Yvonne Bohr, Jeffrey Hankey, Alaina Thomas, Marette Abdelmaseh, Leigh Armour, Hugh McCague, Jenna Barnhardt, Megis Oskalns, Nichaela Garvey, Yogita Singh, Cassie Danz, Chelsea Singoorie, Reuben Qaunaq, Iola Oshoweetok, Mathijs Lucassen, Sally Merry, Matthew Shepherd, Marc H Bornstein, Farah Ahmad, Shmuel Shulman, Jonathan Weiss
{"title":"A Nunavut community-directed Inuit youth mental wellness initiative: making I-SPARX fly.","authors":"Yvonne Bohr, Jeffrey Hankey, Alaina Thomas, Marette Abdelmaseh, Leigh Armour, Hugh McCague, Jenna Barnhardt, Megis Oskalns, Nichaela Garvey, Yogita Singh, Cassie Danz, Chelsea Singoorie, Reuben Qaunaq, Iola Oshoweetok, Mathijs Lucassen, Sally Merry, Matthew Shepherd, Marc H Bornstein, Farah Ahmad, Shmuel Shulman, Jonathan Weiss","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2401210","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inuit youth in Nunavut (NU) are resilient but face a protracted suicide crisis. The SPARX serious game and e-intervention, developed originally in New Zealand, teaches youth cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to ameliorate stress and depression. Inuit youth in NU reviewed and culturally adapted SPARX and an existing wellness outcome measure for Inuit. One hundred and twenty-one youth, aged 13 to 24, across NU then tested, played, and evaluated I(nuit)-SPARX, showing improvement in several areas of wellbeing post-play. Youth completed a CBT skills survey, engaged in sharing circles to assess CBT skill retention, and shared their thoughts about the usefulness and cultural fit of I-SPARX with <i>Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ)</i>. <i>Communication Skills</i>, <i>Listening Skills</i>, and <i>Problem Solving</i> emerged as the most helpful learned CBT skills, and NU youth provided real-world examples of using I-SPARX skills to support their mental wellness. Several principles of <i>IQ</i> were exemplified and upheld in the content of the adapted SPARX tool and the process of the project as a whole. Empirically grounded, asynchronous e-tools, developed in collaboration with Inuit communities to ensure cultural specificity, may support psychological wellness in communities where mental health resources are scarce.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11468022/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2024.2401210","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/10/10 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Inuit youth in Nunavut (NU) are resilient but face a protracted suicide crisis. The SPARX serious game and e-intervention, developed originally in New Zealand, teaches youth cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to ameliorate stress and depression. Inuit youth in NU reviewed and culturally adapted SPARX and an existing wellness outcome measure for Inuit. One hundred and twenty-one youth, aged 13 to 24, across NU then tested, played, and evaluated I(nuit)-SPARX, showing improvement in several areas of wellbeing post-play. Youth completed a CBT skills survey, engaged in sharing circles to assess CBT skill retention, and shared their thoughts about the usefulness and cultural fit of I-SPARX with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). Communication Skills, Listening Skills, and Problem Solving emerged as the most helpful learned CBT skills, and NU youth provided real-world examples of using I-SPARX skills to support their mental wellness. Several principles of IQ were exemplified and upheld in the content of the adapted SPARX tool and the process of the project as a whole. Empirically grounded, asynchronous e-tools, developed in collaboration with Inuit communities to ensure cultural specificity, may support psychological wellness in communities where mental health resources are scarce.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Circumpolar Health is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Circumpolar Health Research Network [CircHNet]. The journal follows the tradition initiated by its predecessor, Arctic Medical Research. The journal specializes in circumpolar health. It provides a forum for many disciplines, including the biomedical sciences, social sciences, and humanities as they relate to human health in high latitude environments. The journal has a particular interest in the health of indigenous peoples. It is a vehicle for dissemination and exchange of knowledge among researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and those they serve.
International Journal of Circumpolar Health welcomes Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Book Reviews, Dissertation Summaries, History and Biography, Clinical Case Reports, Public Health Practice, Conference and Workshop Reports, and Letters to the Editor.