ABSTRACT
This study examined American Indian (AI) elders' resilience to support an intervention to build resilience among AI urban youth. A literature review of peer-reviewed articles that address resilience in AI and other Indigenous elders yielded six studies that focused on intergenerational relationships, culture, and self-identity. In addition, a qualitative research project collected narratives with urban AI elders to document perceptions of resilience and resilience strategies. The combined outcomes of the literature search and research project revealed how resilience is exemplified in elders' lives and how resilience strategies are linked to cultural teachings and values, youth activities, and education.
Subject(s)
Indians, North American/ethnology , Intergenerational Relations/ethnology , Resilience, Psychological , Aged , Humans , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
Examining American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) resilience using the life course framework could inform public health strategies that support favorable health outcomes, despite adversity (e.g., discrimination, historical loss, comorbidity). A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published from 1970 to 2015 yielded eight articles on AI/AN life course and resilience. A content analysis identified three themes. AI/AN resilience is 1) an ongoing, dynamic process, 2) evident within linked lives and life transitions, and 3) accessed through cultural knowledge and practice. Resilience research could change the paradigm of AI/AN health research to guide asset-based approaches across the life course.
