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The Australian Community Psychologist Volume 28 No 2 June 2017 © The Australian Psychological Society Ltd Lateral Violence and Disempowerment Definitions of lateral violence (LV) reveal that LV is a form of overt and covert... more
The Australian Community Psychologist Volume 28 No 2 June 2017 © The Australian Psychological Society Ltd Lateral Violence and Disempowerment Definitions of lateral violence (LV) reveal that LV is a form of overt and covert dissatisfaction and disruption amid members of oppressed groups (Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA), 2008). Within Indigenous groups, overt physical violence coupled with covert behaviours such as bullying, harassment, gossiping and sabotage have been found (Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), 2011; Derrick, 2006) along with stripping away of each other’s Aboriginal identity (Clark, Augoustinos & Malin, 2016). Lateral violence with Aboriginal communities in Australia is linked to intergenerational and collective trauma that has its roots in colonialism. From colonisation Aboriginal people’s lives were undermined and controlled through racism and oppression. Appeals and resistance were met with further disempowerment that has become multigenerati...
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Ngartunna Patpangga is a child and adolescent mental health service for the Aboriginal community of southern metropolitan Adelaide. It is a part of the local community-based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), but has been... more
Ngartunna Patpangga is a child and adolescent mental health service for the Aboriginal community of southern metropolitan Adelaide. It is a part of the local community-based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), but has been modified to meet the needs of the local Aboriginal community as a result of consultations with members of that community. The aim is to provide a service that is culturally sensitive and culturally safe, thereby overcoming barriers to the use of mainstream CAMHS services by Aboriginal families. In this presentation we describe the model of service delivery employed by Ngartunna Patpangga and a research study whose purpose was to explore the help-seeking behaviours and treatment experiences of carers of Aboriginal children who used the service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 carers and the data were analysed using thematic analysis to reveal common themes. The results indicate that, while carers initiated the search for help for t...
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This article presents a thematic analysis of the naming and framing of lateral violence within the Aboriginal community in Adelaide, South Australia. Lateral violence is a relatively under researched area within the Aboriginal community,... more
This article presents a thematic analysis of the naming and framing of lateral violence within the Aboriginal community in Adelaide, South Australia. Lateral violence is a relatively under researched area within the Aboriginal community, yet this term has been applied with little consultation. Interviews with 30 Aboriginal participants examining their understandings of lateral violence identified five themes relevant to the labelling and acceptance of the term ‘lateral violence’. By drawing on theories of oppression, social representations, stigma and racism many of the themes indicate the importance and relevance of an overarching label of lateral violence to describe the “infighting” behaviours that have been normalised within the Aboriginal community. Assurance of a label makes the concept of lateral violence tangible and therefore able to be addressed. Despite this labelling, awareness of the concept of lateral violence in Adelaide appears relatively low. Resistance and oppositi...
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The term “lateral violence” describes how members of an oppressed group direct their dissatisfaction inward. This paper reports on qualitative interviews with 30 local Aboriginal participants in Adelaide, South Australia. The purpose was... more
The term “lateral violence” describes how members of an oppressed group direct their dissatisfaction inward. This paper reports on qualitative interviews with 30 local Aboriginal participants in Adelaide, South Australia. The purpose was to explore understandings, awareness, experiences, and effects of lateral violence. Most participants completed two questionnaires (the Kessler-5 and negative life events scales) in order to gain further insight into their wellbeing and its association with experiences of lateral violence. Overall, four major interpretative themes emerged from interviews: the predominantly covert and insidious nature of lateral violence; the relationship between racism and lateral violence; challenges to identity as acts of lateral violence; and the destructive effects of lateral violence on wellbeing. The wellbeing scales indicated overall that participants’ psychological distress was in the moderate range, with 29% scoring in the high/very high psychological distr...
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Lateral violence describes how members of oppressed groups direct their dissatisfaction toward each other. This inward deflection has been associated with Indigenous communities around the world and has shown to be destructive. The focus... more
Lateral violence describes how members of oppressed groups direct their dissatisfaction toward each other. This inward deflection has been associated with Indigenous communities around the world and has shown to be destructive. The focus of this research concerns Aboriginal Strait Islander people in Adelaide, South Australia, as part of an evaluation of the preventing lateral violence workshops. The overall evaluation comprised both quantitative and qualitative components. This article reports on qualitative data, from interviews with seven Aboriginal participants, post workshop. These interviews, examined their ways of dealing with and strategizing to prevent lateral violence in various contexts as well as suggestions for improvements to the workshops. There were several interpretive themes that emerged from these interviews. This paper reports on the three main themes: improvements to workshops; participant support needs and their strategies to prevent lateral violence in their co...
