Detecting psychotic symptoms in Indigenous populations: a review of available assessment tools

The Mental Health of First Nations Children in Manitoba: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study Using Linked Administrative Data: La santé mentale des enfants des Premières Nations au Manitoba : une étude de cohorte rétrospective dans la population, à l'aide de données administratives liées

OBJECTIVE

First Nations children face a greater risk of experiencing mental disorders than other children from the general population because of family and societal factors, yet there is little research examining their mental health. This study compares diagnosed mental disorders and suicidal behaviours of First Nations children living on-reserve and off-reserve to all other children living in Manitoba.

METHOD

The research team, which included First Nations and non-First Nations researchers, utilized population-based administrative data that linked de-identified individual-level records from the 2016 First Nations Research File to health and social information for children living in Manitoba. Adjusted rates and rate ratios of mental disorders and suicide behaviours were calculated using a generalized linear modelling approach to compare First Nations children (n = 40,574) and all other children (n = 197,109) and comparing First Nations children living on- and off-reserve.

RESULTS

Compared with all other children, First Nations children had a higher prevalence of schizophrenia (adjusted rate ratio (aRR): 4.42, 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.36 to 5.82), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; aRR: 1.21, 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.33), substance use disorders (aRR: 5.19; 95% CI, 4.25 to 6.33), hospitalizations for suicide attempts (aRR: 6.96; 95% CI, 4.36 to 11.13) and suicide deaths (aRR: 10.63; 95% CI, 7.08 to 15.95). The prevalence of ADHD and mood/anxiety disorders was significantly higher for First Nations children living off-reserve compared with on-reserve; in contrast, hospitalization rates for suicide attempts were twice as high on-reserve than off-reserve. When the comparison cohort was restricted to only other children in low-income areas, a higher prevalence of almost all disorders remained for First Nations children.

CONCLUSION

Large disparities were found in mental health indicators between First Nations children and other children in Manitoba, demonstrating that considerable work is required to improve the mental well-being of First Nations children. Equitable access to culturally safe services is urgently needed and these services should be self-determined, planned, and implemented by First Nations people.

Disparities in Psychosis Risk Symptoms for New Zealand Māori May Be Explained by Systemic Stressors and Inappropriate Conceptualization of Culturally Normative Experiences

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Māori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, experience increased rates of psychotic disorders and first-episode psychosis. However, it is unclear whether they also present with increased psychosis risk symptoms, such as subclinical psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). Measurement of risk symptoms is key for early intervention. Further, it is unclear if systemic factors such as the increased rates of social adversity and discrimination or cultural biases contribute to this disparity in psychosis rates.

STUDY DESIGN

This study surveyed 466 18- to 30-year olds in New Zealand, and compared Māori to non-Māori participant responses on the Prodromal Questionnaire Brief, alongside the history of childhood trauma, discrimination, and financial adversity.

STUDY RESULTS

Māori reported a higher number of PLEs compared to non-Māori-however, this was not associated with increased distress related to these experiences. The increased number of psychosis-like experiences reported by Māori was likely explained by systemic factors such as childhood trauma, discrimination, and financial stress. Māori were more likely to report that the PLEs were positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Measurement of psychosis risk for Māori is nuanced, and increased scores on these tools may reflect pathologizing potentially normative experiences for Māori, such as spiritual encounters or discrimination, alongside the impact of increased rates of systemic discrimination, trauma, and financial stress.

A Culturally-Grounded Biopsychosocial Assessment Utilizing Indigenous Ways of Knowing with the Cowichan Tribes

Extant research foregrounds the need for culturally responsive, evidence-based mental health practices when working with Indigenous communities. This study presents an Indigenous biopsychosocial assessment designed by members of the Cowichan Tribes to evaluate the social, developmental, and mental health histories of Cowichan youth. The assessment takes the form of an in-depth narrative interview whose parameters were developed through a culturally grounded, community-based process. This process supported a focus on relationality, interdependence, and intergenerational transmission of knowledge during the interview. Five participants aged 12-18 years completed interviews, which yielded sufficient data to enable completion of both Indigenous and standard biopsychosocial assessments.

Measurement properties of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) family of measures: protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) for adults, and equivalent measures for children and adolescents and older people, are widely used in clinical practice and research contexts to measure mental health and functional outcomes. Additional HoNOS measures have been developed for special populations and applications. Stakeholders require synthesised information about the measurement properties of these measures to assess whether they are fit for use with intended service settings and populations and to establish performance benchmarks. This planned systematic review will critically appraise evidence on the measurement properties of the HoNOS family of measures.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Journal articles meeting inclusion criteria will be identified via a search of seven electronic databases: MEDLINE via EBSCOhost, PsycINFO via APA PsycNET, Embase via Elsevier, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature via EBSCOhost, Web of Science via Thomson Reuters, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library. Variants of 'Health of the Nation Outcome Scales' or 'HoNOS' will be searched as text words. No restrictions will be placed on setting or language of publication. Reference lists of relevant studies and reviews will be scanned for additional eligible studies. Appraisal of reliability, validity, responsiveness and interpretability will be guided by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist. Feasibility/utility will be appraised using definitions and criteria derived from previous reviews. For reliability studies, we will also apply the Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies to assess quality of reporting. Results will be synthesised narratively, separately for each measure, and by subgroup (eg, treatment setting, rater profession/experience or training) where possible. Meta-analyses will be undertaken where data are adequate.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. Outcomes will be disseminated to stakeholders via reports, journal articles and presentations at meetings and conferences.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42017057871.

The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research

Many scholars assert that Indigenous peoples across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. Research indicates that colonialism and its associated processes are important determinants of Indigenous peoples' health internationally. In Canada, despite an abundance of health research documenting inequalities in morbidity and mortality rates for Indigenous peoples, relatively little research has focused on mental health. This paper provides a critical scoping review of the literature related to Indigenous mental health in Canada. We searched eleven databases and two Indigenous health-focused journals for research related to mental health, Indigenous peoples, and Canada, for the years 2006-2016. Over two hundred papers are included in the review and coded according to research theme, population group, and geography. Results demonstrate that the literature is overwhelmingly concerned with issues related to colonialism in mental health services and the prevalence and causes of mental illness among Indigenous peoples in Canada, but with several significant gaps. Mental health research related to Indigenous peoples in Canada overemphasizes suicide and problematic substance use; a more critical use of the concepts of colonialism and historical trauma is advised; and several population groups are underrepresented in research, including Métis peoples and urban or off-reserve Indigenous peoples. The findings are useful in an international context by providing a starting point for discussions, dialogue, and further study regarding mental health research for Indigenous peoples around the world.