Indigenous Child Wellness: A Scoping Review of Best Practices with Initial Advising from Indigenous Community Members on Contextual Considerations and Next Steps

Background. The measurement of wellness among Indigenous Peoples is crucial to understanding the needs of communities today and for generations to come. Here, we summarize extant research on assessments relevant to measuring the wellbeing of Indigenous children and families in Canada through an examination of existing international practices. A thoughtful identification of wellness metrics aligned with Indigenous cultural contexts is important because, in the past, wellness assessments that were not co-developed by Indigenous partners have perpetuated systemic harm. Objectives. The purpose of this study is to identify feasible and acceptable approaches to measuring Indigenous child and family wellness. Research objectives were to (1) to consult with Indigenous advisors to inform this phase and subsequent phases an overarching project (2) examine the available literature based on existing Canadian and international practices in wellness assessments as it relates to feasibility and acceptability of measuring wellness for Indigenous people. Eligibility Criteria. Measures and frameworks were eligible for synthesis in this review if they were used or developed across Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; written in English between 2010-2020; related to wellness or adjacent topics; focused on wellness related to children, youth, adults, and/or families. Sources of Evidence. Databases consulted for the review included Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were held with four Indigenous community members to advise on the process of developing such a project and to gauge considerations on the appropriateness of assessing wellness for Indigenous families. The review portion of the study was conducted by the first author and a research assistant using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews protocol. Results. Results from interviews highlight a unique set of factors to consider from an Indigenous values perspective when assessing child wellness. These include incorporating elements of self-determination in both measure development and usage. Themes of family, community, strength-based approaches, and wholism were also emphasized. Results from the review found a total 896 relevant abstracts. Of these, 88 articles were reviewed, 16 measures, and four frameworks were eligible for synthesis. Conclusions. Findings exemplified an emerging assessment base for measuring wellness, though minimal work to date is directly designed to be culturally appropriate for Indigenous children and families. Moving forward, we will seek to fill this gap by supporting the development of a wellness measure with the potential to promote the adequate and equitable dispersion of support and resources to Indigenous families.

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