Factors Associated with American Indian Cigarette Smoking in Rural Settings

Introduction: This paper reports on the prevalence, factors and patterns of cigarette smoking among rural California American Indian (AI) adults. Methods: Thirteen Indian health clinic registries formed the random household survey sampling frame (N = 457). Measures included socio-demographics, age at smoking initiation, intention to quit, smoking usage, smoking during pregnancy, health effects of smoking, suicide attempts or ideation, history of physical abuse, neglect and the role of the environment (smoking at home and at work). Statistical tests included Chi Square and Fisher’s Exact test, as well as multiple logistic regression analysis among never, former, and current smokers. Results: Findings confirm high smoking prevalence among male and female participants (44% and 37% respectively). American Indians begin smoking in early adolescence (age 14.7). Also, 65% of current smokers are less than 50% Indian blood and 76% of current smokers have no intention to quit smoking. Current and former smokers are statistically more likely to report having suicidal ideation than those who never smoked. Current smokers also report being neglected and physically abused in childhood and adolescence, are statistically more likely to smoke ½ pack or less (39% vs. 10% who smoke 1+ pack), smoke during pregnancy, and have others who smoke in the house compared with former and never smokers. Conclusion: Understanding the factors associated with smoking will help to bring about policy changes and more effective programs to address the problem of high smoking rates among American Indians

Native American Children and Their Reports of Hope: Construct Validation of the Children's Hope Scale

Child reports of hope continue to be utilized as predictors of positive adjustment; however, the utilization of the hope construct has not been assessed within the culturally diverse Native American child group. The present study investigated the applicability of the Hope theory among 96 Native American children in the Midwest. Measures included the Children’s Hope Scale and a Hope Interview. Native American children in the current sample appear to conceptualize hope as a way to reach goals as did the children in the normative sample. Results from the factor analysis demonstrate that the factor structure found in the current study was similar to the factor structure found in the standardization sample. Because of the similar Hope theory conceptualization and factor structure, interventions focused on the positive psychology construct of hope may be applicable within a Native American child population

Healing through language: Positive Physical Health Effects of Indigenous Language Use

This article summarizes existing work that indicates language maintenance and revitalization efforts result in health-related benefits for Native Americans and other indigenous populations. Although forced loss of ancestral language has been a feature of life in most indigenous communities since the first contact with Europeans, the pace of loss has accelerated in the past 50 years. Among the many hardships such communities face, an especially troubling one is lowered health status. There are indications, however, that language maintenance and revitalization efforts have positive effects on physical and communal health among indigenous populations. The types of language programs currently in place are outlined along with a variety of studies that will measure health improvement outcomes correlated with language revitalization efforts. Such evidence justifies increased support for language revitalization in order to improve health

The Youngest Victims: Children and Youth Affected by War

In 1989, the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child declared, “[state parties] shall take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict.” In addition to attempting to secure the welfare of children in armed conflict, the Convention went on to ban the recruitment and deployment of children during armed conflict. Despite the vast majority of sovereign nations signing and ratifying this agreement, this treaty, unfortunately, has not prevented children and youth from witnessing, becoming victims of, or participating in political, ethnic, religious, and cultural violence across the past three decades. This chapter offers an “ecological perspective” on the psychosocial consequences of exposure to the trauma of war-related violence and social disruption

Prevalence of mental disorders from adolescence through early adulthood in American Indian and First Nations communities

Indigenous communities lack representation in psychiatric epidemiology despite disproportionate exposure to risk factors. We document the cumulative and 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders across the early life course among a sample of Indigenous young adults and compare prospective and retrospective reporting of lifetime mental disorders. This community-based participatory research includes data from 735 Indigenous people from 8 reservations/reserves. Personal interviews were conducted between 2002–2010 and 2017–2018 totaling 9 waves; diagnostic assessments of DSM-IV-TR alcohol abuse/dependence, marijuana use/dependence, other substance abuse/dependence, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder occurred at waves 1 (mean age = 11.1 years), 4 (mean age = 14.3 years), 6 (mean age = 16.2 years), 8 (mean age = 18.3 years), and 9 (mean age = 26.3 years). Cumulative lifetime psychiatric disorders reached 77.3% and lifetime comorbidity 56.4% by wave 9. Past-year prevalence and comorbidity at wave 9 were 28.7% and 6.7%, respectively. Substance use disorders (SUDs) were most common with peak past-year prevalence observed when participants were on average 16.3 years old then declining thereafter. Trends in early life course psychiatric disorders in this study with Indigenous participants highlight cultural variations in psychiatric epidemiology including surprisingly low rates of internalizing disorders in the face of risk factors, disproportionately high rates of early-onset and lifetime SUD, and lower rates of past-year SUD in early adulthood compared with prior research.Peer reviewedSociolog