The history of colonization in Canada has a traumatic intergenerational impact on young Aboriginal people's health, which is evidenced by the wide health disparities (Adelson, 2005; Health Council of Canada, 2012). However, extant research shows that, through resilience, many Aboriginal adolescents overcome adverse situations and develop into healthy adults (Andersson & Ledogar, 2008). Knowledge of the ways and extent to which Aboriginal youth seek support to cope with stressful events may be improved by examining the distribution of attachment styles and their relationship with resilience. The data (n = 136) used for this study were obtained from the British Columbia Adolescent Substance Use Survey. Findings indicate resiliency was significantly associated with attachment style (p < .01). The study findings provide support for tailoring resilience mental health promotion and intervention resources according to attachment style to foster long-term engagement in programming that helps Aboriginal youth live a healthy and holistically balanced life.

Background: eMental health apps are increasingly being considered for use in health care with growing recognition of the importance of considering end-user preferences in their design and implementation. The key to the success of using apps with Indigenous youth is tailoring the design and content to include Indigenous perspectives. In this study we used a Two-Eyed Seeing perspective to integrate Indigenous and human computer interaction methodologies to identify end-user preferences for a tablet-based mental health screening app used in a primary care clinic serving Indigenous youth. Objective: The research objectives used a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to (i) collectively create stories about Indigenous youth lived experiences accessing integrated primary care for their mental health concerns; and (ii) engage Indigenous youth in Design Circles to determine their usability preferences for digital mental health screening tools. Method: Eight adolescents (n = 4 young women; n = 3 young men; and n = 1 Two Spirit) between 20 to 24 years old who self-identified as Indigenous participated. Indigenous youth joined Design Circles to co-create a story about accessing mental health care and their needs and preferences for an eMental Health app. Results: Findings highlighted the importance of collective Indigenous storytelling about accessing integrated primary care for mental health needs. Participants created three persona stories about their challenges accessing mental health care and the role of social support. Participants sorted their usability design preferences for an eMental Health app to be inclusive of Indigenous knowledges. Conclusions: A Two-Eyed Seeing perspective was useful to incorporate a design thinking approach as collective storytelling among Indigenous youth. This research may inform and shape the design of eMental health apps used in health clinics to better engage Indigenous youth.

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Technology has transformed interactions among adolescents from face-to-face to instantaneous virtual communication. Yet the use of digital media among adolescents can be potentially harmful with the risk of cyberbullying. While cyberbullying is a growing concern, few researchers have explored cyberbullying experiences among Aboriginal adolescents. The present study addresses this gap by examining qualitative data regarding cyberbullying experiences provided by Aboriginal youth participants between ages 11 and 17 in Aboriginal e-mentoring BC, which was an internet-based mentoring program in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The analysis of the data highlighted 4 themes: (1) perceptions and use of technology, (2) awareness of online safety and netiquette, (3) cyberbullying prevalence, and (4) prevention and coping skills. Transcending these themes was the importance of Aboriginal perspective and knowledge in mentoring and anti-cyberbullying initiatives. The results of the work presented in this study highlight the potential benefit of incorporating online safety and technology use in interventions to promote wellbeing among Aboriginal youth. The study findings on Aboriginal adolescents’ online experiences and perceptions of online safety can assist researchers and Indigenous health providers to better understand the cyberbullying phenomenon.

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