A systemic, mixed-method exploration of resilience factors for rural indigenous youth

Although the dynamic between culture and resilience is complex due to the ongoing effects of colonial oppression and historical trauma (Gone, 2013; Kirmayer et al., 2014; O'Neill et al., 2018; Yellow Horse Brave Heart, 2003), resilience is generally thought to be inherent within Indigenous cultures and values (Feinstein et al., 2009; Kirmayer et al., 2011; LaFromboise et al., 2006). The considerable variability among Indigenous Nations and cultures necessitates a focus on resilience factors within community-specific contexts (Ungar et al., 2007). The focus of this program of research was resilience among youth who participated in a career exploration program and lived in select rural Indigenous communities in Treaty 2 in Manitoba, Canada. Resilience processes were explored by analyzing the dynamics between risks and protective factors and their developmental outcomes. This manuscript is divided into two connected, yet separate, manuscripts. In the first manuscript, we explored resilience within the framework of Chandler and Lalonde’s (1998; 2008) concept of cultural continuity with a study of the concept of self across time in relation to cultural community. The findings from a battery of self-report measures indicated that positive self-concepts and seeing oneself as connected to the future was associated with connectedness and relationships with caregivers, siblings, friends, communities, and culture. The findings support the notion that cultural continuity (Chandler & Lalonde, 2008), or community and familial connectedness, is associated with more positive self-concepts in the present and future. In the second manuscript, we further explored resilience processes among the participants by examining how connectedness to one’s cultures, families, and communities (Beverly et al., 2012; Snowshoe et al., 2017; Ungar et al., 2008) was associated with the youths’ capacity for resilience. This project was completed using a mixed-methods, photo-elicitation research approach with a smaller group of participants. The findings indicated ways that connectedness to people, places, and culture contributed to the youths’ capacity for resilience. The variables of being connected to and receiving support from relationships were the most impactful resilience factors. This study aligned with evidence that connectedness can be considered an integral component of building resilience capacity for Indigenous youth. Taken together, the findings from this program of research highlighted how developmental outcomes are positively associated with connectedness to people and relationships, culture, and community, as well as to individual characteristics of resilience. The findings are informative for providing opportunities for success and well-being of Indigenous youth in the face of historical and ongoing oppressive colonization

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