Social, Emotional and Cultural Wellbeing

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people view health as holistic; encompassing mental, physical, cultural and spiritual health [33834].

In 1989 the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party defined health as:

Not just the physical well-being of the individual but the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community. This is a whole-of-life view and it also includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life[10967].

Maintaining a connection to culture and self-determination are important protective factors that contribute to a stable and optimal sense of mental health and social and emotional well-being [29074]. This can include connection to:

• ancestry and kinship networks
• spiritual beliefs – which offer guidance and comfort in times of distress, death and loss
• guidance from Elders
• having defined roles within community [28917][28925].

The continuing legacy of colonisation that has caused displacement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their traditional lands and ways of being, as well as the systematic devaluing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, has had an ongoing impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people[28916]. Alcohol and drug use is one way individuals cope with life stressors and emotional distress [33834][28925][23503].

Strategies and programs to address harmful alcohol and other drug  use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are important for restoring the health and social and emotional wellbeing not only of individuals, but of their families and communities [27794].