The intergenerational trauma and the protective effects of culture in relation to health and wellness among Indigenous populations

In PLANNING FOR 2023! 

When: March 2, 2023
Format: Virtual Zoom

As with other events in the Speaker Series, there will be a main pubic colloquium. Additionally, there will be a smaller event for Indigenous students to meet in a small group with each other and the invited speaker immediately after the public colloquium.

Event 1: 12:30-~1:45/50pm PT (for the main colloquium)
Event 2: ~1:45/50-2:30pm PT (for the small group conversation meeting of Dr. Bombay with Indigenous students)

Being developed:
Promo/information
Registration information/website

Stay tuned!
 

ABOUT THE EVENT

This event is organized by Psychology's Indigenous Reconciliation Committee as part of the Indigenous Scholar Speaker Series, which combines public main colloquia, with a small group meeting for selected Indigenous students. 

We are pleased that the Developmental Psychology Area of the SFU Department of Psychology is joining the SFU Psychology's IRC as a co-sponsor by co-funding the event. We are appreciative of the Develpomenal Psychology area's support in helping make the event possible. 

Abstract for the main colloquium:

The health and wellness of Indigenous peoples continues to be affected by ongoing and intergenerational consequences of colonialism. Our work focuses on identifying the root causes of health and social inequities that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This presentation will highlight our research program that uses population data and community-research to understand how the Indian Residential school system and other harmful government policies have come to impact health and wellness in Indigenous populations. We will examine the pathways through which the effects of collectively experienced stress and trauma can be passed down across generations, as well as how culture and cultural identity can protect against these negative outcomes and promote wellness. 
 

About Dr. Amy Bombay:

Dr. Amy Bombay (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Amy Bombay is a member of Rainy River First Nations and her primary areas of inquiry have explored the links between intergenerational and contemporary exposure to stress and trauma, cultural identity, and health among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Her research exploring the different pathways by which the effects of Indian Residential Schools are transmitted across generations has been influential in educating the public about the long-term effects of colonialism and in influencing policy and practice related to Indigenous health

For more information: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/health/nursing/faculty-staff/faculty/amy-bombay.html
 

SELECTED RESOURCES

• Bombay, A., McQuaid, R., Young, J., Sinha, V., Currie, V., Anisman, H., & Matheson, K. (2020). Personal and familial attendance at Indian Residential School and subsequent involvement in the child welfare system among Indigenous adults born during the Sixties Scoop era. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 15(1), 62-79. https://fpcfr.com/index.php/FPCFR/article/view/401
  
  
• Bombay, A., McQuaid, R.J., Schwartz, F., Thomas, A., & Anisman, H., Matheson, K. (2019). Suicidal thoughts and attempts in First Nations communities: Links to parental Indian residential school attendance across development. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 10, 123-131. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-developmental-origins-of-health-and-disease/article/abs/suicidal-thoughts-and-attempts-in-first-nations-communities-links-to-parental-indian-residential-school-attendance-across-development/ACA78FE13D2D4242B4CF55677160CEC0
  
  
• Bombay, A., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2014). The intergenerational effects of Indian Residential Schools: Implications for the concept of historical trauma. Transcultural Psychiatry, 51(3), 320-338. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1363461513503380

Other Dr. Amy Bombay publications: 

• Hajizadeh, M., Hu, M., Asada, Y. & Bombay, A. (2021). Explaining the gaps in psychological distress and suicidal behaviours between non-Indigenous and Indigenous adults living off-reserve in Canada: A cross-sectional study. Canadian Medical Association Journal Open, 9(1), E215-E223. https://www.cmajopen.ca/content/9/1/E215
  
  
• Bombay, A. (2015). A call towards eliminating mental health disparities faced by Indigenous Peoples. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 861-862. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00352-1/abstract
  
  
  

If you are interested in additional resources on topics around Reconciliation/Decolonization/EDI, you may also interested in visiting the SFU Psyc IRC Resources page and links. They are continually being updated: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/about/indigenous-reconciliation/resources.html