An Updated Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors Related to the Resilience and Well-Being of Indigenous Youth in the United States and Canada.

Abstract

Indigenous youth in North America experience mental health inequities compared to White peers, including a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance use. This systematic review of culturally specific risk and protective factors related to resilience and mental health in Indigenous youth aimed to synthesize the recent evidence and update a systematic review of evidence prior to 2013 (Burnette and Figley, 2016). Following PRISMA guidelines, seven academic databases were searched for peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative resilience research with Indigenous youth (age 19 and under) in the United States and Canada published from 2014 to 2021. Seventy-eight studies met inclusion criteria and provided ample knowledge about risk and protective factors for the resilience of Indigenous youth across the Social Ecology of Resilience theory: individual (86%), family (53%), community (60%), cultural (50%), and societal (19%). A plethora of recent interventions serve as examples of context and culture-specific responses to the mental health needs of Indigenous youth. Further attention to younger children, urban populations, and Indigenous knowledge systems is needed. In particular, the influence of racism, settler colonialism, and cultural resurgence efforts on the well-being of Indigenous youth are areas for future research.