Honoring Indigenous culture-as-intervention: Development and validity of the Native Wellness Assessment^TM

ABSTRACT

There is a need for Indigenous-centered research to appraise culture’s role in wellness. Researchers described the development and validity of the Native Wellness Assessment (NWA^TM). The NWA has culture-as-intervention at its apex. Wellness, culture, and cultural intervention practices (CIPs) are explored from an Indigenous perspective. Indigenous clients completed matching self-report and observer versions of the NWA at three time points during addictions treatment. Statistically and psychometrically, the NWA content and structure performed well, demonstrating that culture is an effective and fair intervention for Indigenous peoples with addictions. The NWA can inform Indigenous health and community-based programs and policy.

KEYWORDS:

• Addiction
• assessment
• cultural intervention practices
• culture
• fairness
• Indigenous peoples
• intervention
• Native wellness
• NWA
• reliability
• treatment
• validity

Acknowledgments

Members of the Honoring Our Strengths: Indigenous culture-as-intervention research team include nominated principal investigator: Colleen Dell (University of Saskatchewan); co-PI: Peter Menzies (Independent, formerly Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Carol Hopkins (National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation), Jennifer Robinson (Assembly of First Nations; former designate, Jonathan Thompson); coapplicants: Sharon Acoose (First Nations University of Canada), Peter Butt (University of Saskatchewan), Elder Jim Dumont (Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre), Marwa Farag (University of Saskatchewan), Joseph P. Gone (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor), Christopher Mushquash (Lakehead University), Rod McCormick (Thompson Rivers University, formerly University of British Columbia), David Mykota (University of Saskatchewan), Nancy Poole (BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health), Bev Shea (University of Ottawa), Virgil Tobias (Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre); knowledge users: Kasi McMicking (Health Canada), Mike Martin (National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation), Mary Deleary (Independent, formerly Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre), Brian Rush (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Renee Linklater (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Sarah Steves (Health Canada; former designate, Darcy Stoneadge); collaborators (treatment centers): Willie Alphonse (Nengayni Wellness Centre), Ed Azure (Nelson House Medicine Lodge), Christina Brazzoni (Carrier Sekani Family Services), Virgil Tobias (Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre; former designate, Mary Deleary), Patrick Dumont (Wanaki Centre), Cindy Ginnish (Rising Sun), Hilary Harper (Ekweskeet Healing Lodge; Acting Director, Yvonne Howse), Yvonne Rigsby-Jones (Tsow-Tun Le Lum), Ernest Sauve (White Buffalo Youth Inhalant Treatment Centre), Zelda Quewezance (Saulteaux Healing and Wellness Centre), Iris Allen (Charles J. Andrew Youth Treatment Centre), Rolanda Manitowabi (Ngwaagan Gamig Recovery Centre Inc./Rainbow Lodge); collaborators (leadership): Chief Austin Bear (National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation), Debra Dell (Youth Solvent Addiction Committee), Val Desjarlais (National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation; former designate, Janice Nicotine), Rob Eves (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; former designate, Rita Notarandrea), Elder Campbell Papequash (Saskatchewan Team for Research and Evaluation of Addictions Treatment and Mental Health Services Advisor); contractors (methodology): Elder Jim Dumont (Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre), Randy Duncan (University of Saskatchewan), Carina Fiedeldey-Van Dijk (ePsy Consultancy), Laura Hall (University of Saskatchewan), Margo Rowan (University of Saskatchewan); management: Barbara Fornssler (University of Saskatchewan; former designate, Michelle Kushniruk); article editing: Marcia Darling (Toronto). This work was inspired by the devotion of Elder Jim Dumont and the treatment center project partners to walk with First Nations’ people on the path to wellness guided by culture-as-intervention. With respect to this article, the authors most appreciatively thank Mike Martin for his assistance in facilitating the pilot testing process; Randy Duncan for his measurement expertise and work with the IKG in helping to revise early drafts of the instrument; and Roisin Unsworth (University of Saskatchewan) for her work in compiling information from the literature involving the application and validation of instruments to assess wellness.

Notes

¹NNAPF was renamed to Thunderbird Partnership Foundation (TFP) in 2015.

²Related, the NWA is supported by a free step-by-step client activity guide and facilitator’s handbook for service providers and their clients (http://www.addictionresearchchair.ca/ca.creating_knowledge/national/honouring-our-strengths-culture-as-intervention/gowing-wellness-connectin-with-culture/).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (funding reference number AHI −120535).