Advisory Committee Chair
Retta Evans
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2024
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
CULTURAL CONNECTEDNESS AND NATIVE AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH SHARYN W. HILLIN EDUCATIONAL STUDIES IN DIVERSE POPULATIONS ABSTRACT Recent research has indicated a possible connection between the destruction of Native American culture and communities and mental health disparities among Native Americans in the United States. While numerous studies have been conducted among Native Americans in western regions of the United States that establish a relationship between cultural connectedness and mental health resiliency, no such relationship has been investigated in the southeastern region of the United States, particularly within the state of Alabama. Using a blended ethnographic phenomenological methodology, ten Poarch-Creek Indians in Alabama were interviewed to examine their experiences of living away from reservation land, separated from their Native culture and community. This study sought to explore the impact of this separation and the possible relationship between mental health resilience and cultural connectedness. Through analysis of the data collected, six themes emerged—four having a negative impact on mental health: “Different” Treatment, Walking in Two Worlds, Difficulty in Relationships, Sense of Loss, and two having a positive or protective impact on mental health: Native Beliefs and Connection to Culture. Themes can be organized into a conceptual model depicting the overall impact of historical oppression on mental health, as well as protective factors related to the Native experience and resilience.
Recommended Citation
Hillin, Sharyn Washburn, "Cultural Connectedness And Native American Mental Health" (2024). All ETDs from UAB. 3905.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3905