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School, Community, and Cultural Connectedness as Predictors of Adjustment Among Rural American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Adolescents

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Rural Ethnic Minority Youth and Families in the United States

Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

Abstract

Characteristics of rural American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are highlighted with particular attention to reservations which are located predominantly in rural areas. The historical trauma model is provided as a framework for understanding the causes behind high levels of some adjustment problems of AI/AN adolescents today. Of primary interest in this chapter is examination of theory and research on potential protective roles of school, community, and cultural forms of social connectedness relative to adjustment outcomes of rural AI/AN youth. Social connections are implicit components of resilience models and resonate with several theoretical frameworks and views on AI/AN well-being. The chapter concludes with summarizing comments including recommendations for future research on the topic.

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements and thanks extended to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission and Philip Stevenson, Ph.D., Director of the Statistical Analysis Center for facilitating our use of Arizona Youth Survey data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development, College of Education and Human Services, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Carol A. Markstrom & Kristin L. Moilanen

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  1. Carol A. Markstrom
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Correspondence to Carol A. Markstrom .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Dept. of Psychology, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Lisa J. Crockett

  2. University of Missouri, Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Gustavo Carlo

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Markstrom, C.A., Moilanen, K.L. (2016). School, Community, and Cultural Connectedness as Predictors of Adjustment Among Rural American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Adolescents. In: Crockett, L., Carlo, G. (eds) Rural Ethnic Minority Youth and Families in the United States. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20976-0_7

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