Examining Historical Trauma in Current Native American College Students

There is clear evidence that past generations of Native Americans suffer significant effects from their history of trauma stemming from the loss of land and culture. The effects of historical trauma in Native Americans have been researched, but only within older generations.  This study examined the effects of historical trauma in current Native American college students at a public liberal arts college in the southwest.  Seventy Native American students from 28 tribes (56% identified Navajo as their primary tribal affiliation) were surveyed measuring depression, anxiety, resilience, coping abilities, compassion towards oneself and towards others, and historical trauma.  We found that the current generation of Native American students continues to experience similar levels of historical trauma as older generations. Native American students who experience historical loss have higher levels of depression, anxiety, negative feelings toward oneself and lower levels of resilience. Interestingly, we found that historical trauma was not correlated with blood quantum, gender, SES or drug and alcohol use. Our findings suggest a need for more research on the effects and potential treatment to increase resilience and reduce the impact of historical trauma.