Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 May 1;40(4):381-405.
doi: 10.1002/jcop.20517.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Findings from a Community-Based Cultural Mental Health Intervention for American Indian Youth and Their Families

Jessica Goodkind  1 , Marianna LaNoue  2 , Christopher Lee  1 , Lance Freeland  1 , Rachel Freund  3
Affiliations

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Findings from a Community-Based Cultural Mental Health Intervention for American Indian Youth and Their Families

Jessica Goodkind et al. J Community Psychol. .

Abstract

Through a CBPR partnership, university and American Indian (AI) tribal members developed and tested Our Life intervention to promote mental health of AI youth and their families by addressing root causes of violence, trauma, and substance abuse. Based on premises that well-being is built on a foundation of traditional cultural beliefs and practices, and that it requires a process of healing and understanding, the 6-month intervention had four components: 1) recognizing/healing historical trauma; 2) reconnecting to traditional culture; 3) parenting/social skill-building; and 4) strengthening family relationships through equine-assisted activities. Feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and preliminary outcomes were examined in a mixed-method within-group design. Engagement and retention were challenging, suggesting that families faced numerous barriers to participation. Youth who completed the program experienced significant increases in cultural identity, self-esteem, positive coping strategies, quality of life, and social adjustment. Qualitative data supported these findings and suggested additional positive effects.

Keywords: Adolescent; Child; Community-Based Participatory Research; Evidence-Based Intervention; Historical Trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Our Life intervention conceptual model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Our Life intervention flowchart.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graphs of four selected outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abbott SP, Reed E, Abbott RD, Berninger VW. Year-long balanced reading/writing tutorial: A design experiment used for dynamic assessment. Learning Disability Quarterly. 1997;20:249–263.
    1. Atkins MS, McKay MM, Arvanitis P, London L, Madison S, Costigan C. An ecological model for school-based mental health services for urban low-income aggressive children. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. 1998;25(1):64–75. - PubMed
    1. Ayers TS, Sandler IN, West SG, Roosa MW. A dispositional and situational assessment of children’s coping: Testing alternative models of coping. Journal of Personality. 1996;64(4):923–958. - PubMed
    1. Beals J, Novins D, Mitchell C, Shore J, Manson S. Comorbidity between alcohol abuse/dependence and psychiatric disorders: Prevalence, treatment implications, and new directions for research among American Indian populations. NIAAA Research Monograph Series. 2002;37:371–410.
    1. Beauvais F. Trends in drug use among American Indian students and dropouts. American Journal of Public Health. 1996;86:1594–1599. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources