Intergenerational trauma among Australians
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are indigenous groups of people living in
Australia. They are descendants of people who experienced violence, rape, substance abuse,
forced relocation, slavery, and loss of land (Armstrong et al., 2017). Consequently, the
indigenous groups continue to suffer the negative effects of intergenerational trauma many years
after the traumatic events. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were also prohibited from
carrying out spiritual and cultural practices, introduced pandemics, and separation from their
children until 1969 (Nogrady, 2019). The latter is arguably the most traumatic event that has
been and continues to have serious health concerns to date. As of today, only three percent of
Australia’s people have Aboriginal descendants. The group is still fighting to regain their culture
and recognition by the Australian government.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander have the poorest health and are said to die younger
than other Australians (Li, 2017). In other words, they experience a higher rate of mortality and
health burden caused by chronic diseases than non-indigenous groups in Australia. Improving
the health status of the indigenous communities in Australia remains to be a challenge for the
government. The primary health care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is financed by the
Aboriginal community-controlled health organizations (ACCHOs) (Campbell et al., 2018). The
united nations committee refer to the ever-widening gap between the indigenous and non-
indigenous Australians care services as a human right concern. This is why the rate of mortality
among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seniors aged 65 and above in Australia is at least
twice compared to the non-indigenous population (Lukaszyk et al., 2017). IIntergenerational trauma among Australians;

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander do not have equal access to health care services
compared to non-indigenous Australians. This increases the risk of their exposure to behavioral
and environmental health factors. According to Hall (2019), indigenous communities do not have
access to safe drinking water, healthy housing, rubbish collection system, and sewerage systems.
Although improvement has been registered in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status,
much more needs to be done. Between 1991 and 2019, the rate of deaths associated with
cardiovascular disease among the general population fell considerably, but this was not reflected
among the indigenous people (Hall, 2019). Nurses in Australia play a critical role in ensuring
that patients access equal health care services, including speaking up against any form of racism
in a health care facility. Additionally, nurses can push for workforce diversification. More

Studies reveal that there is a direct relationship between the social and economic status of
a population and their quality of health. This is because poverty makes it harder for a population
to access health care services and medication. Additionally, poor people live in densely populated areas and shanty houses. This influences the spread of infectious diseases. The results of the 2001 National census revealed that the average income for indigenous people in Australia was about 62 percent of the rate of non-indigenous Australians (Taylor, Yap, & Biddle, 2018). This is to mean that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander were poorly paid compared to their counterparts. Additionally, the rate of unemployment among the indigenous Australians was
estimated to be three times higher than the rate of unemployment of non-indigenous Australians.
Studies have shown that low-income earners are at an increased risk of engaging in substance
abuse. Intergenerational trauma among Australians