Toward a Culturally Informed Rehabilitation Treatment Model for American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have a long tradition of military service, allying with Western forces in North America since the 1700s. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that AI/AN veterans experience higher rates of overall disability and service-related disability than veterans of other races and ethnicities. It is not clear, however, that AI/AN veterans with disabilities are receiving effective, culturally informed rehabilitation services. This article examines the incidence of disability among contemporary AI/AN veterans, considers barriers to effective treatment, and points out model programs tailored to the particular needs of this population, with attention to the historical and cultural context of AI/AN military service.     

Native American men-women,lesbians, two-spirits: Contemporary and historical perspectives

ABSTRACT

People living in the role of the “other” sex in Native American cultures, often entering into same-sex relationships, have been subject to various anthropological, historical, and psychological analyses and interpretations. Most recently, there has been a shift to an indigenist/decolonial interdisciplinary focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Native people. This article gives a discussion of approaches to the subject, with a focus on female gender variability. An overview is given of the latter, complemented by a discussion of the identities and concerns of contemporary Native lesbians, many of whom identify as “two-spirit,” a term that alludes to the dual, spiritually powerful nature traditionally attributed in a number of Native American cultures to individuals who combine the feminine and masculine.     

Early‐Onset Alcohol Use Among Native American Youth: Examining Female Caretaker Influence

This article investigates the influence of female caretaker substance use on early‐onset youth drinking among Native American families in the Northern Midwest. Data include 603 Native American families, with reports from female caretakers and youths aged 10 – 13 years. Two potential caretaker influences are taken into account: adolescent modeling of caretaker behaviors and the effects of caretaker substance abuse on parenting. Results of bivariate and path analysis provide support for the influence of caretaker substance use on adolescent drinking from both perspectives; these effects vary, however, depending on the type or degree of adult substance use, or both.     

Desire caught by its tale: The unlikely return of the merman in Madonna's Cherish

‘Will Come Forth in Tongues and Fury’ uses the pretext of a Simon Ortiz poem, ‘Irish Poets on a Saturday and an Indian,’ to identify and analyse the unacknowledged links between US and British variants of colonialism. In particular the categories of race and space are engaged, as is the colonial technology of the reservation.     

Strengthening American Indian Couples' Relationship Quality to Improve Parenting

Using Fragile Families data, this study examined the impact that relationship quality has on American Indian parenting and its consequences on children. Results indicated that the more support American Indian parents received from one another, the more positive interactions they had with their child. Additionally, while engagement increased and spanking decreased with more support received for unmarried American Indian mothers, support from the father impacted their engagement more so than those who were married. Therefore, implementation of culturally appropriate relationship enhancing and premarital programs could be beneficial to strengthening American Indian families and have a positive impact on parenting.     

American Indian Perceptions of Paternal Responsibility

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examined the issue of American Indian nonresident father rights and obligations. Findings revealed that both American Indian mothers and fathers supported visitation rights, but decision-making rights were not highly supported unless the father was paying child support. Both American Indian parents were similar in their views regarding paternal responsibilities. Therefore, while general father involvement intervention strategies may work for American Indians, it is important for practitioners to explore how American Indians define paternal involvement and to what extent they are willing to allow the nonresident father to participate in all aspects of the child's life.     

Sense of Belonging in School as a Protective Factor Against Drug Abuse Among Native American Urban Adolescents

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of a study conducted with 243 Native American students who were part of a multi-ethnic sample of adolescents attending middle school in a large urban center in the Southwest region of the United States. Native adolescents who felt a stronger sense of belonging in their school were found to report a lower lifetime use of alcohol and cigarettes, lower cigarette and marijuana use in the previous month, lower frequency of current use of these substances, fewer substances ever used, and a later age of initiation into drug use than other Native students. Research implications are discussed in relationship to school environment, culturally-grounded prevention curricula, and school social work practice.     

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention as Standard Practice: Working with the American Indian/Native Alaskan Populations

Alcohol use and the resulting problems associated with high-risk drinking in the American Indian/Native Alaskan (AI/NA) population are well-documented, as alcohol misuse has taken an incredible toll on many AI/NA communities. Presently, both overall health issues and alcohol use occur disproportionately within this population. This article provides an updated overview of the impact of alcohol use in the United States and within AI/NA communities specifically. It also provides recommendations for an alcohol-related screening and brief intervention instrument that social workers can begin using in their practice and can be utilized within the AI/NA community.     

Out of harmony: health problems and young Native American men

Studies of the current health status of healthy young Native American men (American Indians and Alaska Natives) are rare compared with the attention researchers have given the many problems that plague the lives of these young men. Native American men are frequently not included in other studies focusing on men, and information on college-aged, healthy young Native American men is generally not readily available. Despite those drawbacks, this article brings together what is written or known about the health status of young Native American men. The emphasis, based on available information, is placed on some of the major health problems confronting this population.     

Impact of Disability and Other Physical Health Issues on Academic Outcomes Among American Indian and Alaskan Native College Students: An Exploratory Analysis

This study investigated whether self-identified disabilities among American Indian and Alaskan Native college students impact academic performance and persistence to graduation and explored the differences in health and academic grades between American Indian and Alaskan Native students and students of other racial and ethnic identities using the National College Health Assessment. Findings indicate that American Indian or Alaskan Native students have significantly lower grades than White and Asian students, and American Indian and Alaskan Native women report the highest incidence of health problems of any demographic group. Exploratory results point to future research to determine the full impact of disabilities and poor health on academic success.     

Community Relationships and the Course in Social Problems

This article describes the Native American History in a Box curriculum which is designed to introduce elementary and middle-level students to Native American cultures. The curriculum consists of a five day unit addressing the following concepts pertaining to Native American Nations: settlements, tools, sustenance, pottery, and contact with Europeans. In addition, the development of the curriculum, the daily lessons, and the activities are discussed. Each daily lesson includes step-by-step instructions and the required materials. Finally, the authors discuss some of the pragmatic issues that influenced the development and implementation of the curriculum.     

Figuring It Out: How Late Adolescent and Young Adult Men and Women Perceive and Address Problems in Sexual Functioning

Although there are high rates of sexual problems and sexual dysfunction in adulthood (Mitchell et al., 2013), little is known about the circumstances under which problems are first experienced. A growing body of research addresses prevalence of problems in sexual functioning among adolescents and young adults, yet little is known about the meanings that young people give to these experiences or how they deal with them. We used content analysis of qualitative interviews with 53 heterosexual, sexually active Canadian adolescents (ages 18 to 21) to explore their perceptions of the sexual problems in functioning they had experienced and the strategies (if any) they used to address them over time. Problems among most young people originated early in their partnered sexual life. Figuring it out emerged as an intentional process directed toward improving sexual experiences, although certainly not all young people were successful. Strategies for figuring it out included informational or material help seeking, experimentation to inform future actions, mutual sharing and problem solving, and building emotional connection to improve sexual functioning. Implications for understanding the development of sexual dysfunctions in adulthood are discussed.     

Disability Through a Native American Lens: Examining Influences of Culture and Colonization

Disability is a socially constructed identity. What constitutes a disability and what it means to be a person with a disability can vary across cultures. This article explores meanings of disability within Native American cultures, including how ideas about wellness, balance, roles, and responsibilities influence perceptions of disabilities. This is followed by a review of disability prevalence, discussion of services, and explorations of possible reasons for the disproportionate impact of disabilities in Native American populations. The article concludes with an examination of how the colonial context frames both attitudes about and services for Native Americans with disabilities.     

Nonmarital Relationships and Changing Perceptions of Marriage Among African American Young Adults

Cohabitation has become increasingly widespread over the past decade. Such trends have given rise to debates about the relation between cohabitation and marriage in terms of what cohabitation means for individual relationship trajectories and for the institution of marriage more generally. Using recent data from a sample of almost 800 African Americans and fixed effects modeling procedures, in the present study the authors shed some light on these debates by exploring the extent to which cohabitation, relative to both singlehood and dating, was associated with within‐individual changes in African Americans' marital beliefs during the transition to adulthood. The findings suggest that cohabitation is associated with changes in marital beliefs, generally in ways that repositioned partners toward marriage, not away from it. This was especially the case for women. These findings suggest that, for young African American women, cohabitation holds a distinct place relative to dating and, in principle if not practice, relative to marriage.     

Neighborhood Contexts, Fathers, and Mexican American Young Adolescents' Internalizing Symptoms

The family stress model posits that contextual stressors, such as neighborhood danger, negatively influence youth adjustment, including internalizing symptoms, via disruptions in parenting and family processes. The current study examined a culturally and contextually modified family stress model in a diverse sample of Mexican origin fathers and their children (N = 463) from the Southwestern U.S. Results supported the hypothesized negative influence of neighborhood danger on youth internalizing symptoms via disruptions in family cohesion. Paternal warmth did not play a role in linking contextual stress to outcomes. The role of harsh parenting was highly nuanced. Results suggest that both culture and context have the potential to moderate putative family stress model associations for specific parenting behaviors and further our understanding of the ways that culture and context may operate in models of family stress and youth outcomes.     

Native American Literature and Its Place in the Inter-American Project

Abstract

Issues of Native American literature and culture are placed in a comparative and inter-American perspective, where texts from Canada, the United States, Spanish America, and Brazil are discussed and contrasted. Native American texts are analyzed in the context of inter-American literary study, which is defined as an interdisciplinary approach to the literatures of North, Central, and South America. The argument is made that Native American literature represents the cultural and historical foundation of the entire inter-American project.     

Urban and Indigenous: The Challenges of being a Native American in the City

The United States is home to more than 4 million Native Americans, the majority of whom live in urban areas. Urban Native Americans often experience significant social, health, and economic problems while having access to substantially fewer Native-specific resources than their reservation-based counterparts. They also face challenges with access to tribal services and political processes, as well as identity-sustaining cultural resources. This article describes the urban nature of many contemporary Native American communities. Examples from various urban Native American communities highlight the challenges faced by urban Native people, as well as creative initiatives developed to serve this population. This paper draws on and synthesizes the literature on contemporary urban Native communities, thus providing needed information for service providers and researchers working in these communities.     

The Function of Acculturation and Collective Self-Esteem on Prejudicial Attitudes among Vietnamese American Young Adults

ABSTRACT

This study examined the influence of collective self-esteem and acculturation on prejudicial attitudes in a sample of Vietnamese American young adults. A total of 122 college students from a public university in Southern California were given the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, the Vietnamese Acculturation Scale, and the Quick Discrimination Index. Results suggest that students who were more involved in U.S. culture and had both higher public collective self-esteem (i.e., the belief that their cultural groups were perceived positively by others) and higher private collective self-esteem (i.e., the individuals' private evaluation about their cultural groups) tended to have fewer prejudicial attitudes. Interestingly, results also reveal that students who were more involved in Vietnamese culture and had higher membership collective self-esteem (i.e., the belief in how well they perform in their cultural groups) tended to have more prejudicial attitudes. The implications of the findings are discussed.