{"title":"Development of a Diabetes Prevention Intervention Utilizing Gardening for Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Adults Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Focus Group Study.","authors":"Daniel Dickerson, Melanie Cain, Belinda Najera","doi":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.25","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gardening for Health Utilizing Traditions (GHUTS) is a new diabetes prevention intervention for urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults receiving mental health treatment in Los Angeles County. The two main objectives of this study are to: 1) further our understanding of diabetes prevention and the role of gardening for urban AI/AN adults receiving mental health treatment and 2) finalize the development of GHUTS. To inform the feasibility of the intervention and to gain perspective, three focus groups were conducted among urban AI/AN adults receiving mental health treatment (n = 7), providers who serve urban AI/AN people (n = 7), and the GHUTS Community Advisory Board (n = 5). Three overarching conceptual themes emerged: 1) Diabetes is an important issue among urban AI/AN people receiving mental health treatment, 2) AI/AN traditional practices have an important role in diabetes prevention among urban AI/AN adults receiving mental health treatment, and 3) Gardening is beneficial for AI/AN people. Feedback on the GHUTS curriculum featured diabetes education, cultural elements, concerns specific to AI/AN people in Los Angeles County, cooking, physical exercise and diet, prayer and mindfulness, community sharing, and field trips. This study highlights the process of developing a community-grounded diabetes prevention intervention for urban AI/AN adults receiving mental health treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 1","pages":"25-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143543842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Disparate Roots and Potential Development of Alaska's Public Behavioral Health System.","authors":"Joseph D Bloom, Aron S Wolf","doi":"10.5820/aian.3202.2025.29","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3202.2025.29","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The community mental health center era in the United States was based on delivering services cataloged in three areas of behavioral health needs; (1) primary prevention of mental illness: the prevention of illness before it develops; (2) secondary prevention services: the early treatment of mental illness to reduce the severity of illness, and (3) tertiary prevention: treatment aimed at the reduction of the burdens of chronic mental illness. To attain these goals in a particular state in the United States has been very difficult, and Alaska, which has only been a state since 1959, is not close to attaining these goals. As a matter of fact, this paper will demonstrate that Alaska has had more trouble than most states in providing even rudimentary services in several of these areas. Yet, because of a curious constellation of factors, this paper presents the reader with a hopeful possible alignment of programs which, if more fully developed and linked in Alaska, can become an integrated public behavioral health system open to all the residents in the state.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 2","pages":"29-49"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143664849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda M Hunter, Melinda Smith, Andria B Begay, Nicolette Teufel-Shone, Karen Jarratt-Snider, Carol Goldtooth, Manley Begay, Darold H Joseph, Angelina Castagno, Juliette Roddy, Chesleigh Keene, Alisse Ali-Joseph, Julie A Baldwin
{"title":"Exploring the Role of Indigenous Determinants of Health in the Resilience of Native Nations during COVID-19.","authors":"Amanda M Hunter, Melinda Smith, Andria B Begay, Nicolette Teufel-Shone, Karen Jarratt-Snider, Carol Goldtooth, Manley Begay, Darold H Joseph, Angelina Castagno, Juliette Roddy, Chesleigh Keene, Alisse Ali-Joseph, Julie A Baldwin","doi":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.42","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.42","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing excess hospitalization, mortality, and economic losses compared to the non- Hispanic Whites. This study sought to document the Indigenous determinants of health (IDOH) in AI/AN communities that shaped mental wellbeing for four groups: educators, traditional knowledge holders/practitioners, first responders, and substance abuse recovery community, during the pandemic. This work was a collaboration with and had research approval from three Native nations in Arizona. In-depth interviews were conducted from May to November 2021; 92 participants were interviewed. The most prevalent IDOH and associated themes included strategies to cope with emotional and social stressors and the impact on physical and mental health, relationships, kinship, cultural continuity, and self-determination. The groups experienced differences in mental wellbeing aligned with their occupation. For example, first responders experienced disruption and social dissonance in the workplace due to varying political views, and traditional knowledge holders/ practitioners experienced a revitalization of cultural strategies to maintain health. Although the differences between occupational groups are striking, the similarities that did exist were grounded in Indigenous identity and worldview that emphasize relationships and connection to the natural environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 3","pages":"42-69"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12533485/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tara L Maudrie, Cassandra J Nguyễn, Dane Hautala, Maisie Conrad, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Kerry Hawk Lessard, Jessica Dickerson, Victoria M O'Keefe, Joel Gittelsohn
