A rapid review of Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health in Canada

Abstract

Indigenous boys and men in Canada face adverse social and structural circumstances that affect their ability to achieve and maintain sexual health. Research about Indigenous sexual health, however, is largely limited to matters relating to women and statistics on sexually transmitted infections. A rapid review of research was conducted to determine what is currently known about Indigenous boys’ and men’s sexual health in Canada. Given the prevalence of research documenting quantitative disparities, the current review included qualitative research only. Thirteen included studies explored a wide range of topics relating to sexual health and an overarching intersection between social conditions and individual health outcomes was observed. The results of this review reveal significant gaps in the literature relating to the holistic sexual health of Indigenous boys and men and highlight important domains of sexual health to consider in future research. Findings suggest that sexual health programmes that promote traditional Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational relationships may be effective for promoting sexual health among Indigenous boys and men.

Keywords:

• Indigenous
• sexual health
• sexuality
• colonisation
• men and boys
• Canada

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge Leah Boulos, the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit Evidence Synthesis Coordinator, for her assistance with the development of our search strategy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Sixties Scoop refers to the mass apprehension of Indigenous children into the Canadian child welfare system throughout the1960s.

Additional information

Funding

Supported by Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.