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Psychology of Older American Indians and Alaska Natives: Strengths and Challenges to Maintaining Mental Health

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Handbook of Race and Development in Mental Health

Abstract

This chapter presents information on mental health issues among older American Indian and Alaska Native adults, focusing on sociohistorical factors, environmental factors, and barriers to help-seeking as major challenges to the maintenance of mental health in this group. We also describe several strengths that contribute to resilience among Native elders, including support systems, ethnic and cultural identity, and spirituality. We provide recommendations for capitalizing upon these strengths in order to address the challenges faced by Native elders, including the importance of engaging community networks in the research process and incorporating Native cultural elements into biomedical mental health care. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research, including the need to develop culturally relevant instrumentation and methods specific to this population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado Denver, 13199 E. Montview Blvd., Suite 400, 80045-7201, Aurora, CO, USA

    Sarah Poff Roman

  2. Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma, 2 Partners Place, 3100 Monitor Avenue, room 100, 73072-7805, Norman, OK, USA

    Lori L. Jervis

  3. Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health, Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building, 13055 E. 17th Ave., Mail Stop F800, 80045, Aurora, CO, USA

    Spero M. Manson

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  1. Sarah Poff Roman
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  2. Lori L. Jervis
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Correspondence to Sarah Poff Roman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Church St. 530, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    Edward C. Chang

  2. , Department of Psychology, Indiana University Kokomo, 2300 S. Washington St., Kokomo, 46904, Indiana, USA

    Christina A. Downey

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Roman, S., Jervis, L.L., Manson, S.M. (2012). Psychology of Older American Indians and Alaska Natives: Strengths and Challenges to Maintaining Mental Health. In: Chang, E., Downey, C. (eds) Handbook of Race and Development in Mental Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0424-8_8

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