{"title":"Exploring Definitions, Correlates, and Solutions to Food Insecurity during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods CBPR Study with the Baltimore Native Community.","authors":"Tara L Maudrie, Cassandra J Nguyễn, Dane Hautala, Maisie Conrad, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Kerry Hawk Lessard, Jessica Dickerson, Victoria M O'Keefe, Joel Gittelsohn","doi":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.70","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.70","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A mixed methods community-based participatory research study was conducted with Native American Lifelines of Baltimore to: (1) understand prevalence, correlates, and lived experiences with food insecurity and (2) explore the effects of and potential solutions to food insecurity. An online survey was completed by 250 American Indian and Alaska Native adults, and a subset of survey respondents (N=11) completed interviews. Quantitative analysis revealed food insecurity prevalence of 28% and increased odds of food insecurity with higher levels of food stress and COVID-19 hardships. Qualitative inquiry revealed harmful long-term effects of food insecurity on eating behaviors and several food sovereignty-oriented solutions to food insecurity.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 3","pages":"70-99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12522048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lifting the Lived Experiences of American Indian Counselors on the Reservation: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.","authors":"Brynn Luger, James S Korcuska","doi":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.18","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.18","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study utilized interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of three American Indian/Alaska Native counselors working on federal Indian reservations. Data analysis yielded four themes: the worth and weight of counseling on a reservation, the impact of culture and community on counseling, four forms of trauma impacting the counselor, and the effects of personal and professional wellness. This research contributes valuable insights into the nuanced experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native counselors working within reservation contexts and highlights the importance of addressing the unique challenges they face in delivering counseling services to their communities. Future research, support infrastructure, and counselor training initiatives should prioritize specialized training and systemic support for counselors tailored specifically to address the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native counselors and the communities they serve.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 3","pages":"18-41"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel G Parker, Sandra Radin, Nicholas Sorlagas, Dennis C Wendt
{"title":"Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Opioid Use Disorder and Services for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.","authors":"Daniel G Parker, Sandra Radin, Nicholas Sorlagas, Dennis C Wendt","doi":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.100","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3203.2025.100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rates of opioid use and overdose in the United States increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment facilities faced disruptions to services during this time. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities were amongst those most affected by the pandemic, while also experiencing some of the highest rates of opioid-related overdose deaths. As such, this study aimed to investigate the ways in which AI/AN-servicing OUD treatment centers and their communities were impacted by the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service providers working at AI/AN-servicing OUD treatment centers between January and April 2021. Treatment centers were located in the Pacific Northwest, the North Midwest, and the South Atlantic regions, and all provided medications for OUD. Using thematic content analysis, three broad domains were identified: (1) impacts to the AI/AN communities; (2) impacts to family and social life; and (3) impacts to OUD treatment services. Our findings indicate that AI/AN clientele and communities were negatively impacted by the suspension of AI/AN traditional practices. The importance of family and community support within treatment was emphasized and how this was impacted during the pandemic, while positive changes to services brought about by the pandemic were also reported.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 3","pages":"100-132"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chase Kornacki, Justin Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Anthony Hurtado, Juliet P Lee, Roland S Moore, Lisa Brucks, Jennifer Geisler, Valerie Boyle, Diana Martinez, Ami Admire, Monah Hanson, Rachel Reif, Michelle Nielson, Camille Henry-Walford, Daniel J Calac
{"title":"Collaboration as a Catalyst for Change: Reducing Commercial Tobacco Use Among American Indian Youth Through Dedication to Community, Youth-Led Interventions, and Tradition.","authors":"Chase Kornacki, Justin Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Anthony Hurtado, Juliet P Lee, Roland S Moore, Lisa Brucks, Jennifer Geisler, Valerie Boyle, Diana Martinez, Ami Admire, Monah Hanson, Rachel Reif, Michelle Nielson, Camille Henry-Walford, Daniel J Calac","doi":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.1","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth have the highest commercial tobacco smoking rate of any group in the United States. Unified by the aim to reduce AI/AN youth commercial tobacco use, six separately funded tobacco prevention programs serving Southern California tribes formed the Southern California Tribal Tobacco Coalition (SCTTC). Since joining forces, the SCTTC has hosted various activities and events that encourage community involvement, youth leadership, and commitment to tradition. The SCTTC's pinnacle event, the annual Inter-Tribal Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit, is an inspiring example of the organization's collaborative efforts, as it features youth- and elder-led activities and presentations by local tribal members. These community events have grown in participation from year to year and are widely supported by the surrounding AI/AN communities. This paper includes narratives from several coalition members, including youth activity organizers, that showcase the power of collaboration through the SCTTC's partnership and its success to date. The purpose of this paper is to share the SCTTC's positive impact in Southern California tribes and encourage similar programs across the nation to amplify their program impacts by forming a coalition of their own and embracing youth-led interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 1","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143543901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Barbara Aragon, Albert Titman, Julie Fuentes, Crystal Salas, Anthony Lopez, Ruben Garcia, Arianna Antone-Ramirez, Candace Fleming, Jami Bartgis
