Communities In Montana Research Articles

A Strategy To Support Perinatal Mental Health By Collaborating With Tribal Communities In Montana.

Among Indigenous women and birthing people, reported rates of perinatal mental health complications are consistently higher than in the general US population. However, perinatal mental health programs and interventions tend to focus on the general population and do not account for the unique experiences and worldviews of Indigenous Peoples. We highlight a collaborative strategy employed by a Montana nonprofit to engage Tribal communities in completing a statewide online resource guide designed to help pregnant and parenting families find resources, including mental health and substance use treatment options, within and beyond their local communities. Based on this strategy, cultural resources relevant to Tribal communities were added to the resource guide. Agencies committed to addressing perinatal mental health disparities among Indigenous populations should consider similar strategies to share power with Tribal communities and collaboratively create culturally congruent programs and interventions.

206 Perceptions of the COIVD-19 Pandemic on Social, Mental, and Physical Health of Native American and Latino Communities

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health systems and exposed disparities in access to health care among underserved populations. We examined how the pandemic shaped social, mental, and physical health among Native American and Latino communities in rural and underserved areas. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Contextual Factor frameworks, we developed interview guides to examine perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic on social, mental, and physical health among community members. Stakeholders of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana and the Hispanic/Latinx population in Yakima Valley in Washington were selected through purposeful community-engagement. A total of six focus group discussions and 30 key informant interviews were administered in both communities. A codebook was developed and deductive coding was applied to informant responses, followed by an inductive, constant comparison approach. The codebook was further refined and inter-rater agreement was completed by three analysts. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Four themes were highlighted as areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (mental and physical health, family dynamics, and social disruptions) with few differences among geographic areas or between focus group (n=39) and key informant (n=28) participants. Perceived impacts on mental health included increased stress, anxiety, and depression, while pandemic-related lifestyle or family changes impacted physical health. Participants reported changes to family routines and dynamics due to staying home, social distancing, and more frequent interactions inside or limited interactions outside the household respectively. Social distruptions reported included impacts on finances, employment, and household staples, though participants highlighted how many community members stepped up to help those in need. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The COVID-19 pandemic had similar impacts on two geographically distinct underserved communities in Montana and Washington. Understanding the community’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to identify strategies to support families, community needs, and mental and physical health in underserved communities.

Trauma-Informed Yoga: Investigating an Intervention for Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences in Rural Contexts

In a state ravaged by suicide and a mental health crisis, this study sought to mitigate impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive and anxiety symptomology in high school students in a rural Montana community. Through a seven-week, twice weekly intervention of trauma-informed yoga, participants experienced statistically significant reductions in anxiety (GAD-7) and increases in Strengths and Difficulties (SDQ-11) overall scores and some subscales; noteworthy improvements were also present in depressive symptomatology (PHQ-A), salivary cortisol levels, and sleep duration. Importantly, participant qualitative feedback indicated significant benefits in focus, relaxation, and overall well-being. Further research is needed to imply generalizability and should include a larger, more diverse sample as well as utilization of control groups and an examination of academic and behavioral impacts at the school level.

Native American social work – Including family and community

Summary This study investigates family involvement and culturally informed social work in Native American communities. The study was conducted in Native American communities in Montana, USA. Twenty-three Native American social work professionals participated in qualitative interviews. Analyses draw on theory of historical trauma and family involvement in indigenous social. Throughout the study, indigenous methodology has been a central principle. Findings Among social workers, there is a common understanding that social work should involve family and community if it is to be culturally informed. Social work professionals talk of family involvement in indigenous social work as “common sense.” For the Native American social work professionals interviewed, the following tenets are all “common sense”: (1) family and community belonging are important aspects of Native American culture; 2) oppression and colonization had a negative impact on family, community, and tribal relations; and (3) social work has an obligation to restore family, community, and tribal relations. Application Social work has a responsibility to connect culture, trauma, and the resolution of trauma. Furthermore, family and community involvement plays a core part in restoration and resilience processes, healing historical trauma caused by the colonization. Hence, in order to provide culturally competent care, social work practices serving Native American clients should involve family and community. Mainstream social work does not sufficiently build on family involvement as an ideological foundation for qualitatively good social work. We argue that social work curricula impacting Native clients could benefit from the experience and knowledge of these Native American social workers.

Telehealth During COVID-19: Suicide Prevention and American Indian Communities in Montana.

Background:Public health measures that prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing, may increase the risk for suicide among American Indians due to decreased social connectedness that is crucial to wellbeing. Telehealth represents a potential solution, but barriers to effective suicide prevention may exist.Materials and Methods:In collaboration with Tribal and Urban Indian Health Center providers, this study measured suicide prevention practices during COVID-19. A 44-item Likert-type, web-based survey was distributed to Montana-based professionals who directly provide suicide prevention services to American Indians at risk for suicide. Descriptive statistics were calculated for survey items, and Mann–Whitney U tests examined the differences in telehealth use, training, skills among Montana geographic areas, and barriers between providers and their clients/patients.Results:Among the 80 respondents, two-thirds agreed or strongly agreed that American Indians experienced greater social disconnection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Almost 98% agreed that telehealth was needed, and 93% were willing to use telehealth for suicide prevention services. Among current users, 75% agreed telehealth was effective for suicide prevention. Over one-third of respondents reported using telehealth for the first time during COVID-19 pandemic, and 30% use telehealth at least “usually” since the COVID-19 pandemic began, up from 6.3%. Compared with their own experiences, providers perceive their American Indian client/patients as experiencing greater barriers to telehealth.Discussion:Telehealth was increasingly utilized for suicide prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opportunities to improve telehealth access should be explored, including investments in telehealth technologies for American Indians at risk for suicide.

Understanding Work-Related Injury Risk Among Montana Rehabilitation Clinicians

Background: Rehabilitation clinicians face a high risk of occupational injury. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are one of the most frequent injuries for these rehabilitation clinicians due to repeated heavy lifting and other forceful tasks. The objective of this study was to identify factors which caused or contributed to WMSDs for clinicians specifically working in rehabilitation settings (e.g., acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, long-term care, skilled nursing, outpatient therapy). Methods: A multifaceted pilot survey was conducted of Montana physical and occupational therapists working at a rural, Montana community hospital. Information on general workload, work-related pain or discomfort, patient handling and clinical experience were gathered using both a scripted interview questionnaire and a semi-scripted post-interview discussion. The survey contained five different categories and took approximately 20 minutes to complete. Six therapists from a local community hospital participated in the pilot survey. Results: Subjects (n=6) were all female and had an average age of 43 with standard deviation of 10. On average, these acute care rehabilitation therapists spent five to eight hours per day delivering “hands on” care to patients. During a typical workday, therapists spent 32% of the time heavy lifting, 37% kneeling/squatting, and 39% bending/twisting. Around half suffered musculoskeletal pain or discomfort but continued to work during the past year. Most pain was caused by transferring and repositioning patients. The clinicians’ necks, middle backs and wrists/hands suffered the most severe pain or discomfort. Adequate mobile floor and overhead lifting equipment as well as a shortage of therapeutic lifting device were reported from the survey. Non-mechanical lifting aids like sit-to-stand aids, friction reducing device and multi-handled gait belts was reflected inadequate for clinicians. Discussion: Physical therapists and occupational therapists are at higher risk for WMSDs due to patient handling tasks. There is limited inpatient therapy resources throughout Montana. More user-friendly and therapeutic patient handling equipment and therapeutic training are required. Application: This study highly followed the principle of core competencies for public health professionals to provide evidence-based results and systematic design to assess the risk of patient handling. Future Research: To study causal factors of WMSDs related to patient handling, additional interviews will be collected across Southwest Montana’s health system.

Characters matter: How narratives shape affective responses to risk communication.

IntroductionWhereas scientists depend on the language of probability to relay information about hazards, risk communication may be more effective when embedding scientific information in narratives. The persuasive power of narratives is theorized to reside, in part, in narrative transportation.PurposeThis study seeks to advance the science of stories in risk communication by measuring real-time affective responses as a proxy indicator for narrative transportation during science messages that present scientific information in the context of narrative.MethodsThis study employed a within-subjects design in which participants (n = 90) were exposed to eight science messages regarding flood risk. Conventional science messages using probability and certainty language represented two conditions. The remaining six conditions were narrative science messages that embedded the two conventional science messages within three story forms that manipulated the narrative mechanism of character selection. Informed by the Narrative Policy Framework, the characters portrayed in the narrative science messages were hero, victim, and victim-to-hero. Natural language processing techniques were applied to identify and rank hero and victim vocabularies from 45 resident interviews conducted in the study area; the resulting classified vocabulary was used to build each of the three story types. Affective response data were collected over 12 group sessions across three flood-prone communities in Montana. Dial response technology was used to capture continuous, second-by-second recording of participants’ affective responses while listening to each of the eight science messages. Message order was randomized across sessions. ANOVA and three linear mixed-effects models were estimated to test our predictions.ResultsFirst, both probabilistic and certainty science language evoked negative affective responses with no statistical differences between them. Second, narrative science messages were associated with greater variance in affective responses than conventional science messages. Third, when characters are in action, variation in the narrative mechanism of character selection leads to significantly different affective responses. Hero and victim-to-hero characters elicit positive affective responses, while victim characters produce a slightly negative response.ConclusionsIn risk communication, characters matter in audience experience of narrative transportation as measured by affective responses.

