Indigenous men’s pathways to ‘living the right kind of life and walking the right path’: Understanding impacts of systemic oppression and guidance for healing and (w)holistic sexual health.

Citation:

Rand, J., Melro, C., Biderman, M., McMillian, J., Miller, A., Lekas, S., Numer, M (2022). Indigenous men’s pathways to ‘living the right kind of life and walking the right path: Understanding impacts of systemic oppression and guidance for healing and (w)holistic sexual health. Culture, Health, and Sexuality. Open Access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691058.2022.2055149

Abstract:

Indigenous men around the world hold expertise over their own lives. Informed by this perspective, this study centres this experience to better understand what is needed to improve sexual health outcomes among a group of men with a history of incarceration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Indigenous men with such a history. Through thematic analysis the study identified two major themes: 1) the impacts of systemic oppression; 2) the value of guidance in walking the right path. Men identified colonial trauma and the associated mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wounds stemming from systemic oppression as continuing to impact their wellbeing. Men also described the systems of support necessary to help guide them on their journeys through incarceration, rehabilitation and building strong and nurturing relationships. Findings from the study provide important guidance from Indigenous men for future more holistic sexual health intervention programming.

This paper is open access. Read it here

Pathways for Sexual Health Promotion Among Indigenous Boys and Men: A Community Report

Citation

Gaspar, C. M., Rand, J., Biderman, M., Boussard, A., Bogner, E., Lekas, S., Miller, D., McMillian, J., & Numer, M. (2021). Pathways for Sexual Health Promotion Among Indigenous Boys and Men: A Community Report. Halifax, NS.

Executive Summary

The Pathways for Sexual Health Promotion among Indigenous Boys and Men was a research project designed to specifically understand Indigenous boys’ and men’s holistic sexual health in Canada, and more specifically in Atlantic Canada. It was co-developed by Dalhousie University, Healing Our Nation and Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre. The project was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health

Research (CIHR) through a Catalyst Grant and aimed to meet the following objectives:

• Review the academic and grey literature on the current state of holistic sexual health among Indigenous boys and men provincially and nationally

• Organize community consultations in partnership with community organizations to explore the topic of Indigenous boys’ and men’s holistic sexual health

• Gain insight into the perspectives, experiences and contributions of key informants and stakeholders

• Investigate the role of post-colonial masculinities in the production of Indigenous boys’ and men’s holistic sexual health

  A key message driving the project was the need to provide Indigenous boys

  and men spaces of healing and mentorship to inform sexual health programing. The

  specific findings from this project include:

• The review of the literature emphasized that there is a scarcity of research exploring the sexual health of Indigenous boys and men in Canada, particularly in the Atlantic Canada region.

• Community consultation demonstrated the need for safer spaces for Indigenous boys and men to be able to talk about sexual health to promote healthy relationships and positive sexual health practices through role modeling.

• The findings from the stakeholder interviews revealed three pathways for sexual health promotion: 1) developing healthy relationships and highlighting role models, 2) providing access to comprehensive sexual health information, and 3) fostering open communication among Indigenous boys and men.

• Emerging from the 10 interviews with Indigenous men were two key themes: 1) the systems of oppression that effected their journeys; and 2) the systems of support that have and will enable them to recover.

  The findings from this project informed the proposal for a larger CIHR Operating grant project, Indigenous Masculinities and Sexual Health: Exploring community- driven interventions among boys and men through land-based methodologies, in collaboration with Dalhousie University, Healing Our Nation and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre. This Indigenous Masculinities and Sexual Health Project is now exploring holistic sexual health of Indigenous boys and men through Major Gatherings and Learning Lodges. These gatherings and lodges are being developed by Healing Our Nation and the Mi’kmaw Friendship Centre based on the findings from this catalyst project and the community-based sexual health findings are being explored by the Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab at Dalhousie University.

