The Historical Oppression Scale: Preliminary conceptualization and measurement of historical oppression among Indigenous peoples of the United States.

Indigenous peoples of the United States are distinct from other ethnic minorities because they have experienced colonization as the original inhabitants. Social and health disparities are connected to a context of historical oppression-the chronic, pervasive, and intergenerational experiences of oppression that, over time, may be normalized, imposed, and internalized into the daily lives of many Indigenous peoples (including individuals, families, and communities). As part of the critical Framework of Historical Oppression, Resilience, and Transcendence (FHORT), in this article, we introduce the Historical Oppression Scale (HOS), a scale assessing internalized and externalized oppression. Our study reports on survey data (N = 127) from a larger convergent mixed-methodology study with scale items derived from thematic analysis of qualitative data (N = 436), which informed the resultant 10-item scale. After six cases were removed from the 127 participants who participated in the quantitative component to the study due to missing data across two tribes, the sample size for analysis was 121. Confirmatory factor analysis testing of the hypothesized unidimensional construct indicated acceptable model fit (X2 = 58.10, X2/df= 1.94, CFI = .98, TLI = .97, RMSEA = .088, 90% CI = .05, .12). Reliability of the 10-item scale was excellent (α = .97) and convergent and discriminant validity were established. The HOS explicates complex associations between historical oppression and health and social disparities and may be an important clinical and research tool in an understudied area.

Training American Indian and Alaska Native Social Workers for Indian Country.

This study reviews student's perspectives of an American Indian and Alaska Native Indian Studies center in a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) program from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. The article describes the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies many contributions over the years and how it continues to grow in innovative ways. This article begins by considering the social, economic, and historical circumstances that make Native-focused training in social work critical to the future of Indian Country. The article then discusses the founding of the center, the curriculum, program offerings and the effectiveness of the center's services. Additionally, results of the evidence indicates that financial assistance and support programs are strong factors in recruitment, student motivation to pursue a degree, and persistence to completion of a Master of Social Work credential. Lastly, the paper offers recommendations for recruiting, retaining and graduating American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students.

The Family Resilience Inventory: A Culturally Grounded Measure of Current and Family-of-Origin Protective Processes in Native American Families.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the Family Resilience Inventory (FRI) and present findings on initial efforts to validate this measure. The FRI is designed to assess family resilience in one's current family and in one's family of origin, enabling the assessment of family protective factors across these generations. The development of the FRI was the result of many years of ethnographic research with Southeastern Native American tribes; yet, we believe that this scale is applicable to families of various backgrounds. Items for the FRI were derived directly from thematic analysis of qualitative data with 436 participants, resulting in two 20-item scales. Due to missing data, eight cases were removed from the 127 participants across two tribes, resulting in an analytic sample size of 119. Conceptually, the FRI is comprised of two factors or scales measuring distinct dimensions of family resilience (i.e., resilience in one's current family and resilience in one's family of origin). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized two-factor structure (X2 (644) = 814.14, p = .03, X2 /df = 1.10, RMSEA = .03, CFI = .97, TLI = .96). Both the subscales and the total FRI scale (α = .92) demonstrated excellent reliability. The results also provided preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. This measure fills a gap in the absence of community-based, culturally grounded, and empirical measures of family resilience. The examination of family resilience, which may occur across generations, is an exciting new contribution of the FRI.

El propósito de este artículo es presentar el "Inventario de Resiliencia Familiar" (FRI, por sus siglas en inglés) y los resultados actuales sobre los primeros esfuerzos para validar esta medición. El FRI está diseñado para evaluar la resiliencia familiar en la familia actual de una persona y en la familia de origen de una persona, lo cual permite la evaluación de los factores protectores familiares entre estas generaciones. El desarrollo del FRI fue el resultado de muchos años de investigación etnográfica con tribus amerindias del sudeste; sin embargo, creemos que esta escala puede aplicarse a familias de diferentes orígenes. Los puntos que componen el FRI se obtuvieron directamente de análisis temáticos de datos cualitativos con 436 participantes, cuyo resultado fueron dos escalas de 20 puntos. Debidos a datos faltantes, se extrajeron ocho casos de los 127 participantes entre dos tribus, lo cual resultó en un tamaño de la muestra análitica de 119. Conceptualmente, el FRI está compuesto por dos factores o escalas que miden diferentes dimensiones de resiliencia familiar (p. ej.: la resiliencia en la familia actual de una persona y la resiliencia en la familia de origen de una persona). Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio respaldaron la estructura de dos factores planteada como hipótesis (X2 (644) = 814.14, p = .03, X2 /df = 1.10, RMSEA = .03, CFI = .97, TLI = .96). Tanto las subescalas como la escala total del FRI (α = .92) demostraron una excelente fiabilidad. Los resultados también proporcionaron indicios preliminares de validez convergente y discriminante. Esta medición llena un vacío en ausencia de mediciones de resiliencia familiar comunitarias, basadas en la cultura y en la práctica. El análisis de la resiliencia familiar, que puede darse en distintas generaciones, es un nuevo y fascinante aporte del FRI.

