IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i4p2472-d754540.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spirituality, Community Belonging, and Mental Health Outcomes of Indigenous Peoples during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Chantal Burnett

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Eva Purkey

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Colleen M. Davison

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Autumn Watson

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
    Indigenous Health Council, Kingston, ON K7K 2V4, Canada
    Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle, Thorold, ON L2V 4Y6, Canada)

  • Jennifer Kehoe

    (Indigenous Health Council, Kingston, ON K7K 2V4, Canada)

  • Sheldon Traviss

    (Indigenous Health Council, Kingston, ON K7K 2V4, Canada)

  • Dionne Nolan

    (Indigenous Health Council, Kingston, ON K7K 2V4, Canada)

  • Imaan Bayoumi

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

Abstract

We aimed to assess the association between community belonging, spirituality, and mental health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional observational study used online survey distribution and targeted outreach to the local Indigenous community to collect a convenience sample between 23 April 2020 and 20 November 2020. The surveys included demographic information, self-reported symptoms of depression (PHQ-2) and anxiety (GAD-2), and measures of the sense of community belonging and the importance of spirituality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model the association between the sense of community belonging and spirituality, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Of the 263 self-identified Indigenous people who participated, 246 participants had complete outcome data, including 99 (40%) who reported symptoms of depression and 110 (45%) who reported symptoms of anxiety. Compared to Indigenous participants with a strong sense of community belonging, those with weak community belonging had 2.42 (95% CI: 1.12–5.24)-times greater odds of reporting symptoms of anxiety, and 4.40 (95% CI: 1.95–9.89)-times greater odds of reporting symptoms of depression. While spirituality was not associated with anxiety or depression in the adjusted models, 76% of Indigenous participants agreed that spirituality was important to them pre-pandemic, and 56% agreed that it had become more important since the pandemic began. Community belonging was associated with positive mental health outcomes. Indigenous-led cultural programs that foster community belonging may promote the mental health of Indigenous Peoples.

Suggested Citation

  • Chantal Burnett & Eva Purkey & Colleen M. Davison & Autumn Watson & Jennifer Kehoe & Sheldon Traviss & Dionne Nolan & Imaan Bayoumi, 2022. "Spirituality, Community Belonging, and Mental Health Outcomes of Indigenous Peoples during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-9, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:2472-:d:754540
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2472/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2472/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Kitchen & Allison Williams & James Chowhan, 2012. "Sense of Community Belonging and Health in Canada: A Regional Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 103-126, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Gabriele Prati & Elvira Cicognani & Cinzia Albanesi, 2018. "The Impact of Sense of Community in the School, Social Skills, and Exposure to Aggression and Victimization on Students’ Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 637-651, November.
    2. Scholten, Lincy & Betkó, János & Gesthuizen, Maurice & Fransen-Kuppens, Gerdine & de Vet, Renée & Wolf, Judith, 2023. "Reciprocal relations between financial hardship, sense of societal belonging and mental health for social assistance recipients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    3. Peter Kitchen & Allison Williams & James Chowhan, 2012. "Sense of Belonging and Mental Health in Hamilton, Ontario: An Intra-Urban Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(2), pages 277-297, September.
    4. Allison Ross & Craig A. Talmage & Mark Searle, 2019. "Toward a Flourishing Neighborhood: the Association of Happiness and Sense of Community," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(5), pages 1333-1352, November.
    5. Rochelle Thompson & Briana N. M. Hagen & Margaret N. Lumley & Charlotte B. Winder & Basem Gohar & Andria Jones-Bitton, 2022. "Mental Health and Substance Use of Farmers in Canada during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-24, October.
    6. Allison Ross & Craig A. Talmage & Mark Searle, 2020. "The Impact of Neighboring on Changes in Sense of Community Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 327-345, May.
    7. Yue, Yafei & Yang, Dongfeng & Owen, Neville & Van Dyck, Delfien, 2022. "The built environment and mental health among older adults in Dalian: The mediating role of perceived environmental attributes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    8. Rasmus Mannerström & Lauri Hietajärvi & Arniika Kuusisto & Katariina Salmela-Aro & Arto Kallioniemi, 2023. "Value Profiles Among Finnish Adolescents and Their Associations With Subjective and Social Well-Being," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 509-531, April.
    9. Yun-Kyoung Song & Boyoon Choi & Jung Mi Oh & Arim Kwak & Kyungim Kim, 2022. "Employee Perspectives on Onsite Health Clinics in Semiconductor Company in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, January.
    10. Wang, Lu & Hu, Wei, 2013. "Immigrant health, place effect and regional disparities in Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 8-17.
    11. Scott Daniel Emerson & Anita Minh & Martin Guhn, 2018. "Ethnic density of regions and psychiatric disorders among ethnic minority individuals," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(2), pages 130-144, March.
    12. Rachel V. Herron & Nancy E. G. Newall & Breanna C. Lawrence & Doug Ramsey & Candice M. Waddell & Jennifer Dauphinais, 2021. "Conversations in Times of Isolation: Exploring Rural-Dwelling Older Adults’ Experiences of Isolation and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Manitoba, Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
    13. Grant Schellenberg & Chaohui Lu & Christoph Schimmele & Feng Hou, 2018. "The Correlates of Self-Assessed Community Belonging in Canada: Social Capital, Neighbourhood Characteristics, and Rootedness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 597-618, November.
    14. Charles Gyan & Batholomew Chireh, 2024. "Factors Associated with the Sense of Community Belonging of Immigrants: Insight from the 2011–2018 Canadian Community Health Survey," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(5), pages 2685-2704, October.
    15. Asiya Patel & Jennifer Dean & Sara Edge & Kathi Wilson & Effat Ghassemi, 2019. "Double Burden of Rural Migration in Canada? Considering the Social Determinants of Health Related to Immigrant Settlement Outside the Cosmopolis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, February.
    16. Peter Kitchen & Allison Williams & Dylan Simone, 2012. "Measuring Social Capital in Hamilton, Ontario," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(2), pages 215-238, September.
    17. Ping Wen & Jiting Zhang & Suhong Zhou, 2022. "Social Group Differences in Influencing Factors for Chinese Urban Residents’ Subjective Well-Being: From the Perspective of Social Stratification," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, July.
    18. Huang Xiaobing & Chen Meng, 2022. "The Impact of Internet Use on Community Participation of Older Adults: Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.

    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:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:2472-:d:754540. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.