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Ninomiya MEM, Burns N, Pollock NJ, Green NTG, Martin J, Linton J, Rand JR, Brubacher LJ, Keeling A, Latta A. Indigenous communities and the mental health impacts of land dispossession related to industrial resource development: a systematic review. Lancet Planet Health 2023; 7:e501-e517. [PMID: 37286247 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(23)00079-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Globally, many resource extraction projects such as mines and hydroelectric dams are developed on the territories of Indigenous Peoples. Recognising land as a determinant of Indigenous Peoples' health, our objective is to synthesise evidence about the mental health impacts on Indigenous communities who experience land dispossession due to industrial resource development (mining, hydroelectric, petroleum, and agricultural). We systematically reviewed studies that focused on Indigenous land dispossession in Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), North and South America, and the Circumpolar North. We searched Scopus, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Global Health on OVID for peer-reviewed articles published in English from database inception to Dec 31, 2020. We also searched for books, research reports, and scholarly journals specialising in Indigenous health or Indigenous research. We included documents that reported on primary research, focused on Indigenous Peoples in settler colonial states, and reported on mental health and industrial resource development. Of the 29 included studies, 13 were related to hydroelectric dams, 11 to petroleum developments, nine to mining, and two to agriculture. Land dispossession due to industrial resource development had predominantly negative mental health impacts on Indigenous communities. The impacts were consequences of colonial relations that threatened Indigenous identities, resources, languages, traditions, spirituality, and ways of life. Health impact assessment processes in industrial resource development must expressly consider risks and potential impacts on mental health and respect Indigenous rights by making knowledge about mental health risks a central component to decisions about free, prior, and informed consent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody E Morton Ninomiya
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada; Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Nicole Burns
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada; Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Nathaniel J Pollock
- School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Labrador Campus, Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, Canada
| | - Nadia T G Green
- Berens River First Nation, MB, Canada; Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jessica Martin
- Six Nations of the Grand River, ON, Canada; Indigenous Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Janice Linton
- Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jenny R Rand
- School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Laura Jane Brubacher
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Arn Keeling
- Department of Geography, Memorial University, St John's, NL, Canada
| | - Alex Latta
- Department of Global Studies, Faculty of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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