Associations of Indigenous language knowledge and physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual balance among First Nations living on reserve in British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract

Objectives: A First Nations perspective on wellness includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. Indigenous languages hold cultural knowledge and values that could promote wellness. Language learning is one way that Indigenous peoples may reclaim their cultural identity. We theorize that Indigenous language knowledge is one of multiple cultural activities causally downstream from Indigenous reclamation of culture among other causal precursors.

Methods: Our analysis was informed by the results of qualitative interviews with ten Indigenous language learners. We conducted cross-sectional analysis of the First Nations Regional Health Survey (2015-2017) from adults living on First Nations reserves in British Columbia, Canada. Using logistic regression with adjustment for confounding, we estimated associations of Indigenous language knowledge with self-reported physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.

Results: In models adjusted for age and sex and compared to those with little or no fluency, among those with intermediate or fluent Indigenous language ability, the odds ratios (95% CI) of being in balance most or all of the time were 1.06 (0.79, 1.42) for physical balance, 1.23 (0.93, 1.62) for mental balance, 1.19 (0.90, 1.58) for emotional balance, and 1.57 (1.18, 2.10) for spiritual balance. In models adjusted for age, sex, and multiple cultural activities, these were 0.94 (0.69, 1.28); 1.05 (0.79, 1.41); 0.99 (0.73, 1.33); and 1.13 (0.82, 1.55) respectively.

Conclusion: In age/sex-adjusted models, Indigenous language knowledge acted as a proxy for multiple cultural activities theoretically downstream from reclamation and promoters of cultural wellness. Our results are consistent with First Nations cultural activities promoting spiritual balance in this population.