Social networks, cultural pride, and historical loss among non-reservation American Indian/Alaska native emerging adults

Generations of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the United States have endured disruptions to their community networks due to policies such as forced relocation and language prohibitions. Traumas resulting from these disruptions may have a ripple effect on subsequent generations’ mental, behavioral, and physical health. Evidence shows that cultural identity and participation in traditional practices promote resilience and protect health. Culturally-tailored health interventions customized for AI/AN people aim to address intergenerational trauma by emphasizing cultural strengths and building positive social connections. In this article, we explore the social network characteristics of participants of the first culturally-grounded health intervention for AI/AN emerging adults (18–25) living outside of reservations/Tribal lands. Participants (N = 469; 84.5% female) were recruited across the United States via social media and completed online egocentric network interviews prior to the start of intervention workshops. Participants’ networks were diverse in composition and structure. They were primarily composed of family and friends, were people they had regular contact with, were similar age, and provided participants with support. We examined associations between network characteristics, individual characteristics (age, gender, travel to reservations, speaking Tribal languages, etc.) and two dependent measures: (1) cultural pride and belongingness and (2) thoughts of historical loss. Multiple regression results show that having higher proportions of network members who discussed AI/AN identity with participants and having more network members who engage in traditional practices was positively associated with cultural pride and belongingness. Having denser egocentric networks was associated with lower cultural pride and belongingness. Higher proportions of network members having discussion of AI/AN identity with participants was also associated with more frequent thoughts of historical loss. Controlling for network factors, speaking a Tribal language at home with family was associated with higher cultural pride and belongingness. Also, respondents with mothers who obtained a college degree had less frequent thoughts of historical loss than those with mothers who did not have a college degree. We discuss implications for the development of culturally-grounded health interventions.