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The Alaska Native Collaborative Hub for Research on Resilience (ANCHRR) engages Indigenous leadership at all levels in a strength-based study to deepen our understanding of community level protective factors in Indigenous communities, which are the collective influences shaping individual wellbeing across time. Overall, ANCHRR aims to position Alaska Native Tribes, Tribal organizations, and community members as the guides for culturally responsive research that is aligned with community priorities of increasing resilience and wellbeing among Alaska Native youth and reducing their suicide risk. Our approach brings together Indigenous knowledge and research methods that humbly draw attention to the solutions that already exist within communities. An Indigenous paradigm shifts the approach from a singular focus on individuals and their risks and deficits to appreciation for the cultural, community, and systemic ways in which community members support, care for, and guide their young people into adulthood. We describe the lessons learned about this unique approach to Indigenous leadership and community engagement and discuss the research processes that keep the relational heart-work at the center of every project activity. This capacity-building, mutually beneficial and relational approach offers new insights to knowledge development endeavors.

Suicide is a significant health disparity among Alaska Native youth, which is linked to cultural disruptions brought about by colonialism and historical trauma. Many Indigenous suicide prevention efforts center on revitalizing and connecting youth to their culture to promote mental health and resilience. A common cultural approach to improve psychosocial outcomes is youth culture camps, but there has been little evaluation research to test this association. Here, we conduct a pilot evaluation of a 5-day culture camp developed in two remote regions of Alaska. The camps bring together Alaska Native youth from villages in these regions to take part in subsistence activities, develop new relationships, develop life skills, and learn traditional knowledge and values. This pilot evaluation of the culture camps uses a quantitative pre/post design to examine the outcomes of self-esteem, emotional states, belongingness, mattering to others, and coping skills among participants. Results indicate that culture camps can significantly increase positive mood, feelings of belongingness, and perceived coping of participants. Culture camps are a common suicide prevention effort in Indigenous circumpolar communities, and although limited in scope and design, this pilot evaluation offers some evidence to support culture camps as a health promotion intervention that can reduce suicide risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous youth suicide remains a substantial health disparity in circumpolar communities, despite prevention efforts through primary health care, public health campaigns, school systems, and social services. Innovations in prevention practice move away from expert‐driven approaches to emphasize local control through processes that utilize research evidence, but privilege self‐ determined action based on local and personal contexts, meanings, and frameworks for action. "Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide" is a community health intervention that draws on networks of Indigenous health educators in rural Alaska, who host learning circles in which research evidence is used to spark conversations and empower community members to consider individual and collective action to support vulnerable people and create health‐promoting conditions that reduce suicide risk. The first of nine learning circles focuses on narratives of local people who link the contemporary youth suicide epidemic to 20th century American colonialism, and situates prevention within this context. We describe the theoretical framework and feasibility and acceptability outcomes for this learning circle, and elucidate how the educational model engages community members in decolonial approaches to suicide prevention education and practice, thus serving as a bridge between Western and Indigenous traditions to generate collective knowledge and catalyze community healing. Highlights: This study examines narrative linkages between Alaska Native youth suicide and colonial violence.Alaska Natives linked youth suicide to culture loss, social suffering, and rapid social change.Innovations in prevention practice call for decolonial and community‐based approaches.PC CARES utilizes decolonial pedagogy to support self‐determined prevention practicein rural AK.Participants expressed collective strength and aspirations to lead suicide prevention practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to understand American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adolescents' perspectives on concerning social media posts, including those expressing suicidal intent. Methods: A purposive sample of AI/AN youth were recruited; trained facilitators conducted focus groups. Participants discussed experiences viewing concerning posts on social media. Qualitative analysis used the constant comparative method. Results: A total of 32 AI/AN youth ages 14-22 participated. Three salient themes emerged: 1) youth typically respond alone; 2) barriers to action; 3) recommended training and support-trusted adults, anonymity, and privacy. Conclusion: Study findings will guide the development of resources trusted by AI/AN youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An Indigenous youth mushing program increased cultural, social, and symbolic capital. • Youth shared stories about the program through photovoice and digital storytelling. • The program used sled dogs to create bonds and bridges between generations. • Integrating culture fostered resilience, pride, spirituality and wellbeing in youth. • Digital stories captured the value of connections to others, land, animals, and culture. Health promotion programs by and for Indigenous Peoples increasingly use strength-based Indigenous approaches aimed at reinforcing protective factors rooted in their cultures and traditions. These protective factors can counteract the deleterious effects induced by the rapid social changes related to colonization. Western social scientists defined cultural, social and symbolic capital as assets akin to social strengths that can promote health. It is important to understand Indigenous perspectives on these social and cultural capitals, and the ways their interplay can promote wellness. Using the qualitative methods photovoice and digital storytelling, we elicited the perspectives of Athabascan middle and high school students participating in the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care-Mushing Program in their home community of Huslia in Interior Alaska. Subsequently, we disseminated the stories and preliminary findings in Huslia, and conducted focus groups with adults to triangulate with the youth perspectives. Deductive and inductive thematic content analysis of youth stories and photos revealed the impacts of the program on them and their community. Youth reported gains in cultural, social and symbolic capital and shared what these forms of capital mean in their cultural context. Cultural capital gains were mostly in its embodied form, e.g. in work ethics, perseverance and the value of cultural traditions; social capital gains revolved around relations with peers, adults and Elders, nature and animals, as well as social cohesion and sense of belonging in Huslia; Symbolic capital was reflected through pride and spirituality. The students' stories also illustrated their perspectives on how the program affected their wellbeing, through physical activity, healing relations with dogs, increased self-esteem and visions of a bright future. Adults corroborated youth perspectives and shared their observations of program impacts on discipline, academic and life skills and resilience. These findings could be used to guide development and assessment of culturally-based wellbeing promoting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discusses the potential impact that technology might have on the process of evaluating the efficacy of adolescent pregnancy prevention programs in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal communities as of 2016, and it mentions the challenges that are associated with implementing rigorous evaluation designs and research programs involving members of AI/AN tribes. Online interventions for AI/AN youth and adolescents are examined, along with e-mail and text messages.

