Gordon, Annie Hannon
(2024)
Characteristics of Culturally Grounded Harm Reduction Approaches for Indigenous Canadians: A Critical Review.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Background: Indigenous Canadians experience a disproportionate burden of substance-related harms compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Public health data indicates that First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people are overrepresented in the number of overdose deaths and experience markedly higher rates of HCV and HIV infection. Mainstream harm reduction initiatives have been insufficient at reducing health inequities despite efforts to bolster the accessibility of services in Indigenous communities. Closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes requires an indigenized approach to harm reduction that interrogates and redresses the socio-cultural, economic, and political realities of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people that drive intergenerational problematic substance use.
Purpose: The purpose of this critical literature review is to identify and describe the key characteristics of Indigenous harm reduction in Canada. The findings will contribute to a growing body of literature on the topic, which is essential for informing future best-practice Indigenous harm reduction models. This review also aims to clarify key concepts in extant academic literature and identify and analyze persistent knowledge gaps.
Methods: A single author scoping review was conducted to inform this critical literature
synthesis. A search strategy was developed to explore two online databases, Medline® (Ovid) and APA PsycINFO (Ovid), for relevant extant literature on Indigenous harm reduction methodologies in Canada.
Results: Six articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Thematic analysis of the articles identified five key characteristics of Indigenous harm reduction: culture, trauma-informed, cultural safety, Indigenous led, and integrative.
Conclusion: Indigenous harm reduction is a culturally integrative, decolonizing approach to harm reduction that holds immense promise for redressing inequities in the distribution and severity of substance-related harms experienced by Indigenous Canadians. Indigenous harm reduction characteristics should not be siloed, but rather broadly adopted across harm reduction initiatives in Canada to close the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
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| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Hawk, Mary | mary.hawk@pitt.edu | meh96 | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Martinson, Jeremy | jmartins@pitt.edu | jmartins | UNSPECIFIED |
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| Date: |
26 June 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Number of Pages: |
50 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Behavioral and Community Health Sciences |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Jun 2024 01:29 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Jun 2024 01:29 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46595 |
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