Pamela Jumper-Thurman, PhD, Psychology - Colorado State University, Tri Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Sage Hall, Ft. Collins, CO 80523, 970 491-0251, pjthurman@aol.com

Substance use among American Indians is serious and results in numerous health problems that impact all facets of family and community life - mental and physical health, levels of deviance, familial life, tribal and community life. There are studies on rates of use and how they vary as well as reasons for use and variability across tribes. Studies by the Tri-Ethnic Center have shown higher rates of use for most drugs since 1974 for representative samples of Indian youth across the U.S. These higher rates have been exhibited for lifetime, annual and 30-day prevalence as well as for an overall index of drug involvement. We have also had access to a large sample of adolescents from around the United States which included a substantial number of Indian youth who were not living on reservations. The data showed that non-reservation Indian youth had levels of drug use lower than Indian youth living on reservations but still higher than their non-Indian counterparts. The finding leads to the speculation that although reservation life has many positive aspects, there may be environmental variables (e.g. pervasive poverty and unemployment) that promote higher levels of substance use. These are topics that will be the focus of this panel presentation. At the conclusion of the panel, participants will be able to 1) identify specific high risk groups within the Native population; 2) demonstrate familiarity with environmental factors that may contribute to high substance use; and 3) consider community as a viable and effective potential context for intervention.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this portion of the panel, participants will be able to
• identify specific high risk groups within the Native population;
• demonstrate familiarity with environmental factors that may contribute to high substance use; and
• consider community as a viable and effective potential context for intervention.

Keywords: Native Americans, Culture

Related Web page: www.TriEthnicCenter.ColoState.edu

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.