Childhood Separation & Trauma:The Stolen Generation Effect on Kids

Brains & Adult Outcomes

Tony Broe & the Koori Growing Old Well Study (KGOWS) Team withEmily Hindman, Sue Hoskins, Lea Williams, Holly Mack, Gail Daylight

Aboriginal Artist LeAnne Hunter

• From 1788 - British governors, settlers, police, soldiers - saw Australia as territory open to take over; as ‘terra nullius’; unoccupied. The Aboriginal people - who had successfully managed the “Biggest Estate on Earth” for 9000+ years – were removed from their family lands & nations by the invaders

• With loss of their land Aboriginal people lost their long term job – their purpose-in-life, connections to culture, spirit

• Frontier wars, brutal fringe camps & ‘missions’, new diseases (measles, flu, small pox) decimated Aboriginal numbers

• And from the early 1900s Aboriginal people had their children removed - with the claim “Aborigines were a dying race”

BackgroundAboriginal Australians - 1788 to 1960s

However:•From the 1960s - infant mortality has steadily fallen with lots more Aboriginal kids surviving to adult life

•From the 2000s - adult life-span has been rising & fertility is starting to fall – with smaller families

•The Australian Aboriginal population is– Growing rapidly: with a large young population (0-24 years)– Ageing rapidly: led by the ‘young old’ – people 45-64 years– But showing high dementia rates - 3 times non-Indigenous– & Earlier onset of dementia than non-Indigenous population

BackgroundAboriginal Health and Ageing – 1960s to 2014

1. Access to basic human rights? Citizenship ’67; Freedom Rides 60s; Self determination ’70s; Racial Discrimination Act 1975; Full citizenship Rights only in 1983

2. Some Recognition of prior ownership of the Land? Land Rights 1970s on; Redfern Speech ’92; Native Title - Mabo ’92; Wik ’96; Apology 2008 - But Racially discriminatory Wik Amendments (UN) ’98; no Treaty or Recognition in the Constitution are barriers to full reconciliation

3. Improved housing health care & health services? – In NT and Australia wide - from the ’90s (N.T. - Thomas et al 2006; AIHW)

What improved Aboriginal Health and Ageing? Over the past 50 years

Brain Growth opportunities? Removal of children produces a cascade of lost opportunities from simple lack of love & stimulus essential to grow brains; to neglect, abuse, damage to brains; to loss of opportunity to learn to parent the next generation – all tickets to enter the Criminal Justice System

Criminal Justice System - Aboriginal kids are 22 times more likely to enter the CJS – another form of ‘removal’

Enhanced Early Childhood? Aboriginal kids don’t get equal kindergarten, pre-school, & enriched early life, opportunities

Education & Employment – Pre-1960s Aboriginal schooling was an exercise in denial & discrimination. It now just lags behind non-Indigenous – as does Aboriginal employment

What has not improved? Over the past 50 years

• Between 2000 and 2005 at La Perouse, with Gail Daylight & the Aboriginal Health Link Advisory Group:

• We set up - a Chronic & Complex Care Program and a Vascular Health Program & got recurrent funding

• We re-opened the 2-room Arrunga Health Clinic; Planned & opened in 2005 a 10-room La Perouse Aboriginal Community Health Centre; Set up La Perouse Clinic Services in Child Health, Mother & Baby Health, ENT, Mental Health, D&A and Aged Care – With GP Primary Care provided by AMS Redfern.

• By 2005 We recognised that - to improve ageing across the life course we had to tackle Child development and Child health – and find why brains don’t grow well

Background to Koori Growing Old Well StudyServices precede Research

Koori Growing Old Well Study 2008 - 2012We set out to find answers to these Questions

1.Are dementia rates as high in Urban Aboriginal people as our colleagues had found in the Remote Kimberley (KICA) Study? - i.e., 3 x non-Indigenous?

2.We asked - Is Brain and Mind Growth - from childhood onward an important factor in

– Having a healthy adult life– Escaping poverty and getting jobs– Delaying adult diseases – heart, kidney, diabetes, injury

etc– Delaying memory loss and dementia

Mid North Coast NSW: •Coffs Harbour – Galambila Aboriginal Medical Service •Kempsey - Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service and Booroongen Djugun Aged Care•Nambucca - Daarimba Maarra Aboriginal Health Centre

Metropolitan Sydney: •La Perouse (Randwick Botany) - Aboriginal Land Council and Aboriginal Community Health Centre Advisory Committee; •Campbelltown – Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service

