This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (32)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Substance Abuse/ Alcoholism  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  • Public Health  • Alert me on articles by topic

Janette Beals, PhD; Spero M. Manson, PhD; Nancy R. Whitesell, PhD; Paul Spicer, PhD; Douglas K. Novins, MD; Christina M. Mitchell, PhD; for the AI-SUPERPFP Team

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:99-108.

Background  The American Indian Service Utilization, Psychiatric Epidemiology, Risk and Protective Factors Project (AI-SUPERPFP) estimated the mental health burden and associated help-seeking in select American Indian reservation communities.

Objective  To determine the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of common DSM-IV disorders, their demographic correlates, and patterns of help-seeking in 2 culturally distinct American Indian reservation communities in the Southwest and Northern Plains.

Design  Completed between 1997 and 2000, a cross-sectional probability sample survey.

Setting  General community.

Participants  Three thousand eighty-four (Southwest = 1446 and Northern Plains = 1638) members, aged 15-54 years, of 2 tribal groups living on or near their home reservations were randomly sampled from the tribal rolls. Response rates were 73.7% and 76.8% for the Southwest and Northern Plains tribes, respectively.

Main Outcomes Measures  The AI-SUPERPFP Composite International Diagnostic Interview, a culturally adapted version of the University of Michigan version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, to assess DSM-IV diagnoses and help-seeking.

Results  Overall lifetime prevalence of AI-SUPERPFP DSM-IV disorders ranged from 35.7% for Southwest women to near 50% for both groups of men. Alcohol abuse and dependence were the most common disorders for men, with posttraumatic stress disorder most prevalent for women. Many of those with lifetime alcohol problems or posttraumatic stress disorder no longer met criteria for 12-month diagnoses. Significant levels of comorbidity were found between those with depressive and/or anxiety and substance disorders. Demographic correlates other than tribe, sex, and age were generally unrelated to disorder status. A majority of participants with lifetime disorders had sought help from mental health professionals, other medical personnel, or culturally traditional sources.

Conclusions  Alcohol disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder were more common in these American Indian populations than in other populations using comparable methods. Substantial comorbidity between depressive and/or anxiety and substance disorders suggests the need for greater coordination of treatment for comorbid disorders.

Author Affiliations: American Indian and Alaska Native Programs, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colo.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

New Evidence Regarding Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health: Policy Implications
McGuire and Miranda
Health Aff (Millwood) 2008;27:393-403.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Stress Burden and Diabetes in Two American Indian Reservation Communities
Jiang et al.
Diabetes Care 2008;31:427-429.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Association Between Diabetes and Mental Disorders in Two American Indian Reservation Communities
Jiang et al.
Diabetes Care 2007;30:2228-2229.
FULL TEXT  

Physical and Mental Comorbidity, Disability, and Suicidal Behavior Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Large Community Sample
Sareen et al.
Psychosom. Med. 2007;69:242-248.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Role of Providers in Mental Health Services Offered to American-Indian Youths
Stiffman et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2006;57:1185-1191.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Electrophysiological Responses to Affective Stimuli in American Indians Experiencing Trauma With and Without PTSD
EHLERS et al.
Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2006;1071:125-136.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Help Seeking for Substance Use Problems in Two American Indian Reservation Populations
Beals et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2006;57:512-520.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Specialty Treatment Services and Race/ Ethnicity: A National Study of Children and Families Involved With Child Welfare
Libby et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2006;96:628-631.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Social Epidemiology of Trauma Among 2 American Indian Reservation Populations
Manson et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2005;95:851-859.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT