The Culture is Prevention Project: Measuring Culture As a Social Determinant of Mental Health for Native/Indigenous Peoples

Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res. 2020;27(1):86-111. doi: 10.5820/aian.2701.2020.86.

Abstract

This paper reports Phase 4 of the Culture is Prevention Project where we validated the Cultural Connectedness Scale - California (CCS-CA) with a sample of 344 Indigenous adults in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. In Phase 3 of this project, the CCS-CA was modified from the original Canadian Cultural Connectedness Scale (CCS) developed by Dr. Angela Snowshoe and colleagues to be a better fit for the more multi-tribal communities in urban California. Both the CCS-CA and CCS consist of 29 items that measure culture on 3 sub-scales: identity, traditions, and spirituality. The project demonstrated a positive link between cultural connectedness and mental health/well-being using the Herth Hope Index. We report results similar to the original CCS study by Snowshoe et al., where we found the CCS-CA to be a valid and reliable strength-based instrument and to support the conclusion that culture is a social determinant of mental health/well-being for Indigenous/Native peoples.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • California
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Female
  • Health Promotion / standards*
  • Humans
  • Indians, North American / psychology*
  • Male
  • Mental Health / ethnology*
  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Self Efficacy
  • Social Determinants of Health / ethnology*
  • Social Identification*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires