Conference Proposal: Mental Health of Indigenous Australian Women

This conference proposal addresses the critical issue of mental health disparities among Indigenous women in Australia. It highlights the significant mental health challenges they face, including the impact of racism, violence, and marginalization, as well as the influence of their cultural backgrounds and family roles. The proposal outlines a research question focused on interventions to close the mental health and life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women. It details specific objectives aimed at improving healthcare services and reducing mental illness rates. The methodology includes interviews and questionnaires to gather data from both healthcare providers and affected individuals. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing these disparities to reduce stigmatization, improve life expectancy, and promote equality in employment and education. The proposal concludes with recommendations for policy and program implementation to restore wellbeing and ensure adequate mental health support for Indigenous women.

Running head: CONFERENCE PROPOSAL i
CONTEXT TO MENTAL HEALTH INDUSTRY A
Student Name
Institution Affiliation
Facilitator
Course
Date

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL ii
Table of Contents
Mental Illness in Indigenous Women..........................................................................................................1
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
The Background Information: Mental Illness in Indigenous Women..........................................................1
Research Question, Objective and Hypothesis Description.........................................................................3
Description of the Research Question.........................................................................................................4
The description of how to answer the research question by comparison between the indigenous and non-
indigenous women mental illness................................................................................................................5
Methodology...............................................................................................................................................5
Significance of the study.............................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7

Running head: CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 1
Mental Illness in Indigenous Women
Introduction
Mental health problems are rampant among indigenous women in Australia. There are a
number of problems they encounter which contribute to these mental problems which include;
racism, violence, marginalization and the cultural background. Additionally, the role of women
in the society whereby they act as mothers, sisters, grandmothers, daughters, partners, wives and
their responsibilities as family caretakers. The social way of life women and their family roles
leaves them highly vulnerable to mental health problems.
The rate of mental illness in Australia for the indigenous women in 2010 was very high in
comparison to that of the non-indigenous women (Yelland, Sutherland, & Brown, 2010). The
issues faced the indigenous women and are well documented clearly and have been brought to
the attention of the authorities and the public by different initiatives. Generally, the poor state of
Indigenous Australian ladies' social and emotional prosperity is a region of developing concern
and is the focal point of this proposal.
The Background Information: Mental Illness in Indigenous Women
Mental illness is psychiatric conduct that causes noteworthy distress or hindrance of
individual normal behavior (Zahran et al, 2011). Features might be constant, backsliding and
remitting, or happen as a solitary scene. Many have been portrayed, with signs and symptoms
that fluctuate generally between explicit disorders. Issue of gender is highly related to the
predominance of a certain psychological issue, including misery, anxiety and substantial
complaints. Women are bound to be easily diagnosed with depression, while men are bound to
be easily diagnosed with substance abuse and standoffish identity disorder.

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 2
The history of mental illness is anciently explained by three models; supernatural,
biological and psychological tradition (Fernando, 2010). Supernatural tradition, much of the
written history, mental illness has been termed as an impression to get violent like you are in a
battle and shrewdness. At the point when faced by unexplainable, nonsensical conduct and by
anguish and change, individuals have seen underhanded. Actually, in the Great Persian, all the
mental and physical illnesses were associated with the act of the devil precisely from 900 to 600
B.C., Biological tradition, physical reasons for mental illness have been looked for historically.
Imperative to this custom is; a sickness, syphilis; and the early results of trusting that mental
illness are naturally caused studied by a man, named Hippocrates. In psychological tradition,
which was a forerunner to present day psychiatric treatment ways to deal with the cause of
psychological problems, with the emphasis on mental, social and social variables studied by
Aristotle and Plato.
In ancient history, it started in the old Mesopotamia, where the mental disorders were
known to be brought about by explicit deities (Adames, & Chavez-Dueñas, 2016). In Egypt,
there are Ebers papyrus’constrained notes in a report to seem to portray the influenced conditions
of concentrating, consideration, and passionate pain of the mind. In India, Old Hindu sacred
writings Ramayana and Mahabharata have anecdotal portrayals of wretchedness and anxiety. In
China, the ancient known report of psychological issues goes back to 1100 Before Christ (B.C).
In Greece and Rome, franticness was related characteristically with capricious meandering and
brutality.
In the Middle Ages, the Muslim Empire, Arabia, and Persia, writings of this specific time
talks of sadness, madness, fantasies, imaginations, and another psychic illness (Monama,
&Basson, 2015). The psychological issue was commonly associated with the memory loss, and

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 3
compositions secured interfaces between the mind, and the supernatural illness. Christian
Europe, originations of franticness in the medieval times in Europe were a blend of the heavenly,
wicked, mystical and supernatural. Between the 16th and the 18th centuries, some rationally
bothered individuals might have been casualties of the sorcery-chases believed to spread by the
air like waves in early present-day Europe. In the 19th century, clear depictions of certain
disorders, like, schizophrenia named as a condition, have been recognized as moderately
uncommon.
In the 20th Century, improvement of analysis, which went to the fore later. Kraepelin's
characterization picked up notoriety, including the partition of disposition issue from what might
later be named schizophrenia. In the 21st century, indicative heterogeneity of the classes, misty
limits, that have been deciphered as inborn irregularities of the criteria, or the approach driving
the framework to a condition of science problems.
Research Question, Objective and Hypothesis Description
The state of mental illness in the indigenous group in Australia is quite a point of concern
and it might worsen without much attention. My research question for this specific proposal will
be: Which precautions will the mental health services take to close the mental health situation
and the life-expectancy gap between the indigenous women and other women in Australia?
Objectives of this proposal will determine the aim of our study. There will be different
takes of the objectives to suit the research question that is the general and the specific objectives.
My general objective will be; to reduce the 10-year mental health and the life-expectancy gap
between the indigenous women and the other Australian women. For the specific objectives; to
improve the health services offered to the indigenous women who are mentally ill and reduce the
situations of mental illness and close the gap of life-expectancy.

