"You Can't Replace That Feeling of Connection to Culture and Country": Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Parents' Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Michelle Kennedy; Tess Bright; Simon Graham; Christina Heris; Shannon K Bennetts; Renee Fiolet; Elise Davis; Kimberley A Jones; Janine Mohamed; Caroline Atkinson; Catherine Chamberlain

doi:10.3390/ijerph192416724

"You Can't Replace That Feeling of Connection to Culture and Country": Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Parents' Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 13;19(24):16724. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416724.

Authors

Michelle Kennedy^{1

2}, Tess Bright³, Simon Graham⁴, Christina Heris⁵, Shannon K Bennetts^{6

7}, Renee Fiolet³, Elise Davis³, Kimberley A Jones³, Janine Mohamed⁸, Caroline Atkinson⁹, Catherine Chamberlain^{3

7

10}

Affiliations

¹ College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
² Hunter Medical Research Institute, Rankin Park, Newcastle, NSW 2287, Australia.
³ Indigenous Health Equity Unit, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.
⁵ National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
⁶ Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia.
⁷ Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.
⁸ Lowitja Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3066, Australia.
⁹ We Al-Li Pty Ltd., Goolmangar, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
¹⁰ Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia.

Abstract

This Aboriginal-led study explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents' experiences of COVID-19. 110 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents were interviewed between October 2020 and March 2022. Participants were recruited through community networks and partner health services in South Australia, Victoria, and Northern Territory, Australia. Participants were predominantly female (89%) and based in Victoria (47%) or South Australia (45%). Inductive thematic analysis identified three themes: (1) Changes to daily living; (2) Impact on social and emotional wellbeing; and (3) Disconnection from family, community, and culture. COVID-19 impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Disruption to cultural practice, and disconnection from country, family, and community was detrimental to wellbeing. These impacts aggravated pre-existing inequalities and may continue to have greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and communities due to intergenerational trauma, stemming from colonisation, violence and dispossession and ongoing systemic racism. We advocate for the development of a framework that ensures an equitable approach to future public health responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Keywords: COVID-19; aboriginal health; indigenous health; public health; wellbeing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Female
Health Services, Indigenous*
Humans
Male
Pandemics
Parents
Victoria

Grants and funding

This project—Developing a culturally responsive trauma informed public Health emergency response framework for First Nations families and communities during COVID-19 -is funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence (NHMRC CRE), the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies (APPRISE, AppID 1116530) through a donation from the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Funding for parent interviews was also funded by the Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future (HPNF) project, which aims to co-design culturally safe, trauma integrated perinatal care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma. (#1141593). M.K. is funded by an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship #1158670. C.C. is funded by an NHMRC CDF fellowship (#1161065). S.G. is funded by a NHMRC Investigator Grant (#2009727).