The Effectiveness of Student Coaching in Community Colleges

ABSTRACT Many community colleges consider non-academic supports as a way to improve student retention and achievement. Past studies on the effects of coaching, mentoring, advising, and other non-academic supports yielded evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions to promote student outcomes. In addition, some suggested that the effects were stronger for more intense programs, as measured by meeting frequency. However, less was known about the effectiveness of these programs at community colleges or in cases where the intervention only lasts one semester. Our evaluation added to the body of rigorous research on the effects of academic coaching by applying a quasi-experimental design to analyze the outcomes of a short-term coaching intervention – the InsideTrack Coaching program – at two Montana community colleges. Using propensity score matching, the results showed positive impacts of short-term coaching, particularly for more intense coaching (two or more meetings in a semester), on student retention and achievement measures. These findings had implications for the types of short-term, high impact student support programming that community colleges might implement.

Conceptualization of Culture and Ethnicity within Social Work in Two Indigenous Communities

This qualitative study compares social work in Sami communities within Norway and Native American communities in Montana in the US. A total of 39 social workers were interviewed. We investigated the conceptualization of culture and ethnicity, as well as the implications of these constructions for a culturally adequate social work practice. We find that social workers in Sápmi conceptualize culture and ethnicity as hybrid and fluid, while the social workers in Native American communities have a more fixed and static conceptualization. When working in Native American communities, social workers’ theme of inequality among groups, and the continuing effect of assimilation on family life. Among social workers in Sami communities in Norway, little attention is given to power relations among ethnic groups. These differences in construction affect both the framing and the legitimacy of culturally adequate social work within these two contexts.

Defining Cultural Resilience to Strengthen Native Youth: A Brief Report from the Intergenerational Connection Project

Abstract Native American youth are placed at greater risk for suicide than any other age or ethnic population in the United States. Resilience has helped Native Americans overcome adversity. In this paper, authors provide an example of how intergenerational mentoring can moderate or reduce these risk factors. The Intergenerational Connection Project at Native PRIDE (ICP) works with advisory councils in four Native communities in Montana and South Dakota. To better understand resilience, this paper answers two questions: (1) how do communities define cultural resilience, and (2) how can cultural resilience be operationalized in a cultural context? The ICP team worked with community advisory councils to develop a cultural resilience scale that was administered at the beginning of the project and six months later, at the end of the Project. An independent samples t-test demonstrated a significant increase in all scale items from baseline and at six-month follow-up. Results indicate that all community definitions include terms related to adversity and the transfer of cultural knowledge through sharing, participation, and involvement. Community definitions also included conversations about spirituality, language, values, and interactions between elders and youth. Authors conclude with a strong message that strengths-based interventions like the ICP are needed to address suicide risk in Native communities.

Lifetime stayers in urban, rural, and highly rural communities in Montana

AbstractModernity can be characterised by a shift from a communal to an individual orientation where social mobility is one of individuals' primary goals. However, for individuals to achieve social mobility, they often must also be geographically mobile. Consequently, geographic immobility or staying in place needs to be theorised and examined directly. In this context, the life course perspective provides a useful framework to understand staying. The role transitions associated with different life stages represent different decision points where choices to stay must be deliberate. We use state‐representative data from Montana (USA) in 2010 to perform an exploratory analysis of stayers. Using a variety of community and individual predictors, we find that high community attachment, low satisfaction with one's community, and/or local services make being a stayer more likely. In separate models of being a stayer by rurality, age group, educational attainment, and having a dependent in the home, the pattern of results suggests that interpretations of high attachment and low satisfaction among stayers as being indicators of being “stuck” may be incorrect. Instead, even in the absence of being satisfied with one's community, community attachment may be indicative of deliberate decisions to stay. We discuss the limitations of addressing staying using cross‐sectional data and suggest future avenues for better understanding those who stay in place throughout their lives.

