Original articleIntergenerational Trauma: The Relationship Between Residential Schools and the Child Welfare System Among Young People Who Use Drugs in Vancouver, Canada
Section snippets
Methods
Data for this study were collected between December 1, 2011, and May 31, 2016, from two prospective cohorts of PWUD (i.e., the At-Risk Youth Study [ARYS] and the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study [VIDUS]), with harmonized procedures for recruitment, follow-up, and data collection in Vancouver, Canada. Study rationale and procedures for ARYS and VIDUS have been described elsewhere in detail [28], [29]. In brief, to be eligible, participants must reside in the greater Vancouver region, have
Results
Over our study period, 675 PWUD (age <35 years) were enrolled in VIDUS and ARYS and eligible for these analyses. Among this sample, 259 (38.4%) were female, and the median age at baseline was 23.3 (Interquartile range [IQR]: 21.1–27.4) years. Among the 267 (39.6%) participants who identified as being of Indigenous ancestry, 179 (67.0%) were First Nations, 29 (10.7%) were Métis, and 9 (3.4%) identified as Aboriginal (no participants identified as Inuit). Among Indigenous participants, 90 (18.1%)
Discussion
We observed a dose–response–type trend between familial residential school exposure and having been personally involved with the CWS among younger Indigenous PWUD. Participants who had either a parent (or grandparent and parent) that attended a residential school were found to have more than two times the odds of having been in government care. Those with a grandparent (but no parent) that attended a residential school also had increased odds of being in care; however, this association did not
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the study participants for their contribution to the research, as well as current and past researchers and staff. The authors would specifically like to thank Carly Ho, Jennifer Matthews, Peter Vann, Steve Kain, and Marina Abramishvili for their research and administrative assistance. The authors respectfully acknowledge that this study was undertaken on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəỷəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səľílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)
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Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Disclaimer: Funding sources had no further role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.