Impact Of Mental Health Among Indigenous People And Proposal For Care Management Process

Racism and discrimination among Indigenous people

Racism and discrimination among the Indigenous people is a very old issue that has been continuing for over a long time now and poses detrimental impacts on the health of these people (Pollock et al., 2018). There have been several reports of racial discrimination, which can be considered a key determinant of health inequity that is faced by the indigenous people. In the year 2014-2015, there have been around 33% of reports from the indigenous community regarding the unfair facing treatment at their workplaces (Nasir et al., 2018). Over the last two centuries, Indigenous people have become exposed to several factors that may cause poor mental health among them. This includes getting dislocated from their homelands, networks of kinship and family that made them isolated, loss of native and cultural land, self-esteem, identity, security, and mental peace, which has given rise to a multitude of mental health problems leading to depression (Kairuz et al., 2020). The main aim of this research report is to identify the impacts of mental health disorders among the Aboriginals, followed by developing a sound and justified proposal framing a care management process for this community, which in turn could be beneficial to them.

Apart from mental health issues, abuse of substances and addiction, as well as violence, are vital issues that impact the wellbeing of indigenous people. Mental health disorders and abusive usage of substances contributed to almost 7.4% of diseases among Aboriginals, and around 35% of the healthy years were erased from worldwide statistics of non-communicable diseases. In 2010, it was confirmed that the leading category of diseases which hampered the health of people was mental health disorders (Nelson & Wilson, 2017). Depression is the majorly prevalent disorder that contributes to suicides, while anorexia nervosa is the lowest. It has been found that the rate of mental health problems among the indigenous communities is increasing alarmingly at a consistent rate in different parts of the world, such as Denmark, Canada and Australia. Literature states that Australia reports a shorter expectancy of life, indicators such as social, economic and health, along with an increase in alcohol and drug abuse (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). Moreover, the indigenous population is likely to have inadequate access to proper healthcare services to treat their mental health problems. Various entities investigating issues of mental health have reported epistemology between western and indigenous populations, community and intervention development models, strength versus deficit-based studies in the community and approaches that are either top-down or bottom-down (Calma, Dudgeon & Bray, 2017).

In a recent data of meta-analysis, it was found that there was no difference reported in the 12-month prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders along with panic attacks between indigenous and non-indigenous groups (Williams, 2018). It has been widely acknowledged that the prevalence of chronic mental disorders among the indigenous people is mainly the result of the impact of colonization and cultural genocide, which brings in a lot of psychological distress (Rickwood et al., 2019). It was the process of colonization that disrupted the emotional and social wellbeing of the people within various communities and cultures as well as families that gave yielded intergenerational impacts on mental health (Williams, Dingle & Clift, 2018). Colonization, as well as disruption of family, cultural as well as community life through the dispossession of other violent acts like the compelled removal of the children from the families, have impacted the mental health of generations of Aboriginal people. This intergenerational trauma of the Indigenous community has resulted in significant attention these days.

Impacts of mental health disorders and substance abuse

Through the initiation and undertaking of this project on the management of mental health, the following aims will be delivered:

• To promote awareness of mental health problems existing among the community of indigenous people through discussion of topics associated with mental health and its promotion, such as prevention of suicides.
• To develop interactive programs such as exchange of experience among community groups who are participating; while validating mental and physical health training in the community
• To disseminate information and knowledge on various social media platforms and other platforms of the web.

It is through these deliverables that the mental health and well-being of the people of the indigenous community can be assessed. This will improve the life expectancy of this community, with particular attention to the course of life. These deliverables will also strengthen the information system along with evidence and research, which will meet the future gaps and lack of knowledge that exists in society.

For formulating and implementing the project, a primarily qualitative study will be conducted where the data collection will be done on the basis of distributed questionnaires and interviews in a community setting. With the help of inclusion-exclusion criteria, only a significant portion of the population will be selected as respondents whose responses can be relied upon. The samples should be able to understand what suggestions regarding mental health awareness are being given so that they can further spread awareness in the communities they are associated with. The total size of the population would be around 50 participants between the age group of 25-and 45 years. Individuals above 50 years of age and with severe and complicated mental health disorders will be excluded from the group by using inclusion-exclusion criteria. The responses from the participants will be analyzed to understand their preferences and responses, which shall further aid the formulation of policies and regulations for the mental health awareness project.

Every research project has to be conducted by following some ethical guidelines and keeping in mind some ethical considerations so that the project can be executed without any hindrance (Arifin, 2018). This project will be formulated by taking the four pillars of ethics into consideration, which are merit and integrity, respect, benefice and justice. This project on mental health awareness will be reliable as it is framed on the basis of data and evidence of literature search conducted in prior time. No participants will be forced to participate in the interview and survey, and it shall be ensured that whoever participates shall be respected on the grounds of confidential information (Arifin, 2018). This project will be undertaken by taking the positive and negative impacts of the same of the population along with considering all the risks that could arise and ways to encounter them. This project will aim to bring justice to the community of indigenous people who suffer from mental health disorders through an awareness project.