{"title":"Measuring Implementation Fidelity for the Gathering of Native Americans (GONA).","authors":"Barbara Aragon, Albert Titman, Julie Fuentes, Crystal Salas, Anthony Lopez, Ruben Garcia, Arianna Antone-Ramirez, Candace Fleming, Jami Bartgis","doi":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.51","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3201.2025.51","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article releases the Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) Fidelity Tool to the public. The paper describes the methods in the development of the GONA Fidelity Tool and how it is used in planning, implementing, evaluating, and in further tailoring the GONA process more precisely to the community's needs and strengths. Development and revision of the tool occurred over 10 years with participation and input from 7 Urban Indian Health Organizations funded under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, using the tool to advance local GONAs across the state of California. Participating organizations used the tool in partnership with Indigenous evaluators to measure GONA implementation. Process evaluations were conducted to support tool advancements over time and an Annual GONA Training of Facilitators provided a forum for consensus building of GONA best practices for tool revisions. Results indicate that the tool is useful in the planning, implementation, and quality improvement to advance local GONAs over time. The most effective use of the tool is when the items are adapted to the local culture, context, and spiritual practices of the community(ies) served. The tool is now being used nationally and has become an important resource for measuring practice-based evidence and community-defined evidence in the implementation of GONA for Indigenous communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 1","pages":"50-70"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143543844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lily Ray, Vanessa Y Hiratsuka, Karen Cheung, Denise A Dillard, Michelle Tierney, Spero M Manson
{"title":"Making a Community Health Needs Assessment Participatory: A Case Study from an Alaska Native Health Care Organization.","authors":"Lily Ray, Vanessa Y Hiratsuka, Karen Cheung, Denise A Dillard, Michelle Tierney, Spero M Manson","doi":"10.5820/aian.3202.2025.1","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3202.2025.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Community health needs assessments (CHNAs) often lack sufficient community member participation. This lack of participation contributes to a continuation of unmet needs and systematic inequities. Southcentral Foundation (SCF) is an Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit healthcare organization serving 70,000 Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people living in and around Anchorage and 55 rural villages. Results of a 1993 CHNA shaped the organizational mission, vision, organizational principles, objectives, and initiatives as SCF assumed care from the Indian Health Service. We describe methods used by SCF to maximize participation of diverse community members in a second large-scale CHNA in 2018, how results align with existing organizational values and priorities, and how results were disseminated. We discuss the benefits of periodic CHNAs and ongoing community engagement.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"32 2","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143664847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda M Hunter, Sheena Greenstone, Kyanna McCafferty, Heather J Williamson
{"title":"Recommendations for Modernizing a Culturally Grounded Substance Use Prevention Program for American Indian and Alaska Native Youth.","authors":"Amanda M Hunter, Sheena Greenstone, Kyanna McCafferty, Heather J Williamson","doi":"10.5820/aian.3101.2024.50","DOIUrl":"10.5820/aian.3101.2024.50","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth use alcohol and drugs at a higher rate with earlier onset than the overall youth population in the United States. Youth interventions are needed to support the prevention and reduction of substance misuse-related issues. Connecting AI/AN children to their heritage through culturally grounded prevention programs has been shown to be more effective than programs designed for the general population. The objective of this formative evaluation was to provide community-informed updates for an existing culturally grounded substance use prevention program, The Beauty Way. This study was conducted in partnership with an AI/AN-serving community organization using key informant interviews and talking circles with community members and parents. Participants revealed the challenges and obstacles AI/AN youth face, the impact of cultural values, and activities which engage youth to prevent problematic substance use. Recommendations include the importance of 1) incorporating current challenges to behavioral health such as social media and vaping, 2) including cultural values and activities including land-based learning, and 3) creating a robust facilitator guide and hiring culturally sensitive program staff. These results generated recommendations to strengthen the cultural focus and application of The Beauty Way for AI/AN youth.</p>","PeriodicalId":46147,"journal":{"name":"American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research","volume":"31 1","pages":"50-70"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141075367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}