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American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations have suffered a history of exploitation and abuse within the context of mental health research and related fields. This history is rooted in assimilation policies, historical trauma, and cultural loss, and is promulgated through discrimination and disregard for traditional culture and community knowledge. In recognition of this history, it is imperative for researchers to utilize culturally sensitive approaches that consider the context of tribal communities to better address mental health issues for AIAN individuals. The public availability of data from large-scale studies creates both opportunities and challenges when studying mental health within AIAN populations. This manuscript has two goals; first, showcase an example of problematic use of Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) StudySM data to promulgate stereotypes about AIAN individuals and, second, in partnership with collaborators from Cherokee Nation, we provide five recommendations for utilizing data from publicly available datasets to advance health research in AIAN populations. Specifically, we argue for the consideration of (1) the heterogeneity of the communities represented, (2) the importance of focusing on AIAN health and well-being, (3) engagement of relevant communities and AIAN community leaders, (4) consideration of historical and ongoing injustices, and (5) engagement with AIAN regulatory agencies or review boards. These recommendations are founded on principles from broader indigenous research efforts emphasizing community-engaged research and principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance.

Objective: Both opioid misuse and overdose mortality have disproportionately impacted the American Indian population. Although medications for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine (BUP-NX), are highly effective in reducing overdose mortality, questions have been raised about the cultural acceptability of Western medical approaches in this population. Understanding patients' desired recovery pathways can lead to more culturally appropriate, patient-centered, and effective approaches to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. In this qualitative study, we document experiences with combined pharmacobehavioral treatment for OUD and suggestions for enhancing it. Method: Participants (N = 45) were American Indian patients and community members impacted by OUD. They participated in one-time, 45- to 60-min, semistructured interviews. Results: Findings from conventional content analysis indicated participants were grateful for a Tribally run combined pharmacobehavioral OUD treatment program, which made treatment more financially and geographically accessible over a large, rural area. Participants expressed satisfaction with BUP-NX and the accompanying behavioral health programming but were interested in making it more accessible through telemedicine appointments and mailed prescriptions. Participants noted the importance of clear communication about this kind of programming, which tends to be less structured than other substance-use treatment programs, but also appreciated its tailored, compassionate, and holistic approach. Participants were interested in robust counseling options; a low-barrier, acceptance-based, and harm-reduction orientation; as well as more culturally aligned programming that honored their Native heritage and traditional medicine. Conclusions: Treatment providers, researchers, and policymakers should consider integration of more patient-driven, compassionate, and culturally aligned means of intervention for American Indian patients with OUD. Public Health Significance Statement: This study summarizes important insights from American Indian patients and community members impacted by opioid use disorder that may make treatment more patient-centered, accessible, and culturally relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing optimism regarding the use of screening and brief intervention (SBI) to identify and reduce risk behaviors during adolescence. However, understanding successful SBI implementation remains unclear. We previously reported the effects of CONNECT, a school-based SBI, on reducing the primary outcome, the rate of monthly alcohol use among primarily American Indian (AI) and White high school students in the Cherokee Nation. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation process for CONNECT. Method: CONNECT was designed to reduce alcohol use with 2 key strategies: (1) SBI with motivational interviewing (MI), implemented by a school-based CONNECT coach, and (2) a media campaign. Results: Implementation results indicate that during each semester of the 2-1/2 years, between 73% and 100% of eligible students had at least one 15-minute meeting with a CONNECT coach. Postcards and posters with positive communication tips for parents were displayed in CONNECT communities. No statistically significant differences occurred between the CONNECT and control groups on the hypothesized intermediate outcomes. Conclusions: We describe implementation of a universal, school-based, culturally adapted SBI that was effective in reducing alcohol use among youth living in the Cherokee Nation. Schools provide an important context for universal delivery of SBI interventions, such as CONNECT, for diverse adolescent populations, including AI youth.

American Indian (AI) mothers experience high rates of postpartum depression (PPD). We evaluated the factor structure of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) among AI mothers from a rural AI serving health system. We also investigated potential associations between EPDS scores and selected psychosocial factors (n = 315). Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 157) showed that a one-factor structure best fits the data. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis was then conducted to examine the fit of the one-factor model (n = 158). Goodness-of-fit statistics showed overall poor model fit (RMSEA =.13) which may be suggestive of an indicator of depression among Natives not detected by the EPDS. Results of the multiple regression analysis were non-significant. The findings demonstrated that while the EPDS measured aspects of PPD, there may be additional aspects of depression specific to the AI women in our sample not captured by the EPDS. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment examined the impact of context expectation on prospective memory (PM) performance among older and younger adults. Participants responded to PM target words embedded in an ongoing lexical decision task (LDT). Older and younger adults performed similarly on the PM task. Regardless of age, PM was significantly better for participants in the correct context expectation condition and significantly worse in the incorrect context expectation condition relative to participants who held no expectations about the context in which targets would appear. Participants’ LDT response latencies were used to assess cost of the PM task to the ongoing task. Latencies were discernibly longer in the LDT block where the PM targets were expected compared to the block where they were not expected. The findings provide new information about how context can be used to support PM aging and suggest that contextual information can be equally beneficial for older and younger adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resilience-based approach in American Indian (AI) communities focuses on inherent sociocultural assets that may act as protective resilience buffers linked to mitigated mental health risks (e.g., deep-rooted spiritual, robust social support networks). Executive control functions are implicated as mechanisms for protective factors, but little evidence exists on the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms that support resilience. This study examined how sustainable and community-centric factors of social support and Native Spirituality were linked to neural mechanisms of executive control functions in a heterogeneous AI community. Fifty-nine self-identified AI participants underwent electroencephalography recordings during a stop signal task and completed measures of social support and spirituality engagement. Event-related potential components indexed attentional resource allocation for inhibitory processing (N2, P3a) and for response error monitoring (error/correct-related negativity; error positivity). Greater social support was linked to attenuated attentional demands for early and sustained inhibitory processing (N2, P3a). Greater Native Spirituality beliefs were linked to greater attentional resources for early but not sustained error-monitoring error-related negativity. Results provide novel evidence for neurocognitive mechanisms of resilience, contribute a deeper understanding of resilience within Indigenous communities, and highlight the role of salient protective factors in mental health that offer a foundation for targeted resilience-based treatment(s). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Ongoing discussions among tribal communities, professionals, and mental health organizations have centered on the question of whether evidence-based interventions require adaptations to improve mental health outcomes among American Indian communities. Continued efforts to address these questions have resulted in the development of novel, culturally-grounded interventions, adapted interventions, use of original standard protocols, and/or limited use of evidence-based treatments. Consequently, mental health services in tribal communities may be highly variable from one community to another and the effectiveness of services relatively unknown. The current paper explored the state of the literature on adaptations and their utility among American Indian communities and the broader ethnic minority community. Considerations for the various impacts on tribal communities are presented and recommendations for researchers and practitioners are also discussed.