The impact of historical loss on Native American college students' mental health: The protective role of ethnic identity

J Couns Psychol. 2023 Oct;70(5):486-497. doi: 10.1037/cou0000686. Epub 2023 May 18.

Abstract

Culturally relevant stressors and protective factors are vital to understanding and effectively supporting Native American/Alaska Native (NA/AN) college students' mental health and well-being. This study examined the theorized pathways among historical loss, well-being, psychological distress, and the proposed cultural buffer of ethnic identity in the indigenist stress-coping model (ISCM). Cross-sectional data were collected via online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Participants were a national sample of 242 NA/AN college students. Participants were predominantly women (n = 185; 76%) and median age was 21 years. Partial support was found for the ISCM. Participants reported frequent thoughts of historical loss, which were associated with lower well-being and higher levels of psychological distress. Ethnic identity moderated the relationship between historical loss and well-being such that those with stronger ethnic identities reported a weaker relationship between historical loss and lower well-being. Results underscore the importance of culturally specific risk and protective factors in NA/AN college students' resiliency and inform needed interventions and systemic change in higher education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • American Indian or Alaska Native* / history
  • American Indian or Alaska Native* / psychology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Cultural Competency / education
  • Cultural Competency / psychology
  • Female
  • Historical Trauma* / ethnology
  • Historical Trauma* / history
  • Historical Trauma* / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Health* / ethnology
  • Mental Health* / history
  • Minority Health / ethnology
  • Minority Health / history
  • Protective Factors
  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Social Determinants of Health* / ethnology
  • Social Determinants of Health* / history
  • Social Identification*
  • Students* / psychology
  • Universities
  • Young Adult