and understaffed health services; lack of core funding for mental health; overcrowded and inadequate housing; boil water advisories; the disproportionate rates of suicides; as well as the stressful experience of living with food, housing, and income insecurities. These social conditions existed pre-COVID-19 and shape the context of Indigenous pandemic experiences.
• Hinderances to Indigenous MHSU service access include cultural and communication barriers, perceptions of discrimination, mental illness stigma and the use of unprofessional sources of care, transport/distance, long waiting times, cost and dislike of services, and lack of Indigenous staff.

Keywords

• Social determinants of health
• Indigenous mental health and substance misuse
• Telehealth
• Pandemic experiences
• Cultural safety

Author(s)

• Nominated Principal Applicant: Alanaise Goodwill, Simon Fraser University
• Jeannie Morgan, Simon Fraser University
• Alanaise Goodwill, Simon Fraser University

For more information, please contact: agoodwil@sfu.ca

Related Syntheses

• Alcohol Consumption and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Synthesizing Knowledge for Policy Action
• What is the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health of children aged 5–12, and what are the specific issues faced by children with a disability or chronic illness? A scoping review of problems experienced and promising avenues for intervention
• School-Based Suicide Risk Assessment Using eHealth: A Scoping Review

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Population

Indigenous Peoples and Communities

Language

To ensure the rapid dissemination of this critical information, information is published in the language in which it was submitted. Please contact us for French or English translations.