Family, community, and school influences on resilience among American Indian adolescents in the upper midwest

TLDR

The study examines resilience among American Indian adolescents living on or near reservations in the upper Midwest. Using a baseline survey of 212 fifth‑ to eighth‑grade American Indian youth, the authors performed latent class analyses and logistic regression to identify predictors of pro‑social outcomes among those experiencing moderate‑to‑high adversity. The analyses revealed that only 38.4% of youth lived in low‑adversity households, identified perceived discrimination as a key risk factor, and found that warm maternal support, community support, and higher enculturation were protective factors linked to pro‑social outcomes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract

Abstract This study examines resilience among a sample of American Indian adolescents living on or near reservations in the upper Midwest. Data are from a baseline survey of 212 youth (115 boys and 97 girls) who were enrolled in the fifth through eighth grades. Based upon the definition of resilience, latent class analyses were conducted to identify youth who displayed pro‐social outcomes (60.5%) as opposed to problem behavior outcomes. A measure of family adversity was also developed that indicated only 38.4% of the youth lived in low‐adversity households. Defining resilience in the context of positive outcomes in the face of adversity, logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of pro‐social outcomes among youth who lived in moderate‐ to high‐adversity households. The analyses identified key risk and protective factors. A primary risk factor appeared to be perceived discrimination. Protective factors were from multiple contexts: family, community, and culture. Having a warm and supportive mother, perceiving community support, and exhibiting higher levels of enculturation were each associated with increased likelihood of pro‐social outcomes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.