Talking Circle for Native American Youth

Overview

Native American youth have higher rates of depression and lifetime major depressive episodes, and, by age 11, are more likely to have initiated alcohol and substance use than any other racial/ethnic group. The COVID19 pandemic only compounded this suffering--anxiety, stress, depression, substance use, and suicide related mental health disorders skyrocketed in many Native American communities, especially among youth. Though many are desperate for help, treatment options are scarce to non-existent. To meet this urgent need, our overarching objective is to leverage the empirically proven, highly effective, school based, Talking Circle intervention to promote the mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health of geographically diverse (rural, urban) Native American youth. This study, "Talking Circle for Native American Youth Living Well (A Yo Li)" uses a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to evaluate Talking Circle effectiveness, partnering with the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) of Cherokee Indians Tribe in Oklahoma, with members living in two geographically diverse areas, Adair County (rural), and Tulsa City (urban). "A Yo Li" in the UKB tribal language means "youth".

Specific aims for Phase 1 (UG3) include: UG3 Aim 1. To inform adaptation of the school-based Talking Circle intervention, a Community Partnership Committee (CPC) of UKB members will be developed to conduct a needs/asset mapping process to assess the needs, priorities, and resources for MEB health of UKB youth, paying special attention to the nuances of cultural difference between rural and urban UKB communities in Oklahoma. UG3 Aim 2. To conduct a Talking Circle intervention Facilitator Training Program with rural and urban UKB tribal community members to catalyze capacity building and sustainability for future intervention. UG3 Aim 3. To pilot the adapted evidenced-based Talking Circle intervention for the promotion of MEB health among (N=20) 10 to 12 year-olds UKB youth in Oklahoma.