TEC Research

  • Our Youth, Our Future Study: Research tracking the substance use of American Indian (AI) youth who live on or near AI reservations since 1974.

+ Epidemiology Findings+ Etiology Findings

  • Be Under Your Own Influence: A communications campaign designed to prevent substance use in American Indian middle-school students.
  • Community Readiness Model: To maximize chances for success, the Community Readiness Model offers tools to measure readiness and to develop stage-appropriate strategies.

Be Under Your Own Influence

The role of future orientation and self-determination on American Indian adolescents’ intentions to use alcohol and marijuana

Findings suggested that self-determination (SD), and more proximally, perceived consequences of substance use for autonomy, may be particularly useful promotive factors to target substance use prevention in American Indian (AI) adolescents. Culturally congruent interventions designed to promote SD and autonomous motivations to abstain may be particularly impactful within a young AI adolescent population, as early adolescence represents a critical period of development for personal autonomy and identity. (read article)

Cultural Adaptation of the Be Under Your Own Influence Media Campaign for Middle-School American Indian Youth

American Indian (AI) youth living on or near reservations have much in common with other youth, including high future aspirations, involvement in activities and hobbies, and influence from family and friends. At the same time, there were important differences in the experiences, environment, and values of these AI youth, including emphasis on different types of activities, a more collectivist cultural orientation, tribal identity and pride, and the importance of extended families. (read article)

The Imperative for Research to Promote Health Equity in Indigenous Communities

This paper presents a case for increased health promotion, prevention, and treatment research with Indigenous populations, providing context to the recent NIH investment in the Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (IRINAH) network. (read article)

How Do Rates of American Indian Youth Substance Use Compare to National Rates?

A comparison of American Indian (AI) youth substance use data to national rates from Monitoring the Future (MTF) for the years 2009-2012 shows that adolescent substance use is still a major problem among reservation-based AI students. This is especially true for 8th graders where lifetime, annual, and last month prevalence rates were significantly higher than national rates for nearly all substances. (More)

Stanley L.R., Harness, S., Swaim, R.C., & Beauvais F. (2013, in press).   Trends in substance use among American Indian youth living on or near reservations; Update, 2009-2012. Public Health Reports.

How Do Drug Use Rates Among American Indian Youth Vary by Region?

AI students in the Northern Plains and Upper Great Lakes are more likely to have used substances at much higher rates than those living in the Southwest and Oklahoma, with the exception of methamphetamines, where students in the Southwest have higher use rates. Use among female AI students was equal to or higher than that of male AI students. (More)

Miller K.A., Stanley L.R., Beauvais F. (2012).   Regional differences in drug use rates among American Indian youth. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 126(1-2), 35-41. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575603

Do Drug Use Rates Differ Between Oklahoma and Non-Oklahoma Indian Youth?

Oklahoma Indian 7th-12th graders have significantly lower drug use rates than those of Non-Oklahoma Indian 7th -12th graders. In addition, Oklahoma youth show later ages of initiation of drug use and greater perceptions of harm from using drugs. (More)

Tragesser, S.L., Beauvais, F., Burnside, M., & Jumper-Thurman, P. (2010)   Differences in illicit drug-use rates among Oklahoma and non-Oklahoma Indian youth. Substance Use and Misuse, 45(13) 2323-39. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20482336

How does American Indian 4th-6th grade drug use compare to non-Indian use?

Marijuana use rates for American Indian 4th-6th graders are significantly higher than non-Indian 4th-6th graders while inhalant use rates are very similar. Last month marijuana use rates are 5 to 10 times higher for Indian youth, suggesting very early initiation of marijuana use for a large percentage of Indian youth. (More)

Miller K.A., Beauvais F., Burnside M., & Jumper-Thurman P. (2008).   A comparison of American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth graders’ rates of drug use. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. 7(3), 258-267. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19042809

Are tobacco use rates for American Indian adolescents similar to those for non-Indian youth?

Comparing MTF rates of tobacco use for 8th, 10th and 12th grade youth to Indian youth shows that their use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are significantly higher than those found for the MTF national survey. In conjunction with these higher rates are lower levels of perceived harm of tobacco use. (More)

Beauvais F., Thurman P.J., Burnside M, & Plested B. (2007).   Prevalence of American Indian adolescent tobacco use: 1993-2004. Substance Use and Misuse. 42(4), 591-601. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17558952

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