Pages 989-990 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):989-990
Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA
Source
Pages 989-990 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):989-990
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students from rural areas may be especially susceptible to stress during the transition to college, thereby reducing the likelihood of completing their college degree (1). AI/AN students, particularly those from rural areas, face many challenges compared to their non-Native counterparts including affordability, lack of academic preparedness, family and cultural responsibilities, racism, and lack of engagement (2). Nevertheless, little is known about how the rural-to-urban transition uniquely affects AI/AN college students.
The original study utilized a purposive (selective) sample of 25 rural students currently attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). This article describes a secondary analysis performed on a subset of 10 transcripts. The qualitative analysis presented explored the Alaska Native students' perceptions of acculturation/ enculturation, access to resources, and stress as it relates to academic success and well-being at UAF.