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Parent-Child Separations and Mental Health among First Nations and Métis Peoples in Canada: Links to Intergenerational Residential School Attendance

Author

Listed:
  • Robyn J. McQuaid

    (Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
    University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada)

  • Flint D. Schwartz

    (Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Cindy Blackstock

    (First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8, Canada
    School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B9, Canada)

  • Kim Matheson

    (Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
    University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada)

  • Hymie Anisman

    (Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada)

  • Amy Bombay

    (Department of Psychiatry and School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

Abstract

First Nations children are over 17 times more likely to be removed from their families and placed in the child welfare system (CWS) than non-Indigenous children in Canada. The high rates of parent-child separation have been linked to discriminatory public services and the Indian Residential School (IRS) system, which instigated a multi-generational cycle of family disruption. However, limited empirical evidence exists linking the IRS to subsequent parent-child separations, the CWS, and mental health outcomes among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis populations in Canada. The current studies examine these relationships using a nationally representative sample of First Nations youth (ages 12–17 years) living in communities across Canada (Study 1), and among First Nations and Métis adults (ages 18+ years) in Canada (Study 2). Study 1 revealed that First Nations youth with a parent who attended IRS had increased odds of not living with either of their biological parents, and both IRS and not living with biological parents independently predicted greater psychological distress. Similarly, Study 2 revealed that First Nations and Métis adults with familial IRS history displayed greater odds of spending time in the CWS, and both IRS and CWS predicted elevated depressive symptoms. The increased distress and depressive symptoms associated with parent-child separations calls for First Nations-led interventions to address the inequities in the practices of removing Indigenous children and youth from their families.

Suggested Citation

  • Robyn J. McQuaid & Flint D. Schwartz & Cindy Blackstock & Kim Matheson & Hymie Anisman & Amy Bombay, 2022. "Parent-Child Separations and Mental Health among First Nations and Métis Peoples in Canada: Links to Intergenerational Residential School Attendance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6877-:d:831623
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lisa Ritland & Victoria Thomas & Kate Jongbloed & David S Zamar & Mary P Teegee & Wenecwtsin-Kukpi Christian & Chris G Richardson & Martin Guhn & Martin T Schechter & Patricia M Spittal & for the Ceda, 2021. "The Cedar Project: Relationship between child apprehension and attempted suicide among young Indigenous mothers impacted by substance use in two Canadian cities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Kaspar, V., 2014. "The lifetime effect of residential school attendance on indigenous health status," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(11), pages 2184-2190.
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    Cited by:

    1. Riko Kawashita & Haruka Kato, 2024. "Mental Health and Parent–Child Residential Distance for Older People: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-12, February.

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