Abstract
Health research tends to be deficit-based by nature; as researchers we typically quantify or qualify absence of health markers or presence of illness. This can create a narrative with far reaching effects for communities already subject to stigmatization. In the context of Indigenous health research, a deficit-based discourse has the potential to contribute to stereotyping and marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in wider society. This is especially true when researchers fail to explore the roots of health deficits, namely colonization, Westernization, and intergenerational trauma, risking conflation of complex health challenges with inherent Indigenous characteristics. In this paper we explore the incompatibility of deficit-based research with principles from several ethical frameworks including the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2) Chapter 9, OCAP® (ownership, control, access, possession), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami National Inuit Strategy on Research, and Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) Principles for Global Health Research. Additionally we draw upon cases of deficit-based research and stereotyping in healthcare, in order to identify how this relates to epistemic injustice and explore alternative approaches.
Highlights
Research is responsible for many of the improvements in human health
The TCPS2 chapter on Indigenous research was established as national policy in 2010 and was largely based on the prior 2007 guidelines, developed with wide Indigenous community consultation and published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [3,12]
Deficit-based research risks contributing to the stereotyping and stigmatization of Indigenous Peoples
Summary
Research is responsible for many of the improvements in human health. Where disparities in health outcomes exist for certain groups of people, research can help to identify where systems are failing to serve these groups. The TCPS2 chapter on Indigenous research was established as national policy in 2010 and was largely based on the prior 2007 guidelines, developed with wide Indigenous community consultation and published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [3,12]. Deficit-based research, which by its nature highlights poorer health outcomes in one group as compared to another, can perpetuate deficit-based narratives that contribute to stigmatization and stereotyping [21] Taken alone, these findings can assist in identifying issues that require system-based responses. These findings can assist in identifying issues that require system-based responses They can contribute to stereotyping of Indigenous Peoples as having, for example, poor health lifestyles (e.g., in the case of diabetes) or negligent mothers (e.g., in the case of FASD). Strength-based health research is research that focuses on positive aspects of health, or positive approaches or solutions to negative health issues, i.e., ways of knowing, knowledge and skills that can lead to health transformations or health gains
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