Citation

Tuitt NR, Wexler LM, Kaufman CE, Whitesell NR, Rink E, Anastario M, Ivanich JD, Belone L, Moore RS, Huh D, Campbell TE, Allen J. Advers. Resil. Sci. 2023; 4(4): 389-400.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s42844-023-00100-5

PMID

38045956

PMCID

PMC10688593

Abstract

Native American (NA) populations in the USA (i.e., those native to the USA which include Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians) have confronted unique historical, sociopolitical, and environmental stressors born of settler colonialism. Contexts with persistent social and economic disadvantage are critical determinants of substance misuse and co-occurring sexual risk-taking and suicide outcomes, as well as alcohol exposed pregnancy among NA young people (i.e., adolescents and young adults). Despite intergenerational transmission of resistance and resiliencies, NA young people face continued disparities in substance misuse and co-occurring outcomes when compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the USA. The failure in progress to address these inequities is the result of a complex set of factors; many of which are structural and rooted in settler colonialism. One of these structural factors includes barriers evident in health equity research intended to guide solutions to address these disparities yet involving maintenance of a research status quo that has proven ineffective to developing these solutions. Explicitly or implicitly biased values, perspectives, and practices are deeply rooted in current research design, methodology, analysis, and dissemination and implementation efforts. This status quo has been supported, intentionally and unintentionally, by researchers and research institutions with limited experience or knowledge in the historical, social, and cultural contexts of NA communities. We present a conceptual framework illustrating the impact of settler colonialism on current research methods and opportunities to unsettle its influence. Moreover, our framework illustrates opportunities to resist settler colonialism in research. We then focus on case examples of studies from the Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health program, funded by the NIH, that impact substance use and co-occurring health conditions among NA young people.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Alaska Native; Alcohol-exposed pregnancy; American Indian; Native American; Native Hawaiians; Settler colonialism; Sexual risk-taking; Substance misuse; Young people