An introduction is presented in which the authors discuss various topics including alcohol abuse and suicide among Alaska Native (AN) youth, community intervention theory and cultural clashes.

This qualitative study of youth resilience takes place in an Alaska Native community, which has undergone rapid, imposed social change over the last three generations. Elders, and successive generations have grown up in strikingly different social, economic and political contexts. Youth narratives of relationships in the context of adolescent growth and development offer insights to better understand culturally-patterned experience, continuity and change. Local youth and adults shaped the design, implementation and analysis phases of this participatory study. Multiple interviews, totaling 20 older (ages 15-18) and younger (11-14) boys and girls provide accounts of everyday lives and life histories. Although losing close relationships was the most common stressor, many of the participants' resilience strategies centered on their connections to others. Participants cultivated 'relatedness', nurturing relationships that took on kinship qualities. Within these relationships, youth participants acted more responsibly and/or developed a sense of competency and self-worth because of others' reliance on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we investigated the mental health treatment preferences held by Alaska Native (AN) college students regarding treatment type, treatment provider, and therapy roles. Preferences were compared between AN and Caucasian participants and also between ANs with high and low identification with their Indigenous culture. While there were many similarities between groups, some important differences were found. The results of this study have significant implications for making mental health treatments more available and culturally appropriate for ANs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In social work, our focus is often on “helping” youth. However, our practice experience is filled with examples of how “helping” can silence youth voice, albeit with the best intentions. The value, power, and importance of youth voice cannot be understated. The lack of inclusion of the voices of those children we work with is troubling and may very well be a contributing factor to the lack of success of many programs aimed at improving the lives of the youth we work with. To illustrate the importance of youth voice I will use my experience in Alaska Native Communities to set the stage for examining place, power, and possibility in social work practice with youth. Further, through examination of a community based participatory research project funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, joined by colleagues from the Institute for Educational Research and Service (IERS) and the National Native Children's Trauma Center (NNCTC), I will describe how research can also promote and potentially silence youth voice in Indian Country. My colleagues and I offer a description of the research process, design, preliminary results, and a critical examination of how our process both promotes and silences the voice of youth in Indian Country. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

