Abstract
Historical trauma theory suggests that many American Indians are still affected by the cultural losses and injustices endured by previous generations. The current study examines historical trauma in an urban American Indian sample using validated measures of historical loss and associated symptoms (N = 120). Urban American Indians reported high degrees of historical trauma compared to reservation samples in past research. Generalized linear models showed that historical trauma symptoms were significantly associated with past month alcohol use, lifetime use of non-marijuana illicit drugs, and lower family cohesion. However, frequent thoughts about historical losses were positively associated with family cohesion. Implications are discussed.
Acknowledgments
This project was funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention under the National Substance Abuse, HIV, and Hepatitis Prevention Initiative (Grant SP13321).
Notes
Note. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Asterisks show the top five loss thoughts that were reported to occur at least weekly.
Note. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Asterisks show the top five symptoms that were reported to occur often or always.
Note. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. All models adjusted for gender, age, tribal affiliation, and education. Binomial family, logit link was used for substance use variables; Gaussian family, identity link was used for family cohesion.
*p < .05; **p < .01.
Readers should note that there are 565 federally recognized tribes (and many other unrecognized tribes) with distinctive names, histories, and cultural practices in the U.S. There is no homogenous Native American group.
It is important to note that individuals, families, and communities within the AI population are heterogeneous, and their status on substance use and mental health varies widely.