Seed bank and big sagebrush plant community composition in a range margin for big sagebrush

AbstractThe potential influence of seed bank composition on range shifts of species due to climate change is unclear. Seed banks can provide a means of both species persistence in an area and local range expansion in the case of increasing habitat suitability, as may occur under future climate change. However, a mismatch between the seed bank and the established plant community may represent an obstacle to persistence and expansion. In big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) plant communities in Montana, USA, we compared the seed bank to the established plant community. There was less than a 20% similarity in the relative abundance of species between the established plant community and the seed bank. This difference was primarily driven by an overrepresentation of native annual forbs and an underrepresentation of big sagebrush in the seed bank compared to the established plant community. Even though we expect an increase in habitat suitability for big sagebrush under future climate conditions at our sites, the current mismatch between the plant community and the seed bank could impede big sagebrush range expansion into increasingly suitable habitat in the future.

Building Capacity to Increase Health Promotion Funding to American Indian Communities: Recommendations From Community Members.

Foundations and government agencies have historically played a critical role in supporting community-based health promotion programs. Increased access to health promotion funding may help address significant health issues existing within American Indian (AI) communities, such as childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Understanding the capacity of AI communities to successfully apply for and receive funding may serve to increase resources for health promotion efforts within AI communities in Montana. This exploratory qualitative study completed 17 semistructured interviews across three AI reservations in the state of Montana. Dimensions of community capacity within the context of the funding application process and partnership with funding agencies were identified, including resources, leadership, community need, networks, and relationship with the funding agency. Dimensions of AI community capacity were then used to suggest capacity-building strategies for improved partnership between AI communities in Montana and the funding agencies.

If you’ve seen one worm, have you seen them all? Spatial, community, and genetic variability of tubificid communities in Montana

AbstractGenetic studies are recognized increasingly as important for understanding naturally occurring disease dynamics and are used to predict host genetic diversity and coevolutionary processes and to identify species composition in ecological communities. Tubifex tubifex, the definitive host of the whirling disease parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, comprises 6 known lineages that vary widely in parasite susceptibility. We used 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) to identify relationships among genetic variability of 3 oligochaete genera (T. tubifex, Rhyacodrilus spp., and Ilyodrilus spp.; Oligochaeta:Tubificidae), oligochaete assemblage composition, and the presence of whirling disease in 9 locations across 4 watersheds in Montana, USA. We assessed genetic variability among 183 tubificid worms from locations classified as positive or negative for whirling disease based on 5 to 8 y of monitoring by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Within genera, we found 2 groups of T. tubifex (lineages I and ...

Topographic influences on the distribution of white pine blister rust in Pinus albicaulis treeline communities

The exotic disease white pine blister rust (caused by Cronartium ribicola) damages and kills whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), even in the extreme environments of alpine treeline communities. We surveyed P. albicaulis trees and tree islands for blister rust in 2 distinct alpine treeline communities in Montana, USA, and examined meso- and microtopographic factors potentially related to the climatic requirements for blister rust infection. For each of 60 sampling plots, we created high-resolution digital elevation models, derived microtopography variables, and compared these and distance to water feature variables with blister rust occurrence and intensity (number of cankers per infected tree) for every sampled P. albicaulis tree. Infection rates were 19% (of 328 sampled trees) and 24% (of 585 sampled trees) at the 2 sites. Tree island P. albicaulis had higher infection percentages than solitary trees. Using Bayesian analysis and a zero-inflated Poisson regression model, we determined that solar radiation and moisture-related variables correlated with both presence and number of blister rust cankers on P. albicaulis. Site factors that influence moisture, such as local topography, hydrology, and climate, differed between the 2 treeline study areas, which may account for the model variability.

Abstract ADV18: American indian screening initiatives: Gaining trust- reducing disparities.

