Co-Hosted with the UC Davis Psychology Department

American Indian (AI) children grow up with disproportionately high levels of exposure to stressful life events due to structural adversity and systemic racism. Extensive research shows that chronic stress harms executive function (EF) development, contributing to poorer developmental outcomes. Yet, protective factors exist, with culture a potent protector of well-being. In Study 1, we examined how structural adversity shapes EF using parent reports of adversity and youth performance-based EF tasks. In Study 2, guided by the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory, we tested whether cultural connectedness buffers the negative effects of stress using youth self-reports. Across both studies, more frequent stress exposure predicted poorer EF performance. In Study 2, higher cultural and spiritual connectedness moderated associations between perceived discrimination and cognitive flexibility difficulties, which in turn related to fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Together, these results highlight the dual influence of stress and cultural strengths on EF and mental health among AI youth.

Monica Tsethlikai, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. Her unique background as an enrolled member of the Zuni Nation and an Indigenous Nations Studies scholar in combination with a doctoral degree in cognitive psychology has guided her research on American Indian children’s engagement in cultural and spiritual activities in relation to cognitive development and well-being. Her most recent publications have examined the protective nature of caregiver’s cultural connectedness for urban American Indian children’s mental health, and the development of mental health and executive functions in relation to stress (measured by caregiver report and cortisol levels in children’s hair). She also contributes to research on a culturally grounded parenting intervention for urban American Indian families with colleagues at Arizona State University.