Pilot Test of a Cultural Intervention to Enhance Alaska Native Students' Behavioral Health

NCT ID: NCT04561544

Last Updated: 2023-12-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 44 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-08-30
• Study Completion Date: 2022-05-31

Brief Summary

This project aims to enhance AN university students' behavioral health by supporting their cultural identity development. While the connection between cultural identity and behavioral health is becoming clearer, comparably less research has explored methods of enhancing identity development. Consequently, the investigators will pilot a cultural identity development program for AN students at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). This intervention is based on extant scientific literature, local findings from focus group with AN students, and traditional wisdom from AN Elders. The eight-week Elder-facilitated program incorporates storytelling, experiential learning, connection, exploration, and sharing of identity, cultural strengths, life paths, and rootedness in who they are in order to remain grounded when they face changes and challenges. Approximately 40 to 50 AN university students will be recruited for the intervention. Participants will be randomized, with half the participants receiving the intervention in the Fall 2020 semester and half the students receiving the intervention in the Spring 2021 semester. We hypothesize that engaging in this intervention will strengthen AN students' cultural identities, strengths, and sense of community; improve their behavioral health, as evidenced in higher self-reported wellbeing, and lower substance use, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation symptoms; and support their academic persistence and achievement. Outcomes will be tested via mixed design analyses of covariance. Moreover, program feasibility will be examined through a process evaluation, which will entail thematic analyses of six focus groups with program participants (n=40-50) and with the Elders who facilitated the program (n=5).

Conditions

Depression; Anxiety; Suicidal Ideation; Substance Use

Keywords

Cultural Identity; Sense of Community; Wellbeing; Alaska Native

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Intervention in Fall 2020

Participants will receive the intervention in Fall 2020

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Knowing Who You Are (Becoming): Cultural Identity Intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

8-week cultural identity development program led by Alaska Native Elders

Intervention in Spring 2021

Control in Fall 2020

Group Type: OTHER

Knowing Who You Are (Becoming): Cultural Identity Intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

8-week cultural identity development program led by Alaska Native Elders

Interventions

Knowing Who You Are (Becoming): Cultural Identity Intervention

8-week cultural identity development program led by Alaska Native Elders

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• self-identify as Alaska Native,
• are registered as an undergraduate student at UAA,
• are at least 18 years old,
• speak English

Exclusion Criteria

-

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Alaska Anchorage

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Sara Buckingham

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Countries

United States

Provided Documents

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

U54GM115371

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

1210302

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id