Abstract
Statement of Problem
A collaborative effort currently exists among public health researchers and substance abuse practitioners to identify the causal factors of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) adolescent substance abuse. Despite the efforts of these practitioners, clinicians, evaluators, and researchers, substance abuse among (AI/AN) adolescents continues to be disproportionately higher than for all other ethnic groups according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2003). The adverse outcomes of AI/AN adolescent substance abuse can have far reaching effects that include increased involvement with the juvenile justice system, increased mental health problems, and lower educational achievement. Recent research on the topic of AI/AN adolescent substance abuse has produced some empirical information, but research has yet to examine the effectiveness of culturally congruent treatment assessments and services ยท provided for AI/AN adolescent's admitted to residential treatment for substance abuse.
Sources of Data
11 Youth Regional Treatment Centers (YRTC) located throughout the United States that are primarily established for AI/AN adolescents 12-18 yrs old who have been identified by various local, tribal and state agencies as having a substance abuse problem. The YRTCs are residential co-ed facilities that offer a variety of treatment modalities, education, cultural teachings, and activities for periods between 40 to 120 days depending on the individual adolescent's need.
Conclusions Reached
Consideration of the AI/AN spiritual healing approach to substance abuse rehabilitation suffers from lack of scientific knowledge and research because the nature of the spiritual healing approach prevents it from being investigated using scientific methods. A review of the literature indicates that there is a lack of controlled outcome studies for evaluating the effectiveness of AI/AN spiritual and cultural programs in the rehabilitation of substance abusing AI/AN adolescents. In the absence of scientific research, anecdotal information indicating the efficacy of the AI/AN spiritual healing approach is reported in the literature review and the survey data.
What can be determined from the literature review and survey data is that AI/AN spiritual healing practices in the YRTCs help provide a social support group and a set of activities to occupy the adolescent's time and energy. AI/AN healing practices can help facilitate recovery by easing the physical and mental discomfort of substance abuse withdrawal and abstinence, provide structured and supported activities, and create a peer support group that will help the adolescent gain a greater sense of self.