Cassidy-Matthews Chenoa, Hendry Jorden, Pearce Margo, Pooyak Sherri, Zamar David, Reading Jeff, Caron Nadine, Schechter Martin, Spittal Patricia, Christian Wayne
School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jun 2;5(6):e0004658. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004658. eCollection 2025.
Connection and resilience are critical to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples who use drugs (IPWUD): connection to family, cultural supports, safer coping mechanisms and circles of care. Urban IPWUD are more likely to face multiple harms from emergency public health restrictions alongside ongoing toxic drug and housing crises in British Columbia. This paper aims to amplify the experiences of urban IPWUD as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding public health response in Vancouver and Prince George, BC. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were completed with Indigenous Peoples enrolled in the Cedar Project COVID-19 Study in Vancouver (n = 9) and Prince George (n = 10). Interpretive description was adapted to identify themes across participants' stories. Emerging themes were brought back to participants for member checking using iterative techniques. Interviews were conducted in person between March-May 2022. The median age of participants was 36, with 37% men and 63% women. Four themes were identified: 1) Enduring impacts of colonialism worsened pandemic-related stress for Indigenous Peoples, led to 2) Cycles of isolation, uncertainty and crisis destabilized Indigenous Peoples, and 3) Fear and Trauma-Driven Distrust amplified experiences of grief and loss amidst conflicting public health protocols. However, 4) Resilience and connection were important buffers against pandemic-related harm. Urban IPWUD face ongoing public health emergencies that threaten daily security, safety, and health. This study demonstrated the complex ways Indigenous People navigated COVID-19 and concurrent emergencies, and the challenges they faced. These findings shed light on the ongoing discrimination against urban IPWUD, and reiterate that they are the experts in their own needs and determining how to best survive and thrive through health emergencies.
联系和恢复力对于吸毒的原住民（IPWUD）的健康和福祉至关重要：与家庭的联系、文化支持、更安全的应对机制和关怀圈子。城市中的IPWUD更有可能因紧急公共卫生限制措施而面临多重伤害，同时还要应对不列颠哥伦比亚省持续存在的有毒药物和住房危机。本文旨在放大城市IPWUD在应对新冠疫情以及不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华和乔治王子城相应公共卫生应对措施时的经历。对参与温哥华（n = 9）和乔治王子城（n = 10）雪松项目新冠研究的原住民进行了19次半结构化访谈。采用解释性描述来确定参与者故事中的主题。通过迭代技术将新出现的主题反馈给参与者进行成员核对。访谈于2022年3月至5月期间亲自进行。参与者的年龄中位数为36岁，男性占37%，女性占63%。确定了四个主题：1）殖民主义的持久影响加剧了原住民与疫情相关的压力，导致2）孤立、不确定性和危机的循环使原住民不稳定，以及3）恐惧和创伤驱动的不信任在相互冲突的公共卫生协议中放大了悲伤和失落的经历。然而，4）恢复力和联系是抵御与疫情相关伤害的重要缓冲。城市IPWUD面临持续的公共卫生紧急情况，这些情况威胁着他们的日常安全、安保和健康。这项研究展示了原住民应对新冠疫情及并发紧急情况的复杂方式以及他们所面临的挑战。这些发现揭示了对城市IPWUD持续存在的歧视，并重申他们是自身需求以及如何在卫生紧急情况中最好地生存和繁荣的专家。
