About this session

Thursday, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

To heal, grow, and thrive: Engaging Indigenous Paradigms and Perspectives in Developmental Science

Background – Monica Tsethlikai & Adam Hoffman
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples (2023) noted the need for research that systematically and rigorously establishes connections between “the compounded, multiple effects of hundreds of years of colonialist systems and practices” (p. 2) and health. The forthcoming Special Section in CD advances the field by moving us towards considering both social determinants of health and wellbeing as well as historical determinants. The research also promotes Indigenous theories and methodologies by focusing on Indigenous perspectives, values, and worldviews. Importantly, all the studies focused on health promotion and resilience across development among Indigenous children.

Indigenous child development research is underrepresented in top developmental journals, representing only 0.5% of the literature. The journal with the greatest Indigenous child development research representation was the journal that focused on the psychology of ethnic/racial minoritized individuals, not a developmental journal. Across all journals, the articles primarily focused on cognitive, social, and clinical psychological development, with a relatively equal distribution across these domains, with cognitive development slightly underrepresented (27%) compared to clinical and social development (35% and 38%, respectively). Adolescents were more strongly represented in the literature (61%) than infants and children (27%). Studies that involved parents were the least represented (12%).

Increased research is needed to better understand the experiences of Indigenous youth and their development. There is a particular need for increased research in clinical and social development domains. Very little is known about Indigenous adolescents' cognitive development; thus, more research would benefit our understanding of the cognitive changes occurring at this time. Research regarding parents' role and influence on youth development is needed across domains but is particularly needed in clinical psychology.

Indigenous samples from outside of North America were severely underrepresented. The development of Indigenous children in non-Western cultures rarely receives any empirical attention. This reflects the general state of psychology and the broader field of developmental science, which continue to be dominated by samples and researchers from the US and other Western countries despite concerted efforts to increase international representation for more than a decade (Thalmayer et al., 2021). Although Indigenous children around the world face many of the same challenges, such as marginalization, discrimination, as well as unequal access to education and social services, non-Western Indigenous children face additional/specific challenges that reflect the culture and sociohistorical development of their countries.

Recommendations for a Path Forward – Monica Tsethlikai & Ashley Cole
We call for increased future publications with Indigenous communities and by Indigenous scientists in developmental science. To meet this goal, we recommend that developmental science journals broadly increase Indigenous representation at every level of the editorial process. To help facilitate this recommendation, increased mentoring of early-career Indigenous scientists and allied researchers working with Indigenous communities is needed. Currently, the most recent disaggregated data indicate only 0.2% of APA members are American Indian (APA, 2017) compared to 3% of the U.S. population being American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples (US Census Bureau, 2020). This is a vast underrepresentation, evidencing inequities of Indigenous Peoples in higher education, specifically in psychology. Planning for longer review timelines than those typically outlined in Western academic journals, in both special issues and general manuscript submissions, is another recommendation that may help offset some of the unique complexities associated with working with Indigenous communities and appropriately conducting research using Indigenous theoretical perspectives and methodologies (e.g., Community-Based Participatory Research; CBPR, tribal best practices).

Researchers interested in working with Indigenous communities are encouraged to cultivate and practice “the principles of respect, receptivity, generosity, humility, compassion, and care” and build “the skills of attention, deep listening, and service” (Hughes et al., 2023, p. 509). Engaging in CBPR methods is imperative when conducting research with Indigenous communities. These methods call for the inclusion of communities in the research process from the study's inception to the dissemination of the results. Following CBPR principles, Waters and colleagues (2024) illustrated the power of conducting research led by the community, with full partnership and collaboration throughout the process, including publication. By partnering with the community, the researchers obtained rich personal stories and knowledge about the role of culture and history in shaping caregiver roles in their community.

Allies Partnering with Indigenous Peoples and Communities – Barbara Rogoff, Sara Waters, & Adam Hoffman
While we work towards increasing the number of Indigenous researchers, allies play an important role in moving the field forward. Research with Indigenous populations should be approached with great care by all researchers, especially non-Indigenous researchers. Indeed, many Indigenous communities are wary of, and in some cases, refuse to engage in partnerships with researchers due to past harmful and abusive research practices.

Conclusion – all panelists & moderator
The focus on strengths provides an important way forward in addressing the well-documented legacy of settler colonialism, including the myriad negative statistics on health, education, incarceration, substance use, and victimization that characterize Indigenous children and youth (United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, 2023). It is important to acknowledge that Indigenous children worldwide face many continuing challenges and barriers to healthy development and move past Western methods that focus on deficits and pathology. It is time for all researchers in developmental science to “radically imagine their research as a transformative tool” (Bowleg, 2021, p. 238) and join Indigenous researchers in advancing strengths-based approaches centered in love (O’Keefe et al., 2023) - love for the community and, most importantly, love for all children worldwide.

The focus on positive child development among Indigenous children has largely been absent from developmental science. In this Conversation Roundtable, several contributors to the forthcoming Indigenous Child Development special section in Child Development will share the process of the special section, share collective lessons learned, provide recommendations for research with Indigenous children and families, and call for increased research with Indigenous children and families within the developmental and psychology literatures. This conversation roundtable will be moderated by Ashley Cole. For the special section, we sought to address continuing inequities in valuing Indigenous knowledge and voices by soliciting articles identifying cultural and strengths-based factors Indigenous children, youth, and families cultivated and leveraged to promote positive healthy development. In our introduction to the special section, we provide an overview of the research included with attention to the ways these articles advance Indigenous paradigms and methodology through a focus on the unique histories and strengths of four distinct Indigenous communities. We conclude by discussing how to promote continued growth and inclusiveness in developmental science positioned in Indigenous communities. The focus on positive child development among Indigenous children has largely been absent from developmental science. In this Conversation Roundtable, several contributors to the forthcoming Indigenous Child Development special section in Child Development will share the process of the special section, share collective lessons learned, provide recommendations for research with Indigenous children and families, and call for increased research with Indigenous children and families within the developmental and psychology literatures. This conversation roundtable will be moderated by Ashley Cole. For the special section, we sought to address continuing inequities in valuing Indigenous knowledge and voices by soliciting articles identifying cultural and strengths-based factors Indigenous children, youth, and families cultivated and leveraged to promote positive healthy development. In our introduction to the special section, we provide an overview of the research included with attention to the ways these articles advance Indigenous paradigms and methodology through a focus on the unique histories and strengths of four distinct Indigenous communities. We conclude by discussing how to promote continued growth and inclusiveness in developmental science positioned in Indigenous communities.

Session moderator
Dr. Ashley Brooke Cole, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, United States

Panelists
Monica M. Tsethlikai, Ph.D., Arizona State University , United States
Dr. Adam J. Hoffman, Ph.D., Cornell University , United States
Barbara Rogoff, Ph.D., University of California - Santa Cruz , United States
Dr. Sara F. Waters, Ph.D., Washington State University , United States

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