ABSTRACT
Through an application of the Environmental Affordance (EA) Model, this paper explores the impact of environmental degradation on the community at Walpole Island First Nation. We outline how a change in relationships, broadly defined within an Anishinaabek ontology, can impact not only access to the local ecosystem but also how the affordances offered are lost. We base our argument on the local knowledge that nibi (water) is the system upon which all life depends and should therefore be the centre of efforts to maintain community-level mental health. Through the EA model we articulate the need to shift the focus from a human-centered ecosystem services model to an Anishinaabek relational ontology where relationships within ecosystems are bidirectional. As such, when those relationships are damaged through environmental degradation, local mental health and wellness are put at risk.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Mental Health , HumansABSTRACT
Background: Infants of parents with perinatal anxiety are at elevated likelihood of experiencing disruption in the parent-infant relationship, as well as difficulties with socio-emotional functioning in later development. Interventions delivered in the perinatal period have the potential to protect the early dyadic relationship and support infants' ongoing development and socio-emotional outcomes. This review primarily aimed to examine the efficacy of perinatal interventions on parent anxiety, infant socio-emotional development/temperament, and parent-infant relationship outcomes. Secondarily, the review sought to understand how interventions focused principally on one member of the dyad affected the outcomes of the other, and which intervention components were common to successful interventions. Method: Five electronic databases as well as manual search procedures were used to identify randomised controlled trials according to a PICO eligibility criteria framework. Risk of bias assessments were undertaken, and a narrative synthesis was conducted. The review was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021254799). Results: Twelve studies were analysed in total, including five interventions focused on the adult, and seven interventions focused on the infant, or the infant's relationship with their parent. Interventions incorporating cognitive behavioural strategies for affective disorders showed reductions in parent anxiety (N = 3), and interventions focusing on altering distorted maternal internal representations showed positive change in parent-child dyadic interactions, and infant outcomes (N = 2). Evidence that interventions focused on one partner of the dyad led to improved outcomes for the other partner was limited. However, evidence was of mixed methodological quality. Conclusions: It is important to integrate both parents and infants into treatment programmes for perinatal anxiety. Implications for clinical practice and future intervention trials are discussed.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cortisol level in hair is increasingly being used as a biomarker of chronic stress. Members of First Nation communities in Canada are experiencing stress related to a higher incidence of chronic diseases, socioeconomic factors, the state of their environment, and cultural oppression. This study aimed to investigate hair cortisol as a biomarker of stress in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hair samples were collected from the posterior vertex of 55 Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN) volunteers and compared with white volunteers living in and around London, ON, Canada. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique was used to measure cortisol content in 1 cm of hair, considered to represent 1 month of growth. In parallel, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which measures short-term stress, was also completed. RESULTS: Median hair cortisol level (range) in WIFN volunteers was 177 (93-273) ng/g, significantly higher than the median hair cortisol in the healthy white controls of 116 (26-204) ng/g (P < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test). Hair cortisol correlated positively with gender, smoking status, and self-reported diabetes. Unlike hair cortisol, the Perceived Stress Scale did not differentiate between the First Nation and control population. CONCLUSIONS: The increased hair cortisol concentrations among WIFN volunteers compared with volunteers from a non-First Nation community suggests higher levels of chronic stress. The causes for this apparent increased stress are likely due to factors such as socioeconomic and poorer health and are worthy of further evaluation. The results highlight the difference between acute stress measured for short periods of time compared with chronic stress, measured by hair analysis.
