The Intergenerational Effects of Relocation Policies on Indigenous Families

Authors

Melissa L. Walls, University of Minnesota Medical School – DuluthFollow
Les B. Whitbeck, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

J Fam Issues. 2012 July 27; 33(9): 1272–1293.

Comments

© The Author(s) 2012. Published by SAGE Publications.

Abstract

This research utilizes life-course perspective concepts of linked lives and historical time and place to examine the multigenerational effects of relocation experiences on Indigenous families. Data were collected from a longitudinal study currently underway on four American Indian reservations in the Northern Midwest and four Canadian First Nation reserves where residents share a common Indigenous cultural heritage. This paper includes information from 507 10 – 12 year old Indigenous youth and their biological mothers who participated in the study. Results of path analysis revealed significant direct and indirect effects whereby grandparent-generation (G1) participation in government relocation programs negatively impacts not only G1 well being, but also ripples out to affect subsequent generations.