Family relationships are an important source of emotional and instrumental support. In American Indian (AI) communities, families often provide support for women during childbirth and childrearing. The present study sought to gain insight into the influence of family during the pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing experiences of AI women from a Gulf Coast tribe. A qualitative descriptive research design was used, and 31 interviews were conducted with women from the tribe. The average age of participants was 51.17, and the majority of women had 2 to 3 children. Data was analyzed using a content analysis approach. Themes that emerged include: Influence of Childhood on Participant's Families and Parenting Styles, Significance of Family Emotional Closeness, Significance of Family Physical Closeness, Importance of Taking Care of Family Members, Importance of Family in Childbirth, and Generational Shifts in Caregiving. Results of the study may influence health interventions for this community, and results should encourage health care providers to consider positive implications of including family and community supports in care.

In this qualitative phenomenological study, authors explored an American Indian student's experiences of colonization within a master's counselor education program. Interviews were conducted with one participant that met criterion sampling. Findings outlined counselor education's assimilative capacity and Indigenous resistance to assimilation. Themes included Confronting the Threat and Being Too Indian. Authors discussed implications for counselor educators and multicultural education specifically.

Indigenous communities suffer from the highest rates of mental health disparities of any ethnic group in the United States, as well as experience significant amounts of historical and contemporary trauma including violence, racism, and childhood abuse. Unfortunately, the mental health workforce is unprepared to effectively work with this population due to the influence of stereotypes, bias, and lack of training. A 90-minute training for mental health agency employees using decolonizing methods was delivered to improve knowledge of and empathy for Indigenous patient populations (N = 166). Results indicated that the training increased participants' Indigenous knowledge and beliefs across demographic variables and may increase aspects of empathy including awareness. This training was feasible for a wide variety of mental health employees and resulted in increased learning about Indigenous people, which is a critical starting point for mental health professionals working with this population. Suggestions are offered to train mental health providers to deliver culturally responsive care to Indigenous clients and families and for decolonizing mental health professions.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can result in trauma that persists into adulthood. The goal of this study was to estimate the associations of ACEs with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) metrics in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults in the United States using data from the 2015-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Adults (n = 1,389) were asked about current health and ACEs during childhood. ACE score was defined as the total number of ACEs reported. HRQOL outcomes included fair or poor general health, poor general health, poor physical health, poor mental health, and poor physical or mental health. Weighted logistic regression was used to measure the association between ACE score and HRQOL outcomes. A unit increase in ACE score was associated with 14% greater odds of fair or poor general health (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.23) and nearly 30% greater odds of poor mental health in the last 30 days (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.40). ACEs pose a threat to quality of life in AI/AN adults. These results highlight the need for ACEs prevention in AI/AN communities. Future studies should identify factors associated with resilience to best inform prevention and treatment strategies.

Health advocates are increasingly using social media and mobile technology to reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to address important health topics and enhance protective factors. Public health experts did not know to what extent AI/AN youth used these tools to access health resources during the pandemic. The Native Youth Health Tech Survey was administered online from October to November 2020 with 349 AI/AN youth 15 to 24 years old. Survey results indicated frequent technology use-68.7% sent 1-50 text messages per day, and 65.3% were on social media 3-7 hours per day. Instagram was the most popular channel used, and 53.5% of participants relied heavily on the Internet to access health information. The three most important health topics were Native identity, mental health, and social justice and equality. These findings can inform the design and dissemination of culturally grounded health resources across AI/AN communities to improve their reach and appeal, improving health outcomes, self-esteem, and cultural connectedness.