Cultural Identity Among Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth: Implications for Alcohol and Drug Use

American Indian / Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth exhibit high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, which is often linked to the social and cultural upheaval experienced by AI/ANs during the colonization of North America. Urban AI/AN youth may face unique challenges, including increased acculturative stress due to lower concentrations of AI/AN populations in urban areas. Few existing studies have explored cultural identity among urban AI/AN youth and its association with AOD use. This study used systematic qualitative methods with AI/AN communities in two urban areas within California to shed light on how urban AI/AN youth construct cultural identity and how this relates to AOD use and risk behaviors. We conducted 10 focus groups with a total of 70 youth, parents, providers, and Community Advisory Board members and used team-based structured thematic analysis in the Dedoose software platform. We identified 12 themes: intergenerational stressors, cultural disconnection, AI/AN identity as protective, pan-tribal identity, mixed racial-ethnic identity, rural vs. urban environments, the importance of AI/AN institutions, stereotypes and harassment, cultural pride, developmental trajectories, risks of being AI/AN, and mainstream culture clash. Overall, youth voiced curiosity about their AI/AN roots and expressed interest in deepening their involvement in cultural activities. Adults described the myriad ways in which involvement in cultural activities provides therapeutic benefits for AI/AN youth. Interventions that provide urban AI/AN youth with an opportunity to engage in cultural activities and connect with positive and healthy constructs in AI/AN culture may provide added impact to existing interventions

The mediating role of experiences of need satisfaction in associations between parental psychological control and internalizing problems: A study among Italian college students

Abundant research has shown that parental psychological control is related to internalizing problems across different life periods, including middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Relatively few studies, however, have addressed the mediating mechanisms that account for this relation. On the basis of selfdetermination theory, the aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of adolescents’ need satisfaction in the association between perceived paternal and maternal psychological control and internalizing distress in Italian emerging adults. In a sample of 121 female college students, we found that satisfaction of basic psychological needs was a full mediator of the relationship between perceptions of psychological control and internalizing distress. We also found that psychological control was a better predictor of internalizing distress compared to low autonomy-support. These findings are discussed in light of self-determination theory. We also discuss how future research may further increase our understanding of the dynamics involved in psychologically controlling parenting and adjustment in adolescents and emerging adults