Transferring the Aboriginal Australian family wellbeing empowerment program from a Papua New Guinea university context to broader community settings: A feasibility study

This study aims to assess the feasibility of transferring the Aboriginal Family Wellbeing empowerment program (FWB) from a Papua New Guinea (PNG) tertiary setting to broader community contexts to address the problem of endemic interpersonal violence and to generate pilot data to inform future community wellbeing interventions in PNG. Levels of wellbeing among a convenience sample of 100 participants recruited from Bereina station, Kairuku- Hiri District and other parts of the National Capital District and Central Province were assessed using a cross-sectional survey with an anonymous self administered questionnaire. Follow-up FWB pilot workshops conducted in Bereina station for participants in the wellbeing survey used standardised FWB workshop evaluation questionnaires to obtain community feedback on the relevance of the program. Up to one in four females and over half of males who completed the survey reported being a victim of actual or threatened violence in the last 12 months. In terms of wellbeing, participants were least satisfied with their standards of living and most satisfied with spirituality. Workshop participants could see that FWB has the potential to address community concerns, including interpersonal violence, as it provides a process for identifying basic community needs and introduces skills to address conflict. The challenges and opportunities involved in sustaining such programs at community levels are highlighted.Associated Grant:La Trobe University; James Cook University; University of Papua New Guine