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Although there is literature concentrating on cross-cultural approaches to academic and community partnerships with Native communities, few address the process and experiences of American Indian women leading federally funded and culturally grounded behavioral health intervention research in Native communities. This paper summarizes relevant literature on community-engaged research with Native communities, examines traditional roles and modern challenges for American Indian women, describes the culturally grounded collaborative process for the authors' behavioral health intervention development with Native communities, and considers emergent themes from our own research experiences navigating competing demands from mainstream and Native communities. It concludes with recommendations for supporting and enhancing resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a preliminary adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for Hispanics with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) major depressive disorder (MDD) in New York City for whom its high prevalence is a major public health problem. Among the treatment themes highlighted in MDD cases are the centrality of family, gender roles and the necessity to avoid humiliating social confrontation. A time limit in treatment is said to be perceived by some patients as possible abandonment.

The historical trauma response is a constellation of characteristics associated with massive cumulative group trauma across generations, similar to those found among Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants. Trauma response features include elevated mortality rates and health problems emanating from heart disease, hypertension, alcohol abuse, and suicidal behavior. This article explores gender differences in the historical trauma response among the Lakota (Teton Sioux) and the correlation with health and mental health statistics. The theory of a Lakota historical trauma response is first explained. Traditional gender roles are described in combination with modifications engendered by traumatic Lakota history. Then, data from a study on Lakota historical trauma are presented, including gender differences in response to an experimental intervention aimed at facilitating a trauma resolution process. The data revealed significant gender differences. The sample of women presented initially with a greater degree of conscious affective experience of historical trauma. In contrast, the men reported more lifespan trauma associated with boarding school attendance and appeared to be at an earlier stage of grief. However, at the end of the intervention, women's experience of survivor guilt--a significant trauma response feature--decreased while men's consciousness of historical trauma and unresolved grief increased. Degree of traditional presentation-of-self, including phenotype, appeared to interact with gender to place male participants at greater risk for being traumatized over the lifespan and perhaps subsequently utilizing more rigid defenses against the conscious experience of the trauma with the exception of survivor guilt. The article concludes with a discussion of health and mental health implications for prevention and treatment of the trauma response which could positively impact the health status of the Lakota. Recommendations for future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical trauma (HT) is cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma experiences; the historical trauma response (HTR) is the constellation of features in reaction to this trauma. The HTR often includes depression, self-destructive behavior, suicidal thoughts and gestures, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, and difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions. It may include substance abuse, often an attempt to avoid painful feelings through self-medication. Historical unresolved grief is the associated affect that accompanies HTR; this grief may be considered fixated, impaired, delayed, and/or disenfranchised. This article will explain HT theory and the HTR, delineate the features of the HTR and its grounding in the literature, offer specific Native examples of HT and HTR, and will suggest ways to incorporate HT theory in treatment, research and evaluation. The article will conclude with implications for all massively traumatized populations.