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Abstract
Background: Substance abuse is one of the nation’s primary health concerns. Native American youth experience higher rates of substance abuse than other youth. There is little empirical evidence that exists concerning the use of culturally-based interventions among Native American adolescents. Objectives: This study used a community-based participatory research approach to develop and evaluate an innovative school-based cultural intervention targeting substance abuse among a Native American adolescent population. Methods: A two-condition quasi-experimental study design was used to compare the Cherokee Talking Circle (CTC) culturally-based intervention condition (n = 92) with the Be A Winner Standard Education (SE) condition (n = 87). Data were collected at pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, and 90-day post-intervention using the Cherokee Self-Reliance Questionnaire, Global Assessment of Individual Needs – Quick, and Written Stories of Stress measures. Results: Significant improvements were found among all measurement outcomes for the CTC culturally-based intervention. Conclusions: The data provide evidence that a Native American adolescent culturally-based intervention was significantly more effective for the reduction of substance abuse and related problems than a noncultural-based intervention. Scientific Significance: This study suggests that cultural considerations may enhance the degree to which specific interventions address substance abuse problems among Native American adolescents.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was endorsed by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians tribe and supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse R01DA021714.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.