Project Summary
American Indians (AIs) experience disproportionately high rates of alcohol-related problems (ARPs) including
hazardous alcohol use (e.g., HAU; heavy intensive or binge drinking) and alcohol-related consequences (ARC;
health, safety, legal, and social problems including injury and death) as compared to any other racial/ethnic
groups in the U.S.ARPs also hinder holistic well-being (HWB; mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health)
among AI peoples. ARPs among AI peoples is often intergenerational; rooted in social and structural
conditions; and related to loss/lack of cultural identity, social isolation, and deficits in healthy coping and life
skills. Despite an increasing understanding of etiological factors related to ARPs for AI peoples and a growing
number of culturally tailored (often surface level), mostly individually-focused programs to prevent and treat
ARPs among AIs, there is limited research evaluating AI-developed, culturally centered programs for AI people
that focus on foundational factors (e.g., trauma, loss, isolation) underlying ARPs. A highly promising approach
to reduce ARPs among AIs and promote holistic well-being is a culturally centered mentoring program that has
been developed and is currently being implemented by a Lakota-led nonprofit, Oaye Luta Okolakiciye (OLO).
The OLO mentoring program seeks to foster Lakota cultural identity, social connectedness, and healthy coping
and like skills through peer support, cultural immersion, traditional healing and skills training. Despite its strong
potential for reducing ARPs and promoting HWB among AI people, the culturally centered OLO mentoring
program has not been formally evaluated. The proposed project seeks to address this gap in preparation for a
fully powered R01. We have assembled an interdisciplinary team of Lakota stakeholders (e.g., Traditional
Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and Lakota health professionals) and highly accomplished action-oriented
researchers to lead this work. Aim 1 (Process Evaluation) includes documenting the OLO mentoring program
processes, strengths, challenges, acceptability and feasibility via a review of all OLO documentation (e.g.,
operating manuals) (Aim 1a), interviews with OLO mentoring program stakeholders (Aim 1b), and mentor-
mentee program engagement via weekly tracking logs (Aim 1c). Aim 2 (Outcome Evaluation) tests the
hypothesis that the OLO mentoring program will positively impact intermediary outcomes (i.e., Lakota cultural
identity, social connectedness, healthy life and coping skills) (Aim 2a). Given the lack of feasibility to recruit a
large enough sample, information about primary outcomes (i.e., reductions in HAU/ARC, alcohol abstinence,
and holistic well-being) will be collected primarily for descriptive purposes to inform a more rigorous R01
design (Aim 2b). Using matched mentor-mentee responses, we will examine how perceptions of the mentoring
process impact intermediary outcomes (Aim 2c). Finally, we will examine how mentee program engagement
impacts outcomes (Aim 2d). To complete these aims, mentees (n=50) will complete baseline, immediate-post-
test, and six-month post program surveys. Mentors (n=10) will also complete an immediate post-test.
