How First Nations peoples living in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area describe and discuss social and emotional well-being.

Abstract

Objective: This study was the first phase of a broader project designed to develop a new tool to screen social and emotional well-being (SEWB). Its objective was to identify words used by First Nations people living in the Torres Strait (Zenadth Kes) and Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) to describe and discuss SEWB. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge the First Nations peoples who took part in this project as holders of their cultural knowledge now and forevermore.

Setting: This study took place in community and primary health care settings located on islands of the Torres Strait and NPA of Australia.

Participants: Twelve yarns with 35 community members and health professionals were led by Torres Strait Islander members of the project team between August and December 2022.

Design: This study employed a descriptive qualitative design. Yarning, an Australian First Nations relational method, was used to share stories about SEWB. All but one yarn was audio recorded and subsequently professionally transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the yarns.

Results: Worry, sad and stress were the words most often used by participants to describe feelings of low SEWB. Signs of low SEWB included behaviour change, particularly significantly reduced community engagement.

Conclusions: Worry is not a word that is used in Australian mainstream tools that screen for psychological distress. Findings of this study indicate that a question that asks about worries should be included when screening for low SEWB in Australian First Nations peoples living in the Torres Strait and NPA.