Patterns of Simultaneous and non-Simultaneous Use of Cannabis and Alcohol Among American Indian Adolescents.

Background: American Indian (AI) adolescents report earlier initiation and higher rates of cannabis and alcohol use compared to their non-AI peers. Simultaneous cannabis and alcohol (SCA) use is increasingly common. A primary goal of our research was to identify profiles of cannabis and alcohol use, including SCA use, among AI adolescents using latent class analysis (LCA).

Frequency is not enough: Characterizing heterogenous patterns of cannabis use intensity among reservation-area American Indian youth.

Background: Reservation-area American Indian (AI) youth use cannabis at significantly higher rates than their national counterparts. This discrepancy is concerning, as cannabis use-particularly heavy use-can negatively impact adolescents' health. Studies primarily use frequency to classify cannabis use intensity; however, frequency alone may not fully capture heterogenous patterns of use.

Family ties: examining family functioning and alcohol use among American Indian youth.

Purpose: This study aims to examine a second-order latent variable of family functioning built from two established protective factors for American Indian (AI) youth, i.e. family cohesion and parental monitoring.

Nicotine use among reservation-area American Indian adolescents compared with a national sample.

Background: Past research has found significant nicotine use disparities for reservation-area American Indian adolescents when compared to national levels. However, adolescent nicotine use has changed markedly, with reduced smoking and rapid increases in nicotine vaping. This study presents 2021-2022 prevalence estimates of tobacco product use, perceived harm and availability for reservation-area American Indian youth, with comparisons to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) national study.

Can High and Consistent School-Related Protective Factors Prevent Cannabis Use Among American Indian Middle School Students?

Background: High cannabis use rates among American Indian (AI) adolescents necessitate the identification of factors that protect against early cannabis initiation.

Methods: Data collected from 279 AI middle school students attending reservation-based schools in 2018 and 2019 were analyzed. Three waves of data, with approximately 6 months between each, were used.

Intersecting sex and American Indian identity moderates school and individual correlates of binge drinking among reservation-area adolescents.

Reservation-area American Indian (AI) youth demonstrate higher rates of binge drinking (BD) than their non-AI peers. However, individual and school-level differences in BD disparities between reservation-area AI/non-AI female and male adolescents remain unexamined. This study applies an Intersectional framework to examine risk and protective factors of BD among reservation-area youth at the intersection of their sex and AI identities.

A Comparison of COVID-19 Outcomes Between Reservation-Area American Indian and U.S. National Students.

Introduction: This study presents data from 2 population-based surveys of youth (reservation-area American Indian adolescents and U.S. adolescents) on self, family, and friend morbidity and changes in substance use and negative impacts during COVID-19.

Profiles of Ecosystemic Resilience and Risk: American Indian Adolescent Substance Use during the First Year of the COVID-19 Crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption to the lives of American Indian (AI) adolescents. While reservation-area AI youth already have a higher risk of substance use (SU) compared to their non-AI peers, COVID-19 stressors likely exacerbated this risk. However, COVID-19-specific and general resilience factors may have buffered against increased SU over the course of the pandemic.

Self-reported Illness Experiences and Psychosocial Outcomes for Reservation-Area American Indian Youth During COVID-19.

Importance: Impacts of COVID-19 on reservation-area American Indian youth are unknown and may be substantial owing to the significant COVID-19 morbidity and mortality experienced by American Indian populations.

Objective: To measure self-reported illness experiences and changes in psychosocial factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among reservation-area American Indian youth.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included a random sample of US schools on or near US Indian reservations during Spring 2021, stratified by region, with students in grades 6 to 12 completing cross-sectional online surveys.

School-related Promotive Factors Related to Cannabis Use Among American Indian Adolescents.

Reservation-dwelling American Indian adolescents are at exceedingly high risk for cannabis use. Prevention initiatives to delay onset and escalation of use are needed. School engagement and student's positive experiences at school have been identified as key promotive factors against cannabis use in the general population of adolescents, but little work has examined these factors among American Indian youth.

Be under your own influence: Effectiveness of a Culturally-Adapted drug prevention campaign targeting Reservation-Dwelling American Indian youth.

Be Under Your Own Influence (BUYOI) is a previously validated school-based intervention designed to delay adolescent substance use (SU) initiation. This study examined the effectiveness of a culturally-adapted version of BUYOI in delaying SU initiation among reservation-dwelling American Indian (AI) youth. Five reservation-based middle schools participated.

Latent Class Analysis and Predictors of Marijuana Use among Reservation-based American Indian High School Students.

American Indian (AI) youth residing on reservations report higher rates of marijuana use compared to national youth. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify unique types of marijuana use among 2,884 AI high school students surveyed from 26 schools across six indigenous geographic regions. Predictors of class membership were then assessed using social, cultural, and individual measures relevant to adolescent substance use.

Opioid Misuse Among American Indian Adolescents.

To present data for opioid misuse among US reservation-based American Indian (AI) adolescents and to compare these data with national rates from Monitoring the Future (MTF). Data were from a national sample of 33 schools participating in a substance use epidemiological survey of reservation-based AI adolescents during 2018 and 2019. Participants were 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade AI students (n = 1592).

