Citation

Burnette CE, Renner LM, Figley CR. Br. J. Soc. Work 2019; 49(4): 943-962.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, Tulane University, 127 Elk Place, New Orleans, LA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/bjsw/bcz041

PMID

31308575

PMCID

PMC6615430

Abstract

Given chronic experiences of historical oppression, Indigenous peoples tend to experience much higher rates of depression than the general US population, which then, drives disproportionately high rates of suicide and other health disparities. The purpose of this research was to examine the core components of the culturally grounded Framework of Historical Oppression, Resilience, and Transcendence as they relate to depressive symptoms experienced by Indigenous peoples. As part of a larger convergent mixed-methods study, in this quantitative survey component, we utilised data from a sample of 127 Indigenous adults across two Southeastern US tribes. Regression analysis results signified support for the framework, indicating that historical oppression and proximal stress (daily stressors and lower incomes) were risk factors, whereas family resilience and life satisfaction (a measure of transcendence) were protective factors related to depressive symptoms. The results provide a foundation for future research to build upon in identifying culturally relevant risk and protective factors to ameliorate depression and other health disparities.

Language: en

Keywords

Indigenous/Native American/American Indian; depression; health disparities; historical oppression and trauma; resilience