KGOWS: Build Community relationships; Engage partners; Request access to lists; Recruit participants

Coffs HarbourNambuccaKempsey

Randwick/BotanyCampbelltown

KOORI GROWING OLD WELL STUDY5 URBAN/REGIONAL STUDY SITES

58%

42%

KGOWS & KICA Studies 2005 - 2012Dementia rates are high in Aboriginal people

Dementia Prevalence by Age

RESULTS:

www.neura.edu.au/aboriginal-ageing

TYPES of DEMENTIA – Urban Aboriginal People

RESULTS:

KGOWS – Stolen Generation (n = 336)

Family Separation N (%)Participant Removed 33 (10%)

Relatives taken away 142 (44%)

Children taken away 5 (2%)

Siblings taken away 40 (13%)

Parents taken away 39 (12%)

www.neura.edu.au/aboriginal-ageing

RESULTS:

• What happens in childhood grows the mind & brain to deal with adult life & ageing

• We believe positive child experiences grow minds & brains effectively for adult life & ageing

• And negative experiences grow brains, but in the wrong way to deal with adult life; to grow old well

Do early life experiences result in mid-life health risks and premature brain ageing?

• We – mothers, fathers, grandparents, schools, culture, communities – working with the genes - grow our children’s minds & brains from infancy to adulthood

What Grows healthy Brains & Minds?

– Consistent and good parenting – not Separated as a child from family as happened for the Stolen Generation

– Having Parents who themselves learnt to parent and were not brought up in institutions etc

– Low rates of childhood trauma– Good childhood education – Ongoing adult education– Brain stimulating jobs– Life-long nurturing and growth of your brain

What Grows healthy Brains & Minds?

Q: How does the Mind-Brain grow?

• In practical terms our Minds and Brains work together and grow - with the body - as a network

• We fill our minds with experiences and grow our brains to hold them as memories & guideposts

• Mind-brain growth is a life-long process, however the richest growth occurs during parenting and education - with lack of trauma & stress - in infancy and childhood and up to late adolescence

Q: How does the Mind-Brain Grow?We grow it: mothers families schools - and our Genes

A thin strip of ‘thinking’ Cortex

Masses of ‘gyri’ = Complex Cortex

MRI Brain Scan Normal Neonate

MRI Brain Scan Normal Adult

Q: When does the Mind-Brain Grow?All our lives - but most growth in Early Years

From: Peña-Melian (2000). Human Neurodevelopment 15: 99-112.

1 year

7 years Adult yearsBrain weight

25 years

• Good Parenting/Grandparenting/Family

• Setting consistent boundaries

• Access to formal education

• Informal learning, reading, I.T.

• Supportive, secure, safe & loving family

What are the positive factors in Early Life for mind/brain growth?

• Separated from family/Stolen gen/Justice System

• Lack of skills for parenting

• Giving kids inconsistent boundaries

• Discrimination

• Adverse Childhood Events/Child Trauma

– Exposure to Violence towards women– Childhood Trauma, Violence & Abuse– Childhood exposure to Alcohol/Drug abuse and to Mental Illness– Childhood exposure/entry to Criminal Justice system

What are the negative factors in early life for mind/brain growth?

Q: What is the Stolen Generation effect?

• Loss of the richest opportunities – those given by a loving family - at the crucial time for mind/brain growth - infancy and childhood up to adolescence

• Loss of the opportunity to learn to be a parent and for gaining an education - often with major physical and emotional trauma, stress and more negative experiences than growing up in your own family

• Developing resilience may overcome some of these disadvantages

• Anxiety & Depression• Poor Diet, Obesity• Smoking - Alcohol – Drug use• High Blood Pressure • Social isolation• Brain Injury • Family Violence & Trauma

These are Known causes of mid-life death & disability and are also Known risk factors for later life brain decline and dementia

Q: How can Early Life Stress affect adults? Child Stress & Removal cause

• Good jobs and income• Adult education, learning, reading, • Using the Net, Wii, Google, Web, Games• Bringing them Home - programs• Social connections• Exercise, fitness, wt. loss• Low BP and cholesterol• No cigs & Moderate alcohol

Q: What grows Brains & Minds in mid-life and later life

• NHMRC and AHMRC• Department of Health and Ageing• Ageing Disability & Home Care NSW • Our Aboriginal communities and partners (La

Perouse Land Council, Tharawal AMS, Durri AMS, Booroongen Djugun, Galambila AMS, Daarimba Maarra AHC, local Elders Groups and Aboriginal Guidance Groups)

• Our Research team

Acknowledgements