An Indigenous Model of Adaptive Cultural Practice: A Mixed-Method Exploratory Study with Taiwanese Indigenous Adults and Adolescents

Background and Purpose. As opposed to human-centric ontological beliefs, Indigenous peoples see all things and beings as interconnected (Lloyd et al., 2012). Their lived realities, including their worldviews, traditions, and their visions for the future, are thus centered on a sense of interconnectedness between people and all things across time and space (Chen et al., 2020). However, current quantitative research lacks measurements that can sensitively capture Indigenous cultural practices related to their inherent beliefs of interconnectedness. As suggested by Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit; Brayboy, 2005), Indigenous peoples are being studied under biased conceptualizations or measurements that are not aligned with their beliefs. In response to this, this study, using a mixed-method approach, aimed to (1) qualitatively develop a measurement tool that capture the way Taiwanese Indigenous peoples make sense of, cope with, and adapt to daily experiences, and (2) quantitatively test this measurement tool in situations of discrimination.

Method. The qualitative part of this study utilized the Life Story Interviews method (McAdams, 2008). Through the life stories of 11 Indigenous adults and the Psycho-Social Ethnography of the Commonplace (P-SEC; Gouliquer & Poulin, 2005) analytical method (which focuses on the way individuals make sense of and cope with their life events), a measurement tool of Indigenous adaptive cultural practices was developed. Before this tool was used in the quantitative part, it was discussed with selected Indigenous adult participants as well as a committee of Indigenous scholars and practitioners. This measurement tool was then tested with eighty-four Indigenous adolescents (junior high schoolers). Principal component analyses were conducted to identify the most relevant items for each domain of adaptive cultural practices. Moderating effects of adaptive cultural practices on adolescent mental health in response to discrimination were then examined.

Results. Three domains of adaptive cultural practices were discovered from the qualitative data with Indigenous adults, including the cognitive (8 items, e.g., As long as I get started, all those that will help things move along will come together; Cronbach’s α = .91), affective (6 items, e.g., I’ll work on how to make us as a group become better; Cronbach’s α = .86), and behavioral domains (6 items, e.g., I’ll observe and learn from adults the way they interact with people and do things; Cronbach’s α = .89). Regression analyses, using the adolescent quantitative data, showed that, among the three types of discrimination (i.e., individual, institutional, and cultural racism; Seaton, 2003), Indigenous adolescents who encountered more and being more affected by individual racism reported more anxiety. Furthermore, cognitive adaptive cultural practices appeared to moderate the effect of discrimination on anxiety. As the instances of discrimination and discomfort due to discrimination increased, those with more cognitive adaptive cultural practices did not show increasing anxiety.

Conclusions and Implications. This study attempted to create and validate a measurement tool that incorporates Indigenous cultural beliefs. We hope that this study may serve as a springboard for the scientific community to work collaboratively toward a future where measurement tools are aligned with the worldviews and experiences of Indigenous peoples.