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Intergenerational Effects Of Indian Residential Schools

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Intergenerational Effects Of Indian Residential Schools
“Yes, many of us have lived in the direct darkness and shadows of the evil that was so evident in so many of those schools" (“A selection of quotes”, 2014). Indian residential schools is one of many scars that plague Canada’s colonial history. For the Indigenous community, the effects of residential schools did not end when the schools were shut down, but instead they leave a legacy of trauma and pain. Today, Indigenous people are still picking up the pieces of their culture as they struggle to make sense of generations of families that have been disrupted. Residential schools have detrimental consequences for the health of individuals as well as entire communities. The effects of residential schools are widespread and have negatively …show more content…
A scoping review found that “forty-three [out of 61] studies reviewed personal or intergenerational residential school attendance was related to mental health issues such as mental distress, depression, addictive behaviours and substance misuse, stress, and suicidal behaviours” (Wilk, 2017). Moreover, First Nations youth with parents who attended residential schools have a higher risk of psychological distress and are ten percent more likely to have symptoms of depression when compared to youth whose parents did not attend residential schools (Bombay, 2013; Carr, 2017). Furthermore, indirect exposure to residential schooling has been related to higher levels of suicide (Carr, 2017; McQuaid, 2017). These stats amount to intergenerational effects of residential …show more content…
This call to action highlights the need for truth and acknowledgement of the true history and the lasting legacy of residential schools. For “it is in this acknowledgement that the freedom from oppression and healing begins” (Dionne, 2013). Another reason for acknowledging and documenting is when survivors “tell their story, their truth... [they] felt they had moved beyond the worst effects of having been in residential schools” (Carr, 2017). Being open and honest about residential schools is important to the Indigenous community as it is the first step in the healing process and subsequently, address their mental
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