Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

Alaska Native, Stress, Coping, Reporting research results, Community-based participatory research (CBPR), Research ethics

Abstract

The native people of Alaska have experienced historical trauma and on-going rapid, often externally imposed changes in culture and lifestyle patterns. As a consequence, these populations shoulder a disproportionately high burden of psychological stress. Yup'ik communities in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region in Southwest Alaska have experienced epidemics and forced acculturation, contributing to behavioural health issues, including substance abuse and suicide. Cultural loss in Yup'ik communities has resulted in generational gaps that disrupt the transmission of cultural traditions and values important for well-being. Despite these intrusions, Yup'ik communities have retained cultural traditions which act as protective factors against the development of physical and psychological illness. These cultural protective factors can be harnessed to collaboratively develop culturally grounded interventions that reduce stress and build connections across generations, helping communities move towards wellness on their own terms.

Publication Title

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

Volume

27

First Page

1

Last Page

8

Required Publisher's Statement

Co-Action Publishing. © 2013 Inna Rivkin et al.

http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20958

Comments

Int J Circumpolar Health 2013. © 2013 Inna Rivkin et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2013, 72: 20958 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20958

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Yupik Eskimos--Health and hygiene--Alaska; Public health--Alaska; Stress (Psychology)

Geographic Coverage

Alaska

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

COinS