Culture is strength: The relationship between wellbeing, people and place

Abstract

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples seek greater recognition of the positive influence of culture on their health and wellbeing in health policy and programs. This is supported by growing international evidence linking the contribution of cultural determinants to better health outcomes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health advocates have also called for a reframing of their peoples' health from a deficit-based narrative to a story of strengths. Mayi Kuwayu, the national Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, responds to these calls: it is a strengths-based study led by Aboriginal researchers which aims to examine the relationship between culture, health and wellbeing on terms set by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The central question addressed by this thesis is: What is the relationship between culture and wellbeing in Central Australia and how can different data sources help inform this understanding? In particular, this doctoral research has sought to investigation the utility of data collected by the Mayi Kuwayu Study to support Aboriginal people in Central Australia. The thesis had three aims: (1) To review international and Australian research evidence on the relationships of Indigenous cultures to health and wellbeing; (2) To assess Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples response to postal surveys, to inform the ongoing efforts in the Mayi Kuwayu Study and to understand the implications of survey coverage for Central Australia; and (3) To work closely with Aboriginal community partners, including community-controlled organisations, to investigate the relationship between culture and wellbeing outcomes in Central Australia, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. Five papers form the core of the thesis addressing these three aims. The key findings demonstrate the important, complex and multidirectional relationship between culture and wellbeing for Aboriginal people. The findings also concern aspects of measurement, the opportunities and challenges of survey administration, and the value of place-based analysis. It is clear that no single survey question or combination of questions sufficiently captured the concept or measurement of wellbeing or culture. However, despite the difficulties in measurement, the relationships explored in this thesis demonstrated that Aboriginal wellbeing is closely linked with: spending time on Country, knowing and speaking an Aboriginal language, maintaining kin and family connections, Aboriginal identity and agency, and having a cohesive and self-determined community. In Central Australia, the connections to cultural practice and Aboriginal languages have remained resilient and adaptive to the ongoing impact of colonisation and historical injustice. This research is a practical demonstration that utilising community participation and place-based analysis has the potential to highlight the strengths of Aboriginal communities. There is an opportunity for the Mayi Kuwayu Study, over time, to contribute to the strategic direction needed for structural policy change, which may be best achieved via efforts that build trusted community and research partnerships with a diverse Aboriginal community-controlled sector. Show more