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> The NAWS
The Native American Wellness Scale
(NAWS)
There is a lack of culturally
appropriate, standardized assessment instruments for Native Americans that
measure wellness and quality of life. This critical omission is problematic for
Native populations because they are at a higher risk for psychosocial problems,
health problems, mental health disorders, and substance abuse problems than
other ethnic groups.
The present study intends
to report the development and validation of a scale to measure overall wellness
in Native American and indigenous populations, called the Native American
Wellness Scale (NAWS). The NAWS is a self-report measure designed to enable
investigators to obtain easily sensitive measures of the degree of wellness
experienced by individuals in five domains:
(a) physical wellbeing, (b) psychological wellbeing, (c) spiritual wellbeing,
(d) emotional wellbeing, and (e) cultural wellbeing.
The purpose of the study is to fill a void with respect to
standardized quality of life and wellness measures appropriate for use with
Native American populations, as well
as to identify the effects of colonization on the Native American lifeworld.
The primary objective of
this study is to develop a culturally appropriate measure of wellness for use
with Native American and indigenous populations. To this end, the following
questions must be answered:
1. Will
the NAWS be an accurate predictor of overall wellness in Native American
populations?
2. Is
the degree of overall wellness in Native American populations affected by the
process of colonization?
It is hypothesized that
the Native American Wellness Scale (NAWS) will be a valid and reliable means of
assessing overall Native American wellness.
Secondly,
it is hypothesized that the impact of colonization (historically
traumatic experiences) will adversely affect overall Native American Wellness in five domains of wellbeing:
(a) physical well-being,
(b) psychological well-being, (c) spiritual well-being, (d) emotional
well-being, and (e) cultural well-being.
Official Title:
The Native American Wellness Scale (NAWS):
The Development of an Intertribal Quality of Life Measure for Native American
and Indigenous Populations
Further
Study Details:
Total Enrollment: 300
Study Start: Spring 2009
Expected Completion:
Fall 2009
Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years - 75 Years
Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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Children under the age of 18.
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Hospitalized individuals.
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Incarcerated individuals.
Location
Denise Alvarado, Ph.D Candidate Psychology -Research and Evaluation Walden
University (319)627-3164
denise.alvarado2@waldenu.edu
George Smeaton, Ph. D.
Assistant Dean--Research and Evaluation College of Social, Behavioral,
and Health Sciences Walden University (612)801-2310
george.smeaton@waldenu.edu
United States
Walden University College of Social, Behavioral,
and Health Sciences Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Contact Information
Dissertation chair, members, and principal investigator
Denise Alvarado, Ph.D. Candidate Psychology - Research and Evaluation,
Principal Investigator, Walden University
George Smeaton, Ph.D.,
Dissertation Committee Chair, Walden University
Stephanie Cawthon, Ph. D., Dissertation Committee Member, Walden University
William Disch, Ph. D., Dissertation Committee Member, Walden University
More Information
If you are of Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or other
indigenous background and would like to help make a difference in the delivery
of health and mental healthcare for indigenous peoples, please consider
volunteering as a research participant for the
Native American
Wellness Scale (NAWS) study.
Complete the form below and you will be sent details via email.
For more information on the Native
American Wellness Scale Study, please contact Denise Alvarado at
nativewellness@gmail.com
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