Assessing health in an Alaska native cultural context: The Yup’ik Wellness Survey

Objectives The development and validation of a wellness measure among the Yup'ik of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska is presented, with the overarching goal of supporting locally relevant health practices in this Alaska Native population. Method A survey containing the wellness measure and several additional psychosocial variables was completed by 493 Yup'ik individuals from 7 different highly rural communities in western Alaska. Participants ranged in age from 14 to 94 (M = 38.55, SD = 17.14), and slightly more than half were female (58.62%). Results Individuals who scored higher on the wellness measure reported greater happiness, greater overall health, greater communal mastery, a larger and more satisfying social support network, and coping styles that were more likely to be active, accepting, and growth-oriented, and less likely to involve drugs and alcohol. Conclusions This project advances research on the health implications of enculturation by specifying particular patterns of culturally sanctioned beliefs and behaviors that appear most beneficial.