Abstract
Although much social science research has been conducted within American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities, relatively little research has been conducted by or for those communities. We describe an approach that facilitates the active involvement of AIAN communities in the research process, from conceptualizing the issues to be investigated to developing a research design, and from collecting, analyzing, and interpreting the data to disseminating the results. The Tribal Participatory Research (TPR) approach is consistent with recent developments in psychology that emphasize the inclusion of community members and the social construction of knowledge. We describe the foundations of the approach and present specific mechanisms that can be employed in collaborations between researchers and AIAN communities. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the use of TPR regarding project timelines and budgets, interpretation of the data, and ultimately the relationships between tribes and researchers.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Indian Law Center. (1999) Model tribal research code, with materials for tribal regulation for research and checklist for Indian health boards (3rd ed.). Albuquerque, NM: American Indian Law Center
Baldwin, J. A. (1999). Conducting drug abuse prevention research in partnership with Native American communities: Meeting challenges through collaborative approaches. Drugs and Society, 14, 77-92.
Beauvais, F. (1999). Obtaining consent and other ethical issues in the conduct of research in American Indian communities. Drugs and Society, 14, 167-184.
Berlin, I. N. (1982). Prevention of emotional problems among Native-American children: Overview of developmental issues. Journal of Preventive Psychiatry, 1, 319-330.
Biglan, A. (1995). Changing cultural practices: A contextualist framework for intervention research. Reno, NV: Context Press.
Blum, R. W., Potthoff, S. J., & Resnick, M. D. (1997). The impact of chronic conditions on Native American adolescents. Families, Systems and Health, 15, 275-282.
Brave Heart, M. Y. H. (1998). The return to the sacred path: Healing the historical trauma and historical unresolved grief response among the Lakota through a psychoeducational group intervention. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 68, 288-305.
Brave Heart, M. Y. H. (1999). Gender differences in the historical trauma response among the Lakota. Journal of Health and Social Policy, 10(4), 1-2.
Brave Heart-Jordan, M., & DeBruyn, L. (1995). So she may walk in balance: Integrating the impact of historical trauma in the treatment of Native American Indian women. In J. Adleman & G. M. Enguidanos (Eds.), Racism in the lives of women: Testimony, theory, and guides to antiracist practice (pp. 345-368). New York: Haworth.
Bray, R. S. (2000). Armies of pestilence: The impact of disease on history. New York: Barnes and Noble Books.
Brown, L. D., & Tandon, R. (1983). Ideology and political economy in inquiry: Action research and participatory research. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 19(3), 277–294.
Brydon-Miller, M. (1997). Participatory action research: Psychology and social change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 657-666.
Bureau of Indian Affairs. (1996). Indian entities recognized and eligible to receive services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Federal Register, 61(220), 58211-58216.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1999). American Indians and crime. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Cummins, J. C., Ireland, M., Resnick, M. D., & Blum, R. W. (1999). Correlates of physical and emotional health among native American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 24, 38-44.
DeBruyn, L., Chino, M., Serna, P., & Fullerton-Gleason, L. (2001). Child maltreatment in American Indian and Alaska Native communities: Integrating culture, history, and public health for intervention and prevention. Child Maltreatment: Journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 6, 89-102.
Duran, E., & Duran, B. (1995). Native American postcolonial psychology. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Duran, E., Duran, B., Brave Heart, M.Y. H., & Yellow Horse-Davis, S. (1998). Healing the American Indian soul wound. In Y. Danieli (Ed.), International handbook of multigenerational legacies of trauma (pp. 341-354). New York: Plenum.
Fisher, P. A., & Ball, T. J. (2002). The Indian Family Wellness project: An application of the tribal participatory research model. Prevention Science, 3, 235-240.
Fleming, C. M. (1992). American Indians and Alaska Natives: Changing societies past and present. In M. A. Orlandi (Eds.), Cultural competence for evaluators: A guide for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention practitioners working with ethnic/racial communities (pp. 147-171). Rockville, MD: USDHHS.
Fleming, C. M. (1994). The Blue Bay Healing Center: Community development and healing as prevention. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 4, 134-165.
French, S. A., Story, M., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Downes, B., Resnick, M., & Blum, R. (1997). Ethnic differences in psychosocial and health behavior correlates of dieting, purging, and binge eating in a population-based sample of adolescent females. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 22, 315-322.
Gagne, M.-A. (1998). The role of dependency and colonialism in generating trauma in First Nations citizens: The James Bay cree. In Y. Danieli (Ed.), International handbook of multigenerational legacies of trauma (pp. 355-372). New York: Plenum.
Gergen, K. J. (2001). Psychological science in a postmodern context. American Psychologist, 56, 803-813.
Gittelsohn, J., Evans, M., Helitzer, D., Anliker, J., Story, M., Metcalfe, L., et al. (1998). Formative research in a school-based obesity prevention program for Native American school children (Pathways). Health Education Research, 13, 251-265.
Greenwood, D. J., & Levin, M. (1998). Introduction to action research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Greenwood, D. J., Whyte, W. F., & Harkavy, I. (1993). Participatory action research as a process and as a goal. Human Relations, 46(2), 175-192.
Hodge, F. S., Pasqua, A., Marquez, C. A., & Geishirt-Cantrell, B. (2000). Utilizing traditional storytelling to promote wellness in American Indian communities. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13(1), 6-11.
Indian Health Service. (2000). Trends in Indian health: 1998-1999. Retrieved January 28, 2002, from http://www.ihs.gov/PublicInfo/Publications/trends98/trends98.asp
Inouye, D. K. (1993). Our future is in jeopardy: The mental health of Native American adolescents. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 4, 6-8.
Kalyanpur, M. (1998). The challenge of cultural blindness: Implications for family-focused service delivery. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 7, 317-332.
LaFromboise, T. D., & Howard-Pitney, B. (1994). The Zuni Life Skills Development curriculum: A collaborative approach to curriculum development. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 4, 98-121.
LaFromboise, T. D., Trimble, J. E., & Mohatt, G. V. (1990). Counseling intervention and American Indian tradition: An integrative approach. Counseling Psychologist, 18(4), 628-654.
Leap, W. L. (1981). American Indian language maintenance. Annual Review of Anthropology, 10, 209-236.
Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 1–2, 34–36.
Macaulay, A. C., Commanda, L. E., Freeman, W. L., Gibson, N., McCabe, M., Robbins, C. M., et al. (1999). Participatory research maximizes community and lay involvement. BMJ, 319, 774-778.
Marshall, C. A., Gotto, G. S., IV, Cruz, G. P., Rey, P. F., & Juarez, G. G. (1998). Working together as neighbors: Rehabilitation researchers and indigenous people with disabilities in Mexico. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 11
May, P. A., & Moran, J. R. (1995). Prevention of alcohol misuse: A review of health promotion efforts among American Indians. American Journal of Health Promotion, 9, 288-299.
McTaggart, R. (1991). Principles for participatory action research. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 168-187.
Miller, B. G., & Pyplya, J. (1995). The dilemma of mental health paraprofessionals at home. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 6(2), 13-33.
Mitchell, C. M. (1997). Culturally relevant intervention with minority adolescents: Before the beginning. In .M. C. Dollinger & L. F. DiLalla (Eds.), Assessment and intervention issues across the life span (pp. 219-238). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum
Mohatt, G. V. (1989). The community as informant or collaborator? American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 2, 64-70.
Morrissette, P. J. (1994). The holocaust of First Nation people: Residual effects on parenting and treatment implications. Contemporary Family Therapy, 16(5), 381-392.
Norton, I. M., & Manson, S. M. (1996). Research in American Indian and Alaska Native communities: Navigating the cultural universe of values and process. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 856-860.
Park, P. (1999). People, knowledge, and change in participatory research. Management Learning, 30(2), 141-157.
Petoskey, E. L., Van Stelle, K. R., & De Jong, J. A. (1998). Prevention through empowerment in a Native American community. Drugs and Society, 12, 147-162.
Population Reference Bureau. (2000). 2000 United States Population Data Sheet [Wall chart]. Washington, DC: Author.
Randall, L. L., Krogh, C., Welty, T. K., Willinger, M., & Iyasu, S. (2001). The Aberdeen Indian Health Service Infant Mortality Study: Design, methodology, and implementation. American Indian & Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 10(1), 1-20.
Richards, W. (1989). A community systems approach to research strategies. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 2, 51-57.
Schinke, S. (1996). Behavioral approaches to illness prevention for Native Americans. In P. M. Kato & T. Mann (Eds.), Handbook of diversity issues in health psychology (pp. 367-387). New York: Plenum.
Schinke, S. P., Gilchrist, L. D., Schilling, R. F., Walker, R. D., Locklear, V. S., Bobo, J. K., et al. (1986). Preventing substance abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native youth: Research issues and strategies. Journal of Social Service Research, 9, 53-67.
Shoshan, T. (1989). Mourning and longing from generation to generation. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 43, 193-207.
Solomon, Z., Kotler, M., & Mikulincer, M. (1988). Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder among second-generation holocaust survivors: Preliminary findings. American Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 865-868.
Sprott, J. E. (1994). One person's “spoiling” is another's freedom to become: Overcoming ethnocentric views about parental control. Social Science and Medicine, 38, 1111-1124.
Stubben, J. D. (2001). Working with and conducting research among American Indian families. American Behavioral Scientist, 44, 1466-1481.
Thornton, R. (1987). American Indian holocaust and survival: A population history since 1492. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Tom-Orme, L. (2000). Native Americans explaining illness: Storytelling as illness experience. In B. B. Whaley (Ed.), Explaining illness: Research, theory, and strategies (pp. 237-257). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity [Supplement to Mental Health: Report of the Surgeon General] (Inventory Number SMA-01-3613). Washington, DC: Authors.
Weaver, H. N. (1997). The challenges of research in Native American communities: Incorporating principles of cultural competence. Journal of Social Service Research, 23, 1-15.
Whyte, W. F., Greenwood, D. J., & Lazes, P. (1989). Participatory action research: Through practice to science in social research. American Behavioral Scientist, 32(5), 513-551.
Wisner, B., Stea, D., & Kruks, S. (1991). Participatory and action research methods. In E. H. Zube & G. T. Moore (Eds.), Advances in environment, behavior, and design. (pp. 271-295). Edmonton, OK: Environmental Design Research Association.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fisher, P.A., Ball, T.J. Tribal Participatory Research: Mechanisms of a Collaborative Model. Am J Community Psychol 32, 207–216 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AJCP.0000004742.39858.c5
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AJCP.0000004742.39858.c5