Sense of belonging as connectedness to selected areas of health and traditional practices in American Indian

Purpose. This dissertation examines the relationship of sense of belonging as connectedness, to selected areas of health and traditional practices within a cultural worldview. American Indians are a vulnerable population with high health disparities when compared to other U.S. ethnic groups and the general population. A culturally constructed view of health and relatedness for this population is presented. The sociohistorical impact to sense of belonging and health of American Indians has not been explored in previous research and may have implications for mental health and health outcomes.;Methods. A secondary analysis using a descriptive-correlational design was conducted with data from a NINR supported research titled: "Wellness Circles, An American Indian Approach". The CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Survey was administered to American Indian adults, aged 18 years and older residing in rural areas of California. Sample size was 453 randomly selected American Indian adults with a mean age of 41.2 years.;Results. 80.1% of the participants reported a sense of belonging or connectedness to their community with 15.8% not connected and the remaining 4.1% endorsing 'other'. Positive associations were found between sense of belonging as connectedness and active participation in the American Indian community (r = .198, p ≤ 0.01); and participation in traditional practices (r = -.164, p ≤ 0.01). 84.7% of the participants used specific tribal practices. Frequent tribal practices identified were sweats (35.6%), Bear dance (15.3%), Shaker religion (6.8%) and Brush dance (6.8%). A significant association between sense of belonging and suicidal ideation was noted (r = -.203, p ≤ 0.01). The 25--44 years cohort for both genders had the highest suicidal ideation (males = 66.7%; females = 56.9%) as compared to other age cohorts. No significant relationship was found between suicide attempts and the variables of interest. Therefore, sense of belonging along with traditional practices may be protective factors or cultural buffers which impact health.;Conclusion. Further research using culturally based models and the cultural worldview of ethnic minority populations can assist in the identification of factors which promote health. The need to continue investigation of these phenomenons with other American Indian communities is warranted.