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 4
Hypothesis for this proposal would probably be: The precautions taken by the mental
health services do not close the mental illness situation and the life-expectancy gap between the
indigenous women and other women in Australia. The research will hence focus on getting
different sources of information to ensure that the hypothesis is null or void.
Description of the Research Question
Approaches to reduce the wide gap existing between the non-indigenous and indigenous
women in Australia have once been tackled by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
leadership in Mental Health (NATSILMH) (Dudgeon et al, 2016). This indigenous group in
Australia was studied from its historical, social and cultural practices undertaken to understand
more about the cause of the high rates of mental illnesses. It was discovered that colonization
affected the indigenous groups to a much bigger range because of trauma and poverty. It was
also impacted by the social relations to the family because women play a key role in the families,
community, and the country.
The challenges which hinder the closure of the gap are well clear because: there has been
less increase in the life expectancy for the indigenous women than that of the men. The number
of women being admitted in hospitals due to violent assaults is 35 times more than that of non-
indigenous (Burns, Maling, & Thomson, 2010). Self-harm cases in indigenous women are higher
than that of the men. High rates of imprisonment due to post-traumatic disorder and child abuse
are reported for indigenous women than the other women. Suicide cases are 3 times higher than
that of the non-indigenous women. Overpopulation and high rates of these indigenous women in
families are at now the leading cause of stress and depression at 38.4% than that of males 26.7%
hence affecting the wellbeing both socially and emotionally.

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 5
The description of how to answer the research question by comparison between the
indigenous and non-indigenous women mental illness
To achieve all the objectives my proposal will be referring to all the previous policies and
guidelines laid down to reduce the gap. This will follow a well-laid strategy of some policies
which are expected to close the gap once in a worthwhile.
These Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are said to be neglected because of
having less education, less health care, high rates of unemployment, fewer work skills, more
imprisonment of family members, poorer, high death rates, tender age deaths in contrary to the
non-indigenous women.
In my study, I will be focusing on a more strategic number of ways. They will include;
emphasizing on the promotion of the number of the employed to match the percentages of the
non-indigenous women, hence this will bring the protection against stress due to unemployment
and improve mental health. Suggest more programs to meet the standards of the unmet mental
health like the introduction of the free or sponsored education system for the indigenous group to
reach a better literacy level. Advise the cultural healers to do the practice much safer to ensure
that it is appropriate and it meets the cultural requirements. Integration of the health system and
improvements of hospitals with rehabilitation centers with more objective to indigenous women.
Methodology
The materials and equipment in this study will be interview questions and questionnaires.
The reports of how the indigenous women are treated in these mental health care services will be
collected from the nurses and the users. Face to face interviews will be conducted for the
affected groups. Questionnaires will be used for health care providers. Both indigenous and non-
indigenous women will be interviewed to avoid biases. After collection of the results, they will
be discussed for conclusiveness. The comparison will be made between the interviews and

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 6
questionnaires from the care providers and users from all the groups. A conclusion will be made
for proper strategizing to improve the health services for the indigenous group.
Significance of the study
The findings of this study will show how important it is to close the gap between non-
indigenous women and the indigenous women in Australia. Equality in mental is among the best
ways to reduce stigmatization, the number of deaths caused by mental illness and many other
advantages. This study will enable people to see the bigger view on the field of education,
creation of equality in employment, reduced mental suppression and hence reduced cases of
mental health issues. Life expectancy is expected to increase and match that of the other
Australian women from the 10-year gap.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the correct implementation of the suggested policies and programs will
lead to the closure of the gap between women in Australia the indigenous and non-indigenous.
The wellbeing resilience will be easily restored lowering the levels of distress and the wellbeing
of the community. Making the ends meet in the sector of health will ensure that those in mental
neediness will be cared for. Education and employment will lead to decreased poverty because of
their learned skills. If all the strategies are put in place as proposed, then there will be no more
worry about the state of the indigenous women.

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL 7
References
Adames, H. Y., & Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y. (2016). Cultural foundations and interventions in
Latino/ mental health: History, theory and within group differences. Routledge.
Burns, J., Maling, C. M., & Thomson, N. (2010). Summary of Indigenous women's health.
Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., Brideson, T., & Holland, C. (2016). The GayaaDhuwi (proud Spirit)
declaration–a call to action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in the
Australian mental health system. Advances in Mental Health, 14(2), 126-139.
Fernando, S. (2010). Mental health, race, and culture. Macmillan International Higher
Education.
Monama, D. D., &Basson, W. J. (2015). Mental illness and Black South African culture:
Exploring experiences and meanings attached to schizophrenia (Doctoral dissertation,
University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus)).
Yelland, J., Sutherland, G., & Brown, S. J. (2010). Postpartum anxiety, depression and social
health: findings from a population-based survey of Australian women. BMC public
health, 10(1), 771.
Zahran, S., Peek, L., Snodgrass, J. G., Weiler, S., & Hempel, L. (2011). Economics of disaster
risk, social vulnerability, and mental health resilience. Risk Analysis: An International
Journal, 31(7), 1107-1119.