ERIC Number: EJ1296824
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1981
EISSN: N/A
Research from a "Diné"-Centered Perspective and the Development of a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership
Werito, Vincent; Belone, Lorenda
Health Education & Behavior, v48 n3 p361-370 Jun 2021
Purpose: Indigenous ("Diné") communities have long endured high rates of behavioral and mental health diseases like depression, drug and alcohol dependency, and suicide due to historical trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Western research methods used to address these issues have often failed to provide sufficient understanding of the culturally nuanced dynamics underpinning these health disparities in Indigenous contexts. As a result, Indigenous health disparities have actually increased and complex culture-based relationships that influence health outcomes are underconceptualized. Aim: For the first time a community-based participatory research approach from a "Diné" perspective is introduced to three Navajo communities in New Mexico to collaboratively explore their perspectives about community-engaged research and community well-being from a "Diné" lens. The overarching research question was: Can a community-based participatory research approach embedded within a "Diné" research paradigm be utilized to develop a culturally centered intervention approach? Methods: The study utilized a mixed method approach that included surveys and focus groups. Results: Six overarching themes emerged that underscored the important role of utilizing a community-based participatory "Diné"-centered approach to define community well-being and increase community agency to address their own health disparities. Conclusion: Indigenous-centered community-engaged research can potentially become an intervention approach for informing Indigenous communities' understandings of well-being by drawing upon local cultural Indigenous knowledge. This study demonstrated that developing an effective community-engaged research partnership to address health disparities in a "Diné" context must be informed by a "Diné" paradigm grounded in local community cultural knowledge.
Descriptors: Participatory Research, Suicide, Mental Disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Navajo (Nation), Alcohol Abuse, Well Being, American Indian Culture, Cultural Awareness, Intervention, Personal Autonomy, Indigenous Knowledge, Health, Foreign Policy, Trauma, Drug Abuse
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute of Nursing Research (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: U54MD004811; 1R01NR015241