Suicidality among adolescent Alberta Indians.

A high rate of suicide attempts and suicide ideation characterized a sample of 229 grade 7 to 9 adolescents resident on seven reserves in central Alberta. The prevalence of suicidality for these adolescent Indians was very similar to rates reported for Navajo youth and for 8th- and 10th-grade American non-Indian students. Comparison of Indian and non-Indian suicidality risk factors showed somewhat elevated levels of family disruption and psychological problems among Indian adolescents. Compared to Canadian nonadolescents, substance abuse levels were high, and conditions necessary to modeling were virtually omnipresent. Suicide ideation was significantly elevated for Indian adolescents with low psychological well-being, no father in the home, and a prior suicide in the household. Controlling for age, risk factors for suicide attempts were heavy alcohol use, no father in the home, sleeping problems, and low psychological well-being. The high rates of adolescent Native suicide imply that a much higher proportion of their suicide attempts succeed. Targeted, community-based counselling and educational programs are needed to address these problems.

Health knowledge of Native Indian youth in central Alberta.

This paper is the first report of health knowledge among Native Indian youth in central Alberta and, in the absence of comparable information for Native youth in other regions of Canada, provides a unique basis for comparison of the health knowledge of Native youth attending junior high school with that of non-Native young Canadians included in the Canada Health Knowledge Survey. The results of our survey of 229 Native Indian youth from seven different reserves in central Alberta indicate that a higher proportion of the Native youth were more knowledgeable about dental health, fire safety, and the effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs. However, they generally scored lower on items related to knowledge of first aid for burns, nutrition, communicable diseases, and personal health. Factors contributing to these differences and suggestions for future action are suggested on the basis that accurate information of this kind is essential for health promotion efforts directed toward reducing risky health behaviours and promoting healthier lifestyles among youth of Native Indian communities.

Repeated sexual victimization and trauma change during the acute phase of the sexual assault trauma syndrome.

Victimization studies indicate that the risk of sexual assault is significant for women in America today and that sizable numbers of women are sexually assaulted more than once during their lives. This study proposed and tested alternative hypotheses about repeated sexual victimization and trauma change during the acute phase of the sexual assault trauma syndrome. Panel interview data were collected during a two-year period on 184 female victims (14 years and older) admitted to a sexual assault treatment center for initial and follow-up services. Controlling for initial trauma level and time between assessments, prior assault victims were more traumatized than first assault victims at follow-up. Prior and first assault victims had different patterns in short-term trauma change, with only the first assault victims decreasing in trauma. Prior mental health or substance abuse problems partially explained the observed effect of prior sexual assault on trauma change. Prior sexual assault, however, continued to affect trauma significantly in the condition where the repeated assault victim also had prior mental health or substance abuse problems at the time of the current assault.