Pages 391-392 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):391-392
Department of Psychology and Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, AK, USA
Source
Pages 391-392 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):391-392
Alaska Native communities experience a disproportionate burden of health disparities as evidenced by high mortality and morbidity rates
associated with behavioral and chronic health issues. It is well established that interventions aimed toward addressing health disparities and the stressors they engender for Alaska Native people should be strength-based and culturally grounded.
Co-developing successful interventions requires a keen understanding of how stressors and coping responses relate to a Native community's unique history, culture and geography. Nevertheless, a synthesis of results engendering new knowledge across Native communities, assessments and interventions is also valuable. Such cross-cultural and cross-contextual understanding may harness collective power residing within and across communities.
Objective: Here we present findings from 2 interview projects conducted by co-authors within a community-based participatory research framework. Specifically, we discuss the similar coping strategies reported by participants dealing
with stress.