- The majority of research and programs for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth focus on negative health behaviors and risks, ignoring the positive attributes that traditional AI/AN culture can provide. Therefore, it is critical to highlight the importance of incorporating traditional AI/AN worldviews and values into youth programming and health interventions. Accordingly, this article provides (a) a brief overview of AI/AN culture and historical policies and practices, (b) a description of the positive youth development (PYD) framework with a focus on research and programs that include AI/AN youth, (c) details on the strengths of AI/AN culture and how they can be incorporated into programming for AI/AN youth, and (d) examples of exemplary PYD programs for AI/AN youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research with Native Americans has identified connectedness as a culturally based protective factor against substance abuse and suicide. Connectedness refers to the interrelated welfare of the individual, one's family, one's community, and the natural environment. We developed an 18-item quantitative assessment of awareness of connectedness and tested it with 284 Alaska Native youth. Evaluation with confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory identified a 12-item subset that functions satisfactorily in a second-order four-factor model. The proposed Awareness of Connectedness Scale (ACS) displays good convergent and discriminant validity, and correlates positively with hypothesized protective factors such as reasons for living and communal mastery. The measure has utility in the study of culture-specific protective factors and as an Outcomes measure for behavioral health programs with Native American youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Indian/Alaska Native youth represent the strength and survival of many Nations and Tribes. However, the aftermath of colonialism has resulted in numerous health disparities and challenges for Native youth, including the highest rate of suicide in the United States. With the aims of elucidating the causes of behavioral health disparities, eliminating them, and improving behavioral health care for Native youth, a partnership of providers, community members, and university faculty and staff completed a comprehensive literature review, conducted advisory meetings with 71 American Indian youth, parents, and elders, surveyed 25 service providers, and engaged in ongoing consultation with traditional practitioners. Results from the multiple sources were synthesized and are reported with 20 policy, provider, and research recommendations that recognize the importance of moving beyond exclusive reliance on western models of care and that seek to foster transformation of individuals, families, communities, behavioral health service systems of care, and social structures. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the prevalence of health risk-behaviors among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in urban areas. Methods Data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the years 1997–2003 were used for the analyses (Urban sample = 52,364). The YRBS is a self-report questionnaire administered to a sample of 9th–12th grade students intended to monitor health risk-behaviors. “Urban” is defined as areas within a Metropolitan Statistical Area. Whites are used as the comparison group for the examination of AI/AN estimates. Results Urban AI/AN youth represented 1% of the urban sample (N = 513). The presence of a number of risk-behaviors were at least threefold higher in AI/AN compared to white youth in urban areas, including suicidal behaviors, feeling unsafe at school and needing medical treatment from a fight. Other factors were over twofold higher among AI/AN, including sexual behaviors, illegal drug use, violence at school, and experiences of rape, assault and pregnancy. Conclusions The higher prevalence of health risk-behaviors in urban AI/AN compared to white youth reflects a need for interventions focused on urban AI/AN youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between family history, sedentary behaviors, and childhood risk for type 2 diabetes. Participants were 480 students attending schools on or near an American Indian reservation. Data were collected through survey and BMI measurement. Children who frequently watched television or played video games did not significantly differ in BMI compared to peers. However, children with a parental history of diabetes had significantly higher BMIs than children without. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use rates among Alaska Native youth from western Alaska. Methods: The sample consisted of 665 youth ages 6-18. Results: Of children 6-10 years of age, 12% reported current use, and the prevalence rates increased with age. Females were significantly more likely than males to report tobacco use. The rates of alcohol and other drug use were very low. After adjusting for age and gender, significant correlates of tobacco use were maternal tobacco use during and after pregnancy. Conclusions: Expanded efforts are needed to address tobacco use among Alaska Native youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Circles of Care initiative emphasized the importance of developing an outcomes measurement plan that was consonant with the model system of care as well as community values and priorities. This analysis suggests that the Circles of Care grantees achieved this key programmatic objective, but that a major constraint was the tendency of funders, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (the funder of Circles of Care), to mandate their own outcomes measurement plans. Funders are encouraged to balance their needs for commonality of measures across programs for their own evaluation purposes with the needs of service providers to utilize measures that meet their unique programmatic and community contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses risk behaviors, health problems, worries and concerns and resiliency-promoting factors among American Indian--Alaska Native adolescents. Percentage of the study sample who reported poor physical health; Correlation of poor physical health and social risk factors and physical and/or sexual abuse; Study methods; Conclusions; The Indian Health Service (IHS); Suicide attempts; Substance abuse; Sexual behaviors; More.

The article discusses the role of ethnographic approaches in documenting the prevalence of suicide in Northwest Alaska. It stresses the importance of research indicating the prevalence of suicide in determining high-risk populations. It suggests that the use of qualitative data offers means in understanding local suicide prevention practices. Moreover, it mentions that Alaska Native youth suicide indicates social disturbances.