Community-Engaged and Culturally Relevant Research to Develop Behavioral Health Interventions with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

American Indians and Alaska Natives experience pervasive mental, behavioral, and physical health disparities, yet access to culturally relevant and evidenced-based programs (EBPs) are severely limited. The purpose of this research is to describe the process of conducting a rigorous and culturally sensitive research approach, which was used to inform the development of a family-based substance abuse and violence prevention program that promotes resilience. The focus of this article is on the process of this development, rather than the intervention itself. We utilize a convergent mixed-methods design with distinct tribes in the Southeast that included 436 research participants across individual, family, and focus group interviews, field notes and existing data, and a quantitative survey (n = 127). This community-engaged, culturally sensitive, and rigorous research methodology provides a road-map for developing culturally relevant interventions.

Indigenous Perspectives for Strengthening Social Responses to Global Environmental Changes: A Response to the Social Work Grand Challenge on Environmental Change.

The "Grand Challenges for Social Work," is a call to action for innovative responses to society's most pressing social problems. In this article, we respond to the "Grand Challenge" of Creating Social Responses to a Changing Environment from our perspective as Indigenous scholars. Over the last several decades, diminishing natural resources, pollution, over-consumption, and the exploitation of the natural environment have led to climate change events that disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples. We present how environmental changes impact Indigenous peoples and suggest culturally relevant responses for working with Indigenous communities. We propose a decolonizing cyclical, iterative process grounded in Indigenous Ways of Knowing.

Hurricanes and Indigenous Families: Understanding connections with discrimination, social support, and violence on PTSD.

The purpose of this article is to use the culturally grounded Framework of Historical Oppression, Resilience, and Transcendence (FHORT) to examine (a) the experiences and impacts of hurricanes on Indigenous (i.e., Native American) family members in the Gulf Coast and (b) to identify how experiencing hurricanes and natural disasters, family and community support, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), discrimination and intimate partner violence (IPV) may be related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among two Southeastern tribes. Results were drawn from a convergent mixed-methodology design, which incorporates ethnographic qualitative data and a culturally grounded quantitative follow-up survey. Thematic analysis of qualitative data with 208 participants from a coastal Indigenous community revealed several emergent themes, namely (a) the Impact of Federal Recognition on Hurricane Affected Communities; (b) Rapidly Changing Landscape, Lives, and Communities; and (C) Family and Personal Effects of Hurricane Experiences. Descriptive and hierarchical regression analysis of 127 participants across two Southeastern tribes indicate that many participants frequently thought of losses from hurricanes and disasters and that over one-third of the sample met the criteria for clinically significant PTSD. Regression results affirmed the independent effects of hurricane experiences, ACE, community and family support as they relate to PTSD; yet IPV and discrimination were the strongest predictors of PTSD. Results reveal the extensive repercussions of hurricanes on Indigenous families of the Southeast, which are inseparable from and exacerbated by the insidious historical oppression, including discrimination, already experienced by these groups.

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.

A comparison of self-reported physical health and health conditions of American Indian/Alaskan Natives to other college students.

American Indian/Alaska Natives comprise a small portion of the general college student population, but often have the poorest health and wellness, as well as the highest dropout rates compared to any other race or ethnicity. Despite the well-documented issues this group faces in higher education, they are often ignored in studies due to their status as the minority within the minority, comprising only 0.8% of all college students in the US. This study examines the differences in college students' overall ratings of health across racial and ethnic groups, focusing specifically on the health and wellness of AI/AN students compared to their counterparts. This paper also investigates the physical health issues students experienced in the past 12 months and the health issues' impact on their academic achievement. Results showed that AI/AN students reported the lowest overall health ratings and the most health issues in the past year.