1. The impact of historical loss on Native American college students' mental health: The protective role of ethnic identity.
- Author
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Fetter AK and Thompson MN
- Subjects
- Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Young Adult, Adaptation, Psychological, Cross-Sectional Studies, Universities, Protective Factors, Minority Health ethnology, Minority Health history, Resilience, Psychological, Cultural Competency education, Cultural Competency psychology, American Indian or Alaska Native history, American Indian or Alaska Native psychology, Mental Health ethnology, Mental Health history, Students psychology, Historical Trauma ethnology, Historical Trauma history, Historical Trauma psychology, Social Determinants of Health ethnology, Social Determinants of Health history, Social Identification
- Abstract
Culturally relevant stressors and protective factors are vital to understanding and effectively supporting Native American/Alaska Native (NA/AN) college students' mental health and well-being. This study examined the theorized pathways among historical loss, well-being, psychological distress, and the proposed cultural buffer of ethnic identity in the indigenist stress-coping model (ISCM). Cross-sectional data were collected via online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Participants were a national sample of 242 NA/AN college students. Participants were predominantly women ( n = 185; 76%) and median age was 21 years. Partial support was found for the ISCM. Participants reported frequent thoughts of historical loss, which were associated with lower well-being and higher levels of psychological distress. Ethnic identity moderated the relationship between historical loss and well-being such that those with stronger ethnic identities reported a weaker relationship between historical loss and lower well-being. Results underscore the importance of culturally specific risk and protective factors in NA/AN college students' resiliency and inform needed interventions and systemic change in higher education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
- Published
- 2023
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