Early onset of cannabis use and alcohol intoxication predicts prescription drug misuse in American Indian and non-American Indian adolescents living on or near reservations.

Background: Prescription drug misuse (PDM) is a growing issue within the American Indian (AI) population, especially in younger populations.

Objectives: This study estimates relationships between PDM and early initiation (prior to 14 yrs) of cannabis use and alcohol intoxication for a national sample of AI and non-AI adolescents attending schools on or near reservations.

Method: Participants were 2580 students (50.

Comparing cannabis use motive item performance between American Indian and White youth.

Objective: There is limited research on the motives for engaging in cannabis use for American Indian (AI) youth. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in cannabis use motives between White and AI youth.

Method: This study used data from youth living on or near reservations who currently use cannabis and identify as White (n = 156) or AI (n = 922).

Risk and Protective Factors of Current Opioid Use Among Youth Living on or Near American Indian Reservations: An Application of Machine Learning.

Opioid use among youth, particularly among American Indian (AI) youth, is rising, resulting in a large number of accidental overdoses and deaths. In order to develop effective prevention strategies, we need to use exploratory data analysis to identify previously unknown predictors of opioid use among youth living on or near reservations. The present study is an application of Machine Learning, a type of exploratory data analysis, to the Our Youth, Our Future epidemiological survey ( = 6482) to determine salient risk and protective factors for past 30-day opioid use.

The Role of Future Orientation and Self-determination on American Indian Adolescents' Intentions to Use Alcohol and Marijuana.

Substance use (SU) rates among American Indian (AI) adolescents have been greater than national rates for decades, with little progress made on reducing them. Reasons for this may include lack of evidence on which to base effective interventions, the uniqueness of this population, and the overall lack of attention that this population has received in reducing socioeconomic and health disparities. Moreover, there has been limited focus on understanding how positive individual characteristics may serve as protective factors for AI adolescents.

Measurement Tools to Assess Relationship Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Program Effectiveness Among Youth.

Objective: This article describes the adaptation, development, and psychometric properties of survey instruments to assess outcomes of bystander-focused violence prevention efforts among high school students, including media literacy, rape myths, bystander readiness, bystander barriers and facilitators of bystander action, bystander intentions, perceptions of school personnel helping, perceptions of peer helping, and victim empathy.

Method: The study was based on data collected from 3,172 high school students across 25 schools in northern New England.

Results: Overall, the measures demonstrated acceptable fit indices in multilevel exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

Self-esteem, cultural identification, and substance use among American Indian youth.

Objectives: Determine potential mediating and moderating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between cultural identification and substance use among American Indian (AI) youth.

Methods: Anonymous surveys were administered to middle and high school AI students assessing levels of last month alcohol and marijuana use, cultural identification, and self-esteem. Structural equation modeling assessed potential mediating and moderating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between AI and white identification on alcohol and marijuana use.

Examination of Recreational and Spiritual Peyote Use Among American Indian Youth.

Objective: Some American Indians legally use hallucinogenic substances as part of religious and spiritual ceremonies. Research to date has either failed to differentiate spiritual versus recreational use or has categorized hallucinogen use in an "other drug" or "illegal drug" category. This approach could contribute to ineffectual models of prevention and treatment intervention and limit understanding of hallucinogen use in American Indian cultures.

Classes of drinking motives among American Indian youth drinkers.

Research exploring American Indian (AI) youth drinking motives and their relation to negative outcomes is critical due to higher rates of alcohol use and early exposure to intoxication in the population. The purpose of this study is to explore classes of drinking motives as they relate to heavy episodic drinking, perceived discrimination, religious importance, ethnic identity, and ethnic pride. This study is part of an ongoing epidemiologic and etiologic investigation of substance use among AI youth drinkers living on or near reservations (n = 1,934, Mage = 15.

Predictors of Substance Use Latent Classes Among American Indian Youth Attending Schools On or Near Reservations.

Background And Objectives: Identical latent classes of substance use for 7 to 8 grade and 9 to 12 grade American Indian (AI) youth living on or near reservations suggest that patterns of substance use are established early among these youth. This study examines relationships of substance-related factors to latent class membership and whether these relationships differ by grade group.

Methods: In-school surveys were administered to 1503 7 to 8 grade and 1995 9 to 12 grade students from 46 schools on or near reservations during the 2009/2010 to 2012/2013 school years.

Substance Use Among American Indian Youths on Reservations Compared With a National Sample of US Adolescents.

Importance: American Indian adolescents attending schools on or near reservations are historically at high risk for substance use.

Objective: To compare rates of substance use among reservation-based American Indian adolescents vs rates among national US youths.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Population-based survey study of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students attending participating schools on or near reservations, stratified by region, during the 2016-2017 school year.

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

American Indian (AI) adolescents living on reservations report much higher substance use rates compared to other youth yet there are few effective prevention interventions developed for them. This paper presents findings from formative research undertaken to guide adaptation for AI youth of a prevention intervention, Be Under Your Own Influence (BUYOI), previously found to be effective in reducing substance use among middle-school youth. We conducted focus groups with 7th graders, the primary target audience, and photovoice with 11th graders, the role models who would help deliver the campaign, to inform surface and deep structure adaptation.