Lewis Jordan P, Allen James
WWAMI School of Medical Education, UAA College of Health, 3211 Providence Drive, HSB 301, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA.
University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, 236 SMed, 1035 University Drive, Duluth, MN, 55812-3031, USA.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2017 Jun;32(2):209-222. doi: 10.1007/s10823-017-9314-8.
This article builds on the People Awakening (PA) Project, which explored an Alaska Native (AN) understanding of the recovery process from alcohol use disorder and sobriety. The aim of this study is to explore motivating and maintenance factors for sobriety among older AN adult participants (age 50+) from across Alaska. Ten life history narratives of Alaska Native older adults, representing Alutiiq, Athabascan, Tlingit, Yup'ik/Cup'ik Eskimos, from the PA sample were explored using thematic analysis. AN older adults are motivated to abstain from, or to quit drinking alcohol through spirituality, family influence, role socialization and others' role modeling, and a desire to engage in indigenous cultural generative activities with their family and community. A desire to pass on their accumulated wisdom to a younger generation through engagement and sharing of culturally grounded activities and values, or indigenous cultural generativity, is a central unifying motivational and maintenance factor for sobriety. The implications of this research indicates that family, role expectations and socialization, desire for community and culture engagement, and spirituality are central features to both AN Elders' understanding of sobriety, and more broadly, to their successful aging. Future research is needed to test these findings in population-based studies and to explore incorporation of these findings into alcohol treatment programs to support older AN adults' desire to quit drinking and attain long-term sobriety. Sobriety can put older AN adults on a pathway to successful aging, in positions to serve as role models for their family and community, where they are provided opportunities to engage in meaningful indigenous cultural generative acts.
本文基于“人民觉醒”（PA）项目展开，该项目探索了阿拉斯加原住民（AN）对酒精使用障碍康复过程及保持清醒的理解。本研究的目的是探究阿拉斯加各地50岁及以上的AN成年参与者保持清醒的激励因素和维持因素。使用主题分析法，对来自PA样本的10名阿拉斯加原住民老年人的生活史叙述进行了探究，这些老年人分别代表阿留申人、阿萨巴斯卡人、特林吉特人、尤皮克/库皮克爱斯基摩人。AN老年人通过灵性、家庭影响、角色社会化、他人的榜样作用以及与家人和社区参与本土文化生成活动的愿望，受到激励去戒酒或停止饮酒。通过参与和分享基于文化的活动及价值观，即本土文化生成性，将积累的智慧传承给年轻一代的愿望，是保持清醒的核心统一激励因素和维持因素。本研究的意义表明，家庭、角色期望与社会化、对社区和文化参与的渴望以及灵性，既是AN老年人对清醒的理解的核心特征，更广泛地说，也是他们成功老龄化的核心特征。未来需要开展基于人群的研究来验证这些发现，并探索将这些发现纳入酒精治疗项目，以支持AN老年成年人戒酒并实现长期清醒的愿望。保持清醒可以使AN老年成年人走上成功老龄化的道路，使他们能够成为家人和社区的榜样，并有机会参与有意义的本土文化生成行为。
