Adult Caregiving among American Indians: The Role of Cultural Factors

• Published in: The Gerontologist 2011-06, Vol.51 (3), p.310-320
• Main Authors: Goins, R. Turner, Spencer, S. Melinda, McGuire, Lisa C, Goldberg, Jack, Wen, Yang, Henderson, Jeffrey A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age Differences; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; American culture; American Indian Culture; American Indian Languages; American Indians; Arizona; Attendance; Biological and medical sciences; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Caregivers - statistics & numerical data; Case Studies; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural Characteristics; Cultural Factors of Caregiving; Cultural Identity; Cultural Influences; Delivery Systems; Faith healing; Family Environment; Female; Gender Differences; Humans; Incidence; Indians, North American - psychology; Indians, North American - statistics & numerical data; Indigenous Knowledge; Intergenerational Relations - ethnology; Intervention; Language Usage; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Native North Americans; Parent-Child Relations - ethnology; Participation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Role; Self Concept; Sex Differences; Sex Distribution; Sociocultural Factors; South Dakota; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0016-9013; 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnq101

Purpose: With a sample of American Indian adults, we estimated the prevalence of adult caregiving, assessed the demographic and cultural profile of caregivers, and examined the association between cultural factors and being a caregiver. This is the first such study conducted with American Indians. Design and Methods: Data came from a cross-sectional study of 5,207 American Indian adults residing on 2 closely related Lakota Sioux reservations in the Northern Plains and one American Indian community in the Southwest. Cultural factors included measures of cultural identity and traditional healing practices. Results: Seventeen percent of our sample reported being caregivers. In both the Northern Plains and Southwest, caregiving was positively correlated with younger age, being a woman, larger household size, attending and participating in Native events, and endorsement of traditional healing practices. In both regions, attendance and participation in Native events and engagement in traditional healing practices were associated with increased odds of caregiving after adjusting for covariates. Only in the Northern Plains did we find that speaking some Native language at home was associated with increased odds of being a caregiver. Examination of interaction terms indicated some sex differences in the association between cultural factors and caregiving in the Northern Plains but not in the Southwest. Implications: Our findings indicate that greater cultural identity and engagement in traditional healing practices are related to caregiving in American Indian populations. Caregiving research, intervention efforts, and caregiving programs and services in Native communities should pay special attention to the dynamics of culture and caregiving.