RESUMEN
The Gigii-Bapiimin study explored the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people living with HIV in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, two provinces in Canada with alarmingly high rates of HIV infections. Participants (n = 28 in Manitoba and n = 23 in Saskatchewan) were recruited using various methods, including flyers, community organizations, peers, and social media. The qualitative interviews focused on the pandemic's impact on health, access to services, and ceremonies. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The study identified three key themes: (a) resilience and coping; (b) negative impacts on health and substance use; (c) decreased access to health services, HIV care and harm reduction. The participants shared their experiences of social isolation and the loss of community support, which had deleterious effects on their mental health and substance use. The impacts on access to HIV care were exacerbated by poverty, homelessness, and distress over inadvertent disclosure of HIV status. Participants mitigated these impacts by relying on Indigenous knowledges, ceremonies, and resilience within their communities. Service providers must address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous people living with HIV and their access to HIV services and ceremonies.
Asunto(s)
Adaptación Psicológica , COVID-19 , Infecciones por VIH , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud , Resiliencia Psicológica , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , COVID-19/psicología , COVID-19/epidemiología , Saskatchewan/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/psicología , Infecciones por VIH/etnología , Masculino , Femenino , Manitoba/epidemiología , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Investigación Cualitativa , Pueblos Indígenas/psicología , Indígena Canadiense/psicología , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/psicología , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/epidemiología , Pandemias , Salud Mental , Aislamiento Social/psicologíaRESUMEN
This analysis of urban Indigenous women's experiences on the Homeland of the Métis and Treaty One (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Treaty Four (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), and Treaty Six (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) territories illustrates that Indigenous women have recently experienced coercion when interacting with healthcare and social service providers in various settings. Drawing on analysis of media, study conversations, and policies, this collaborative, action-oriented project with 32 women and Two-Spirit collaborators demonstrated a pattern of healthcare and other service providers subjecting Indigenous women to coercive practices related to tubal ligations, long-term contraceptives, and abortions. We foreground techniques Indigenous women use to assert their rights within contexts of reproductive coercion, including acts of refusal, negotiation, and sharing community knowledge. By recognizing how colonial relations shape Indigenous women's experiences, decision-makers and service providers can take action to transform institutional cultures so Indigenous women can navigate their reproductive decision-making with safety and dignity.