The Parent-Child Relationship and Child Development in the Context of Historical and Complex Traumas

Perceptions of the Inuit Community of Kangiqsualujjuaq

Bibliographic Data

ID5944656
AuthorsPascale Dugas (Département de psychologie, Université de Sherbrooke et Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne), Antoine Asselin (Département de psychologie, Université de Sherbrooke et Centre Jeunesse de la Montérégie), David Poulin-Latulippe (0000-0001-8324-4446, Clinical psychologist in private practice), Nancy Etok (Ulluriaq School, Kangiqsualujjuaq), Elassie Annanack (Qarmaapik Family House, Kangiqsualujjuaq), Miguel M Terradas (0000-0002-4659-1198, Département de psychologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté, Centre interdisciplinaire de développement international en santé)
Year2024
Volume48
Issue1-2
Pages239-262
Publication date2024-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueÉtudes/Inuit/Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0701-1008 • E-ISSN: 1708-5268
PublisherConsortium Erudit (PUBLISHER • CA)
DOI10.7202/1120386ar
OpenAlexW4415620617
LanguageEN
References cited24

In the community of Kangiqsualujjuaq, as elsewhere in Nunavik, the socioeconomic conditions in which Inuit families live are much more difficult than those in the rest of Canada. These conditions are a symptom of a colonial past that has resulted in many historical and complex traumas. In a traumatic context, mentalization capacity, which refers to the ability to interpret one's own behaviours and those of others in terms of underlying mental states, can have a protective effect on the individual. The present exploratory action research aimed to document the perceptions of members of this Inuit community regarding the particularities of the parent-child relationship. Two focus groups were conducted with community members, counsellors, and elders. A thematic analysis was done from the collected verbatims and guided by a phenomenological perspective. Factors extracted from the results were associated with well-being and suffering in the parent-child relationship and placed on a continuum. Openness and transmission were associated with well-being, while closure and a breakdown in communication were linked to suffering. Finally, this study highlights the relevance of focusing on mentalization among Inuit

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