Perspectives of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists on the Influence of School Connectedness on American Indian Youths

Abstract

This article presents findings captured during a study with four Non-Indigenous child and adolescent psychiatrists treating American Indian youths at a child and adolescent psychiatry hospital located in a rural northwestern state. The author used a qualitative design to develop a deeper understanding of how the psychiatrists conceptualize the relationships between the components of school connectedness and American Indian youths. The study resulted in categorizing 53 descriptors of protective factors and 31 descriptors of risk factors associated with elements of school connectedness identified as 1) Cultural Connectedness, 2) Community, 3) Caregivers, 4) Teachers, and 5) Peers. The descriptors are illustrated through richly detailed comments from the participants.

Breathing the Air of Their Ancestors: The Influence of Ethnic-Racial Identity on School Connectedness for Native American Youths

“…Other researchers identified youths' affection towards their peers as an element of school connectedness (Karcher et al, 2006). Clark (2022b) expanded on the elements of school connectedness to include cultural connectedness and the broader community.…”