IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v141y2015icp133-141.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Protective factors for mental health and well-being in a changing climate: Perspectives from Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut, Labrador

Author

Listed:
  • Petrasek MacDonald, Joanna
  • Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee
  • Ford, James D.
  • Shiwak, Inez
  • Wood, Michele

Abstract

The Canadian Arctic is experiencing rapid changes in climatic conditions, with implications for Inuit communities widely documented. Youth have been identified as an at-risk population, with likely impacts on mental health and well-being. This study identifies and characterizes youth-specific protective factors that enhance well-being in light of a rapidly changing climate, and examines how climatic and environmental change challenges these. In-depth conversational interviews were conducted with youth aged 15–25 from the five communities of the Nunatsiavut region of Labrador, Canada: Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet. Five key protective factors were identified as enhancing their mental health and well-being: being on the land; connecting to Inuit culture; strong communities; relationships with family and friends; and staying busy. Changing sea ice and weather conditions were widely reported to be compromising these protective factors by reducing access to the land, and increasing the danger of land-based activities. This study contributes to existing work on Northern climate change adaptation by identifying factors that enhance youth resilience and, if incorporated into adaptation strategies, may contribute to creating successful and effective adaptation responses.

Suggested Citation

  • Petrasek MacDonald, Joanna & Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee & Ford, James D. & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele, 2015. "Protective factors for mental health and well-being in a changing climate: Perspectives from Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut, Labrador," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 133-141.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:141:y:2015:i:c:p:133-141
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.07.017
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615300332
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.07.017?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ford, J.D., 2012. "Indigenous health and climate change," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(7), pages 1260-1266.
    2. Ashlee Cunsolo Willox & Sherilee Harper & James Ford & Victoria Edge & Karen Landman & Karen Houle & Sarah Blake & Charlotte Wolfrey, 2013. "Climate change and mental health: an exploratory case study from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 121(2), pages 255-270, November.
    3. Helen Berry & Kathryn Bowen & Tord Kjellstrom, 2010. "Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 55(2), pages 123-132, April.
    4. Lehti, Venla & Niemelä, Solja & Hoven, Christina & Mandell, Donald & Sourander, Andre, 2009. "Mental health, substance use and suicidal behaviour among young indigenous people in the Arctic: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 1194-1203, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Galway, Lindsay P. & Esquega, Elizabeth & Jones-Casey, Kelsey, 2022. "“Land is everything, land is us”: Exploring the connections between climate change, land, and health in Fort William First Nation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    2. Finlay, Jessica M., 2018. "‘Walk like a penguin’: Older Minnesotans' experiences of (non)therapeutic white space," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 77-84.
    3. Nelson, Sarah E. & Wilson, Kathi, 2017. "The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 93-112.
    4. Alexandra Sawatzky & Ashlee Cunsolo & Andria Jones-Bitton & Dan Gillis & Michele Wood & Charlie Flowers & Inez Shiwak & Sherilee L. Harper, 2020. "“The best scientists are the people that’s out there”: Inuit-led integrated environment and health monitoring to respond to climate change in the Circumpolar North," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 45-66, May.
    5. Panu Pihkala, 2020. "Eco-Anxiety and Environmental Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-38, December.
    6. Nia King & Rachael Vriezen & Victoria L Edge & James Ford & Michele Wood & IHACC Research Team & Rigolet Inuit Community Government & Sherilee Harper, 2018. "The hidden costs: Identification of indirect costs associated with acute gastrointestinal illness in an Inuit community," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-21, May.
    7. Makenzie MacKay & Brenda Parlee & Carrie Karsgaard, 2020. "Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    8. Ianoş, Ioan & Ionică, Cristian & Sîrodoev, Igor & Sorensen, Anthony & Bureţa, Emanuel & Merciu, George & Paraschiv, Mirela & Tălângă, Cristian, 2019. "Inadequate risk management and excessive response to flood disaster create unexpected land use changes and potential local conflicts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Ma, Tianyi & Moore, Jane & Cleary, Anne, 2022. "Climate change impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of young people: A scoping review of risk and protective factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Holly Vins & Jesse Bell & Shubhayu Saha & Jeremy J. Hess, 2015. "The Mental Health Outcomes of Drought: A Systematic Review and Causal Process Diagram," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Durkalec, Agata & Furgal, Chris & Skinner, Mark W. & Sheldon, Tom, 2015. "Climate change influences on environment as a determinant of Indigenous health: Relationships to place, sea ice, and health in an Inuit community," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 136, pages 17-26.
    3. Katie Hayes & Peter Berry & Kristie L. Ebi, 2019. "Factors Influencing the Mental Health Consequences of Climate Change in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-13, May.
    4. Valesca S. M. Venhof & Carolyn Stephens & Pim Martens, 2024. "Voices from the North: Exploring Sámi People’s Perspectives on Environmental Change and Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Rory G. J. Fitzpatrick & Douglas J. Parker & John H. Marsham & David P. Rowell & Lawrence S. Jackson & Declan Finney & Chetan Deva & Simon Tucker & Rachael Stratton, 2020. "How a typical West African day in the future-climate compares with current-climate conditions in a convection-permitting and parameterised convection climate model," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 267-296, November.
    6. Aderita Sena & Kristie Ebi, 2020. "When Land Is Under Pressure Health Is Under Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Nelson, Sarah E. & Wilson, Kathi, 2017. "The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 93-112.
    8. Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee & Harper, Sherilee L. & Ford, James D. & Landman, Karen & Houle, Karen & Edge, Victoria L., 2012. "“From this place and of this place:” Climate change, sense of place, and health in Nunatsiavut, Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 538-547.
    9. Middleton, Jacqueline & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Jones-Bitton, Andria & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele & Pollock, Nathaniel & Flowers, Charlie & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "“We're people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    10. Huang, Ya-Hui & Ma, Yan, 2024. "Climate change and divorce behavior: Implication for family education," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(1).
    11. Katie Hayes & Blake Poland, 2018. "Addressing Mental Health in a Changing Climate: Incorporating Mental Health Indicators into Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, August.
    12. Mary Dallas Allen, 2020. "Climate change in Alaska: Social workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and experiences," International Journal of Social Welfare, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 310-320, October.
    13. Fiona Charlson & Suhailah Ali & Tarik Benmarhnia & Madeleine Pearl & Alessandro Massazza & Jura Augustinavicius & James G. Scott, 2021. "Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-38, April.
    14. Samuel Sellers & Kristie L. Ebi, 2017. "Climate Change and Health under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway Framework," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.
    15. Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson & Anna Hoad & Mei L. Trueba, 2024. "‘My appetite and mind would go’: Inuit perceptions of (im)mobility and wellbeing loss under climate change across Inuit Nunangat in the Canadian Arctic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, December.
    16. Marko Korhonen & Suvi Kangasrääsiö & Rauli Svento, 2017. "Climate change and mortality: Evidence from 23 developed countries between 1960 and 2010," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 5107635, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    17. Raissa Sorgho & Isabel Mank & Moubassira Kagoné & Aurélia Souares & Ina Danquah & Rainer Sauerborn, 2020. "“We Will Always Ask Ourselves the Question of How to Feed the Family”: Subsistence Farmers’ Perceptions on Adaptation to Climate Change in Burkina Faso," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-25, October.
    18. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    19. Jianbo Jin & Zhihu Xu & Ru Cao & Yuxin Wang & Qiang Zeng & Xiaochuan Pan & Jing Huang & Guoxing Li, 2023. "Long-Term Apparent Temperature, Extreme Temperature Exposure, and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-11, February.
    20. Giorgia Silvestri & Julia M. Wittmayer & Karlijn Schipper & Robinah Kulabako & Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng & Philip Nyenje & Hans Komakech & Roel Van Raak, 2018. "Transition Management for Improving the Sustainability of WASH Services in Informal Settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa—An Exploration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:141:y:2015:i:c:p:133-141. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.