Grant: Project Grant

Mental illness is one of the biggest health challenges in Canada, affecting 1 in 5 people each year. Untreated parent mental health problems can lead to developmental problems for children, like irritability, trouble sleeping, and mental health problems of their own. Because of the harms of colonization, Indigenous families face even more challenges, with double the rates of mental health problems and very little access to care that matches their cultural needs. We developed BEAM, an app-based mental health and parenting support program, to be culturally sensitive and adaptable to specific contexts. In our clinical trials to date, one quarter of program participants have identified as Indigenous. In speaking with these parent participants in more detail, we uncovered stories of a desire to engage more with ancestral wisdom and culturally specific principles of mental health and wellbeing. In this project, we have engaged with Indigenous researchers, Elders, community members and organizations to build a cultural adaptation of BEAM that meets the expressed needs of Indigenous families. This three-phase study will include co-development of cultural program content, a trial run of the program with a group of 50 to 60 parents, and a debriefing and evaluation phase to learn from the experience and plan the next steps to reach more Indigenous families with BEAM, moving toward our goal of lessening mental health inequities through cultural empowerment.