ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6123-4023

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA in Clinical Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Elizabeth Brondolo

Second Advisor

Melissa Peckins

Abstract

Since the 16th century, American Indians/Alaska Natives have faced significant traumatic events including loss of tribal lands and forced removal of family; these events are historical trauma exposure. Historical trauma can be assessed through historical loss thinking, a potential sequela from historical trauma. Historical loss thinking is the frequency of thoughts about communal loss (e.g., land and language loss) and has been consistently associated with negative psychological outcomes including negative emotions (i.e., depression/sadness, anger, anxiety/nervousness), substance use, and suicidality (Edinoff et al., 2024; Gone et al., 2019; Smallwood et al., 2021; Whitbeck et al., 2004). Though historical loss thinking is consistently associated with negative psychological outcomes in American Indians/Alaska Natives, only one study to date has explored the association between historical loss thinking and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), a risk factor for physical health outcomes including cardiovascular disease (John-Henderson et al., 2022). This study found a positive relationship between historical loss thinking and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure (BP). However, its ABP assessment did not examine BP changes across daily activities/states. The association of historical loss thinking to negative emotions may mediate the association of historical loss thinking to ABP, however, this hypothesis has not been tested. The present study assesses the relations of historical loss thinking to negative emotions and ABP for a sample of 253 urban-dwelling American Indians/Alaska Natives. ABP and negative emotion data were collected every 20 minutes using ambulatory monitors and daily diaries. Analyses found a significant interaction between historical loss thinking and Time Period (waking vs nocturnal) wherein historical loss thinking is significantly associated with nocturnal SBP (β = 1.42, p = 0.02) and DBP (β = 1.20, p = 0.01) but not waking SBP and DBP. We found a significant relationship of historical loss thinking to daily anger, nervousness, and depression, but no relationship of any negative emotion to nocturnal BP, suggesting negative emotions does not mediate the relation of historical loss thinking to nocturnal BP. Historical loss thinking appears to play a role in the mental and physical health of American Indians/Alaska Natives; further research must explore mediators of these effects.

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