To read the full report, click the button below:

Pathways for Sexual Health Promotion Among Indigenous Boys and Men: Stakeholder Perspectives

Citation

Biderman, M., Doria, N., Sinno, J., Rand, J., Hackett, L., Miller, D., McMillan, L.J., Lekas, S. & Numer, M. (2021). Pathways for Sexual Health Promotion Among Indigenous Boys and Men: Stakeholder Perspectives. AlterNative. 1(10). DOI 10.1177/11771801211023207 

Abstract

The sexual health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada has been identified as an important community and public health concern; however, there is a lack of research on the sexual health needs of Indigenous boys and men. This article shares results from interviews conducted with six stakeholders to explore pathways for sexual health promotion and considers the impacts of colonialism and other socio-political contextual factors on Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health. The study employed thematic analysis, and the findings indicate the following three pathways for sexual health promotion of Indigenous boys and men: (1) developing healthy relationships and highlighting role models, (2) providing access to comprehensive sexual health information, and (3) fostering open communication among Indigenous boys and men. Sexual health promotion with Indigenous boys and men in Atlantic Canada should include addressing the impacts of colonization and their unique socio-cultural contexts.

This paper is open access. Read it here.

A rapid review of Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health.

Citation

Hackett, L., Biderman, M., Doria, N., Courville, J., Bogner, E., Miller, A.D., Spencer, R., & Numer, M. (2020). A rapid review of Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health. Culture, Health and Sexuality. DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2020.1722856

Abstract

Indigenous boys and men in Canada face adverse social and structural circumstances that affect their ability to achieve and maintain sexual health. Research about Indigenous sexual health, however, is largely limited to matters relating to women and statistics on sexually transmitted infections. A rapid review of research was conducted to determine what is currently known about Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health in Canada. Given the prevalence of research documenting quantitative disparities, the current review included qualitative research only. Thirteen included studies explored a wide range of topics relating to sexual health and an overarching intersection between social conditions and individual health outcomes was observed. The results of this review reveal significant gaps in the literature relating to the holistic sexual health of Indigenous boys and men and highlight important domains of sexual health to consider in future research. Findings suggest that sexual health programmes that promote traditional Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational relationships may be effective for promoting sexual health among Indigenous boys and men. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2020.1722856

Graphic facilitation as a tool to guide community-based research on Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health.

Citation

Doria, N., Biderman, M., Miller, D., Prosper, A., & Numer, M. (2019). Graphic facilitation as a tool to guide community-based research on Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health. Journal of Indigenous HIV Research, 10, 20-27. Retrieved from https://www.ahacentre.ca/uploads/9/6/4/2/96422574/
graphic_facilitation.pdf (Open Access)

Abstract

The sexual health of Indigenous1 boys and men is becoming increasingly recognized as an important area of research (Bingham et al., 2014; Grace 2003; Healey & Meadows, 2007). To date, however, much of the research exploring the sexual health of Indigenous Peoples has focused on women and girls. While further research is needed to explore the sexual health of Indigenous boys and men, future research must consider how interacting and dimensional factors such as colonization, racism, discrimination and prejudice contribute to poor sexual health outcomes (Bird et al., 2016; George et al., 2016; Hallett et al., 2017; Negin, Aspin, Gadsden, & Reading, 2015; Reading, Wien, & National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2009; Reading, Loppie, & O’Neil, 2016). It is important to recognize that generations of trauma and abuse have produced the poor social conditions in which Indigenous Peoples experience worse sexual health compared to the national average, such as higher rates of HIV and other STBBIs (Haddad et al., 2018). This paper describes our experience of conducting a community consultation to explore the current state of Indigenous boys and men’s sexual health and wellness. We also discuss our experience of using graphic facilitation as a culturally responsive tool to collect qualitative data on this subject matter. The community consultation is an outcome of a larger program of research that ultimately aims to decrease HIV rates within the Indigenous community across Atlantic Canada and beyond. Ethical approval for this project was obtained from both the Dalhousie Research Ethics Board and Mi’kmaw Ethics Watch

This paper is open source. Read it here.