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The Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future (HPNF) research project aims to co-design perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment, and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents who have experienced childhood... more
The Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future (HPNF) research project aims to co-design perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment, and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents who have experienced childhood complex trauma. Safety is essential for working in and collaborating with others in the context of complex trauma. Therefore, the purpose of this framework is to • provide a guiding document for emotional and cultural safety protocols; • identify, document, and synthesise the existing safety aspects within the HPNF project; and • foster opportunities for cultural exchange. Utilising a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) approach, elements of this framework are drawn from the literature; HPNF protocols; investigator expertise, consultation, and feedback from workshops. Various themes emerged about safety that include connectivity, therapeutic support, communication, reciprocity, flexibility, recognising expertise, and governance. The...
Thesis (Ph.D.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2017
We aimed to understand support needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma.Becoming a parent is an exciting yet challenging transition, particularly for parents who have experienced past hurt in... more
We aimed to understand support needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma.Becoming a parent is an exciting yet challenging transition, particularly for parents who have experienced past hurt in their own childhood which can have long lasting effects, including complex trauma. Complex trauma-related distress can make it harder to care for a baby, but the parenting transition offers unique opportunities for recovery. This formative research is part of a community-based participatory action research project which aims to co-design perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma. We used an Indigenist approach and grounded theory methods. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents who were pregnant and/or have children up to two years old were recruited through perinatal care services and community networks in three Australian sites (Alice Springs...
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IntroductionChild maltreatment and other traumatic events can have serious long-term physical, social and emotional effects, including a cluster of distress symptoms recognised as ‘complex trauma’. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander... more
IntroductionChild maltreatment and other traumatic events can have serious long-term physical, social and emotional effects, including a cluster of distress symptoms recognised as ‘complex trauma’. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) people are also affected by legacies of historical trauma and loss. Trauma responses may be triggered during the transition to parenting in the perinatal period. Conversely, becoming a parent offers a unique life-course opportunity for healing and prevention of intergenerational transmission of trauma. This paper outlines a conceptual framework and protocol for an Aboriginal-led, community-based participatory action research (action research) project which aims to co-design safe, acceptable and feasible perinatalawareness, recognition, assessmentandsupportstrategies for Aboriginal parents experiencing complex trauma.Methods and analysisThis formative research project is being conducted in three Australian jurisdictions (Northern Territory...
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This report looks at: how a "partnership approach" across State, Commonwealth and community-based organisations has contributed to the development of this work; how the author/s have approached "creating a picture" of... more
This report looks at: how a "partnership approach" across State, Commonwealth and community-based organisations has contributed to the development of this work; how the author/s have approached "creating a picture" of social and emotional wellbeing across the State; the Aboriginal community/s perspective on the issues; the main themes which emerge from the work and; a series of recommendations for future coordinated action in this area.
Purpose: Psychology curricula need to be reflective of Australia's diverse populations. However, there appear to be many challenges, including student reactions to cross-cultural and Indigenous content. Aim: The aim of this study was... more
Purpose: Psychology curricula need to be reflective of Australia's diverse populations. However, there appear to be many challenges, including student reactions to cross-cultural and Indigenous content. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the rationale for varied written feedback from students regarding Indigenous and cross-cultural psychology teaching at one Australian university. Method: Undergraduate students were invited to participate in one of three focus groups (local group, Indigenous or international) to generate discussion and debate about the written feedback on cross-cultural and Indigenous psychology teaching. Results and conclusions: A number of views were expressed in relation to the written feedback on course content. These views are considered in relation to their implications for teaching and learning practice. Allowing students to articulate further on written feedback is a valuable tool for understanding why views are held and how teaching and learning initiatives might be implemented or strengthened.
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Abstract Aboriginal history since colonisation has been largely shaped by government policies. The most striking and destructive historical policies directed at Aboriginal people concerned those that advocated the removal of Aboriginal... more
Abstract Aboriginal history since colonisation has been largely shaped by government policies. The most striking and destructive historical policies directed at Aboriginal people concerned those that advocated the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents and their placement in white foster homes or institutions. This paper reports on interviews with seven Indigenous participants who had been removed from their families and communities early in childhood. The most dramatic psychological impact on those who had been separated from their families and communities was on the development of social identity. Identity was confusing for most participants in this study, particularly during their early socialisation and development. A qualitative analysis of the interviews identified four major themes around which identity was discussed. These were discovering being Aboriginal, deception, affirmation of identity, and multiple identities. Despite their social dislocation from their families and communities, ...
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Objective: Mental health and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) have been linked as outcomes of attachment to country, spirituality, and engagement in music and arts, particularly for Indigenous Australians. It is not clear how this... more
Objective: Mental health and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) have been linked as outcomes of attachment to country, spirituality, and engagement in music and arts, particularly for Indigenous Australians. It is not clear how this occurs, even though the links seem substantial. Method: We explore how mental health and SEWB may be linked to attachment to country, spirituality, and engagement in music and arts by reviewing literature and presenting examples from our research with Indigenous communities. Rather than abstracting, our goal is to describe specific examples encompassing the rich contextual details needed to understand the factors contributing to mental health and SEWB. Results: While engagement in music is often seen as benefiting mental health because thoughts and feelings can be expressed in less public ways, it can also lead to employment and access to economic and social resources. Attachment to country also shows a plethora of positive outcomes which can contribu...