Doctoral Dissertation Research: Delocalized Knowledges: Conceptualizing Problem Gambling on an American Indian Reservation

University Of Oregon Eugene, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

0240263 O'Nell / Penickova Current studies suggest a significantly higher prevalence of psychiatrically defined "problem gambling" among Native Americans than among non-indigenous populations. Native Americans living on reservations typically obtain mental health care from federal government institutions employing primarily non-Native clinicians trained in Western psychology and psychiatry. Native Americans, however, have their own understandings of what constitutes mental illness and often point out the cognitive gulf among the non-Native clinicians and their clients. This dissertation research tests the hypothesis that there is a cognitive gulf between the Western Apaches living on a reservation in Eastern Arizona and the local clinicians in the conceptualization of "problem gambling." The researcher, a cultural anthropologist, will explore the explanations and definitions of mental illnesses recognized by tribal members and local mental health care providers. Using data from an extensive series of focused interviews, she will compare the two groups' explanations and definitions of "problem gambling" and examine how these, and explanations of mental illnesses generally, overlap or diverge. The research will provide a detailed examination of how tribal definitions are represented in local diagnostic practice. The new knowledge generated by this research will add to our understanding of disordered behavior in a culturally diverse social setting. The broader impact from the analysis of the local definitions of "problem gambling" will inform the development of more culturally sensitive, and locally relevant diagnostic instruments, leading to more effective counseling and education programs. The project also contributes to the education of a young social scientist.