Research From a Diné-Centered Perspective and the Development of a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership

Abstract

Purpose. Indigenous (Diné) communities have long endured high rates of behavioral and mental health diseases like depression, drug and alcohol dependency, and suicide due to historical trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Western research methods used to address these issues have often failed to provide sufficient understanding of the culturally nuanced dynamics underpinning these health disparities in Indigenous contexts. As a result, Indigenous health disparities have actually increased and complex culture-based relationships that influence health outcomes are underconceptualized. Aim. For the first time a community-based participatory research approach from a Diné perspective is introduced to three Navajo communities in New Mexico to collaboratively explore their perspectives about community-engaged research and community well-being from a Diné lens. The overarching research question was: Can a community-based participatory research approach embedded within a Diné research paradigm be utilized to develop a culturally centered intervention approach? Methods. The study utilized a mixed method approach that included surveys and focus groups. Results. Six overarching themes emerged that underscored the important role of utilizing a community-based participatory Diné-centered approach to define community well-being and increase community agency to address their own health disparities. Conclusion. Indigenous-centered community-engaged research can potentially become an intervention approach for informing Indigenous communities’ understandings of well-being by drawing upon local cultural Indigenous knowledge. This study demonstrated that developing an effective community-engaged research partnership to address health disparities in a Diné context must be informed by a Diné paradigm grounded in local community cultural knowledge.