This application seeks support to establish the Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research to extend the Oregon Health Sciences University's efforts in advancing the highest quality research and leadership in several areas of inquiry that are of critical importance to the mental health of this special ppopulation. The proposed Center's administrative, clearinghouse, and technical assistance functions are designed to facilitate the accomplishment of a comprehensive research program and related research training opportunities that adress a number of mental health needs among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Accordingly, the specific aims of the Center include: 1) promoting excellence in mental health research and research training appropriate for American Indians and Alaska Natives; 2) assisting others in planning and implementing mental health research that is programmatically relevant to American Indians and Alaska Natives; 3) disseminating information through a professionally refereed journal, an annual monograph series, and computerized bibliographic information retrieval system that will guide the design, conduct, and interpretation of future mental health research pertaining to American Indians and Alaska Natives; 4) planning and carrying out an inter-disciplinary, problem-oriented research program which focuses on how American Indians and Alaska Natives cope with rapid life transitions, the epidemiologic patterns of the mental helth consequences of such transitions, the effectiveness of the systems of care which have emerged in response to these consequences, and methods of preventing and/or ameliorating the effects of said stressful transitions on identifiably high risk groups across the developmental life span, and 5) structuring research training as part of the foregoing program. The proposed Center thus will enhance significantly the small but growing body of knowledge with respect to the mental health of American Indians and Alaska Natives and will serve as a catalyst for future research of pragmatic as well as theoretical importance.
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