Abstract The Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is dedicated to combating breast cancer at every front. Up to 75 percent of the Affiliate's net income goes toward funding grants to local hospitals and community organizations that provide breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment programs for medically underserved women. The remaining income supports the national Komen Grants Programs, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific programs around the world. The Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure serves the 4th largest geographic area in the country. American Indians living throughout Montana as members of seven distinct and independent tribal reservations, most in rural or “frontier” regions of the state. American Indian women in MT are more likely to live in poverty, be uninsured and face a higher risk of death from breast cancer due to late diagnosis. To address this, Komen Montana has embarked on a comprehensive approach to address disparities and barriers that American Indian Women face in breast cancer screening. Since 2002, Komen Montana has funded screening mammography programs including funding mobile mammography clinics at PowWow events. Komen MT has partners with state as private agencies to identify traditional beliefs and Native cultural beliefs that serve as a deterrent to quality breast health programs. Most recently, a Komen Montana Community Grant, “Going Pink on the Red Road: has facilitated formation of a seven-tribe advisory council to draw upon the strengths of tribal representatives in the development of culturally specific resources and methods. Komen Montana seeks to provide a significantly positive impact for American Indian women in the area of breast health by decreasing barriers, increasing culture-specific access and intervention, and decreasing the morbidity and mortality among Native women. Citation Format: Kim Powell. American indian screening initiatives: Gaining trust- reducing disparities. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr ADV18. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-ADV18

Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Subclinical Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and PTSD in Urban and Rural Areas of Montana: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important clinical problem, but little is known about PTSD in rural, nonclinical populations. To better understand PTSD in rural areas, we examined the prevalence and risk and protective factors in urban, rural, and highly rural communities in Montana for both subclinical posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and PTSD. We compared the prevalence of PTSS and PTSD in urban, rural, and highly rural communities in bivariate and multivariable regression analyses using self-reported cross-sectional survey data from the Montana Health Matters study (N = 3,512), a state-representative household-based survey done in 2010-2011. We also explore potential risk and protective factors for PTSS and PTSD and whether risk and protective factors for each differ by rurality. There were no differences in the level of PTSS by rurality in bivariate or multivariate models, and the bivariate relationship between rurality and PTSD became nonsignificant in a multivariate model. Only locus of control was predictive for PTSS; however, gender, age, marital status, income, employment status, community fit, locus of control, and religiosity were associated with PTSD. Some risk and protective factors operate differently by rurality. Although our findings are subject to weaknesses common to cross-sectional data and are based on questionnaire reports, it appears that there are different risk and protective factors for PTSS and PTSD, suggesting that PTSD may be qualitatively different from PTSS. Furthermore, differences in risk and protective factors across urban and rural communities suggest more attention is needed to understand PTSD in rural communities.

Can leadership development act as a rural poverty alleviation strategy?

Though it is a pervasive problem, relatively little research focuses on rural poverty and leadership initiatives designed to alleviate rural poverty. Using a comparative case study approach, this article assesses community-level change in rural communities in Montana and Minnesota that participated in Horizons, a leadership development program that seeks to encourage community action to reduce poverty. We focus on the effects of various strategies for Horizons implementation in Montana and Minnesota as a possible explanation for different community-level outcomes experienced in these states. We argue that different methods of Horizons implementation influenced the skills and knowledge that coaches brought to their communities and also helped to determine how receptive communities were toward working with coaches. Research results also indicate that relatively minor investments in leadership development can yield dramatic changes in a community's capacity to identify and address problems.

Protecting Lives and Property in the Wildland–Urban Interface: Communities in Montana and Southern California Adopt Australian Paradigm

Threats to people and property in the wildland–urban interface have taken on global proportions. It is becoming increasingly rare to have a wildland fire incident that does not involve people and their homes. In addition to Australia and North America, people have died in interface fires in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including 212 people who died in the devastating forest fires in northeastern China in May 1987. The prevailing interface model is one that attempts to evacuate people away from fire areas to get them out of harm’s way. This traditional approach in the U.S. has been preferred by law enforcement agencies and fire services. The problem with this model is that evacuation warnings are often late to non-existent, leading to the deaths of interface residents entrapped by fires on highways as they try to escape. For example, 16 people suffered lethal burns when the 2003 Cedar and Paradise Fires in California overran them as they were trying to evacuate. Two communities in the United States have adopted variations of the Australian model of Prepare, Go Early, or Stay and Defend (P/GE/SD). Officials in the Painted Rocks Fire District, Montana, and Rancho Santa Fe, California, were interviewed to determine how the Australian model was being implemented. Two of the authors have firsthand experience with these two case examples. P/GE/SD has been tested successfully at both locations. The Australian model, however, is under review following the Black Saturday fires of February 2009 in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this paper is to present specific ideas that can be used to reform and improve fire policy, planning, and performance in the Wildland–Urban Interface in the United States.

Review of Foster, We Know Who We Are: Métis Identity in a Montana Community.

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