Pathways and processes to the embodiment of historical trauma secondary to settler colonialism

Abstract

Aim(s): This discursive article aims to examine how systemic factors of settler colonialism influence health outcomes among Indigenous peoples in the United States through pathways and processes that may lead to the embodiment of historical trauma.

Design: Discursive paper.

Methods: We completed a comprehensive search of empirical and grey literature between September 2022 and January 2023 in PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar. Using these articles as a foundation, we explored factors related to the pathways and processes leading to the embodiment of historical trauma rooted in settler colonialism.

Results: A conceptual framework of the pathways and processes of the embodiment of historical trauma secondary to settler colonialism was developed, and is presented.

Conclusion: The societal and historical context for Indigenous peoples includes harmful settler colonial structures and ideologies, resulting in stressors and historical trauma that impact health outcomes and disparities through the phenomenon of the process of embodiment.

Implications for nursing: To provide holistic nursing care, nurses must be aware of settler colonialism as a determinant of health. They must be attuned to the pathways and processes through which settler colonial exposures may impact health among Indigenous peoples. Nurses must challenge existing structural inequities to advance health equity and social justice.

Keywords: allostatic load; colonialism; eco-social theory; embodiment; historical trauma; historical trauma theory; indigenous peoples; settler colonialism; stressors; weathering.