‘Growing Pains’: An historical analysis of population mental health in Kitimat, British Columbia, 1950-2010

Date
2013-09-23
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Abstract
The relationship between economic change and mental health in resource-based communities has been largely unexplored. This historical case study examines how mental health was understood alongside changing economic circumstances in the resource-based community of Kitimat, British Columbia. A content analysis of archival documents and eight qualitative interviews with long-term residents revealed that understandings of mental health shifted according to local economic circumstances. Specifically, during times of economic growth the socially ideal family unit was seen as a way to achieve mental health. Conversely, during times of economic downturn residents were preoccupied with issues like housing or unemployment, which they identified as essential to their mental health. Overall, residents’ understandings of mental health aligned with holistic or biomedical perspectives, and sometimes both. Considering the recent state of economic development in Kitimat, and its inevitable downturn—common to other resource-based communities—this study offers important insight into the implications for mental health.
Description
Keywords
Mental Health, Public Health
Citation
Lucyk, K. (2013). ‘Growing Pains’: An historical analysis of population mental health in Kitimat, British Columbia, 1950-2010 (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26331