Stakeholder management is a systematic and continuous process that is undertaken by a firm to establish positive as well as constructive relationships with stakeholders so that they can integrate their expectations into the strategies and activities of the business (Pedrini & Ferri, 2019). The stakeholders of this project on mental health awareness dissemination are as follows:

Targeted Beneficiaries: These individuals will be the ones with acute or chronic mental health setbacks due to reasons such as depression or substance abuse, or violence who belong to the community of indigenous people. They are the most vital stakeholders, and it is intended to render a better life for these people. If the program is executed with efficiency, then the people of the indigenous community shall be able to lead a better and more composed life.

Inadequate access to proper healthcare services

Other stakeholders: Among other stakeholders are mental health nurses and nurses who can enhance their practice through the promotion of awareness by counseling beneficiaries. The government is a stakeholder who renders funds for a community to bring them forward on a positive note.

The stakeholders will be managed according to a detailed plan for the project [See Appendix A].

Following are some of the risks which can be associated with the conduction of the project:

Communication risk: Effective and timely communication is a significant risk posed for any project. Lack of proper communication may mislead the course of the project leading to its disruption (Rehacek, 2017). Setting up proper meetings with stakeholders shall enable tracking of changes in the project while reassigning the tasks to foster a cohesive environment.

Cost risk: Shortage or mismanagement of funds of the project may arise from altered economic conditions of the country or inflated budget as well as other constraints, which is a threat to the completion of the project. When the cost of the project is more than the fund of the budget, the risks may get transmitted to any other segment.

Market risk: A market risk is likely to occur in this project when this project fails to meet the results that are expected. At such times, the competitors may take undue advantage of crippling the business while eliminating the same from the market.

The risks can be managed through effective communication and the framing of a contingency plan to be put into action (Rehacek, 2017). The plan will neutralize and prevent any further damage for preventing the continuation of the risk [See Appendix B].

The project requires the following resources:

• Manpower resources
• Posters, images, statistical data and graphs
• Tools and equipment along with resource management software
• A financial resource such as budget and capital money.
• Time resources such as a plan of the project, schedule of the project and invested time.
• A total of approximately 10000 AUD has been fixed as a budget, and this will be needed for the completion of the project [See Appendix C].

Figure: Gantt Chart

Source: Created by the learner

Conclusion 

It can be concluded that the implementation of a sound and efficient project plan may be necessary for bringing about the promotion of mental health awareness so that the people of the Aboriginal community can overcome their issues associated with mental health. The policies and procedures of the project will be designed in a manner that shall bring the best benefit to the beneficiaries of the program.

Reference List

Arifin, S. R. M. (2018). Ethical considerations in qualitative study. International Journal of Care Scholars, 1(2), 30-33. https://journals.iium.edu.my/ijcs/index.php/ijcs/article/download/82/27

Calma, T., Dudgeon, P., & Bray, A. (2017). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing and mental health. Australian Psychologist, 52(4), 255-260. doi:10.1111/ap.12299

Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers in public health, 6, 179. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00179/full

Kairuz, C. A., Casanelia, L. M., Bennett-Brook, K., Coombes, J., & Yadav, U. N. (2020). Impact of racism and discrimination on the physical and mental health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia: a protocol for a scoping review. Systematic reviews, 9(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01480-w

Nasir, B. F., Toombs, M. R., Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, S., Kisely, S., Gill, N. S., Black, E., … & Nicholson, G. C. (2018). Common mental disorders among Indigenous people living in regional, remote and metropolitan Australia: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 8(6), e020196. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/6/e020196

Nelson, S. E., & Wilson, K. (2017). The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research. Social Science & Medicine, 176, 93-112. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361730028X

Pedrini, M., & Ferri, L. M. (2019). Stakeholder management: a systematic literature review. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/CG-08-2017-0172

Pollock, N. J., Naicker, K., Loro, A., Mulay, S., & Colman, I. (2018). The global incidence of suicide among Indigenous peoples: a systematic review. BMC medicine, 16(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-1115-6

Rehacek, P. (2017). Risk management standards for project management. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 4(6), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2017.06.001

Rickwood, D., Paraskakis, M., Quin, D., Hobbs, N., Ryall, V., Trethowan, J., & McGorry, P. (2019). Australia’s innovation in youth mental health care: the headspace center model. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 13(1), 159-166. DOI: 10.1111/eip.12740.

Williams, D. R. (2018). Stress and the mental health of populations of color: Advancing our understanding of race-related stressors. Journal of health and social behavior, 59(4), 466-485. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F0022146518814251

Williams, E., Dingle, G. A., & Clift, S. (2018). A systematic review of mental health and wellbeing outcomes of group singing for adults with a mental health condition. European journal of public health, 28(6), 1035-1042. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky115

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