Social inequality: Challenges, consequences, and action; introduction to the issue.

In the current paper, we introduce the third edition in a series on Social Inequalities, and highlight the impact of social inequalities and provide evidence-based research to support effective programs for change. One of the primary foci of the current issue is on the reduction of inequalities through targeted interventions and community involvement. The collection of articles spans diverse communities and varying placements within the evaluation of interventions, from pointing to potential areas of intervention to the formative or summative evaluation of multiyear programs. The current issue highlights the intersection of community involvement and social inequalities.

Gender and sex inequalities: Implications and resistance.

Despite gains in some regions and countries for justice and equality, people around the world are still constrained by patriarchal hetero orthodoxy and resultant inequality, discrimination, oppression, and violence. For women in the U.S., progress towards equality has been often met with backlash, stalling and/or rolling back any advances. The same is true for the LGBTQ community. In this introduction to the second of three issues focused on social inequalities, we discuss some of the recent trends and research detailing the status of women and LGBTQ, thus providing the context within which the articles contained in this issue are situated. Research presented in the current issue examines many of the inequalities that disrupt or hinder women and LGBTQ in society, and describes potential solutions involving community interventions, policy change, and political advocacy.

Introduction to the JPIC Issue: Social Inequality: Impact on School, Youth, and Families.

In the current paper, we introduce a special issue on Social Inequalities, and the papers which contribute to our understanding of social inequalities and the role of communities in further addressing or preventing said inequalities. The papers in the issue show that to effectively address and prevent inequalities, it is important to understand the complex community factors, such as economic, access to resources, and the nature of disadvantaged groups, particularly within the context of youth, families, and education.

The tools to understand: community as co-researcher on culture-specific protective factors for Alaska Natives.

A collaborative research process engaging Alaska Native communities in the study of protective factors in Alaska Native sobriety and the design of a preventative intervention using its findings is described. Study 1 was discovery oriented qualitative research whose objectives were identification of protective factors and development of a heuristic model. Study 2 involved quantitative survey methods to develop and test ameasure of protective factors identified by the qualitative study. Empirical data from these studies is presented, and the role of Alaska Native co-researchers who did not possess specialist research training is described in the design and implementation of the study, interpretation of findings, and design of the intervention model and tools. Benefits that emerged from co-researcher involvement in this process, to the community and to the co-researchers themselves, are described.

Unheard Alaska: culturally anchored participatory action research on sobriety with Alaska Natives.

Alcohol research in Alaska Native communities has a contentious history. This project has attempted to address a critical need for research to guide alcohol abuse prevention and treatment with Alaska Natives using culturally anchored participatory action research. The process of grounding the research methodology in the culture and community is described, along with its contribution to community psychology's understanding of the importance of cultural factors. Tensions between indigenous values and ways of knowing, and Western research methodologies are delineated, along with how these tensions were resolved. Important issues that arose in doing culturally anchored participatory action research are described. These included the development of a community of inquiry, key methodological decisions, the empowerment of participants as coresearchers, and flexibility in research implementation.

Experimental social innovation and dissemination: the promise and its delivery.

This paper describes the origin of the Experimental Social Innovation and Dissemination model and its contribution to and intersection with community psychology. It also discusses the challenges presented to ESID by community psychology's growing emphasis on cultural diversity and participatory approaches to research and intervention. It concludes with an overview of the papers presented in the special issue.