Description

The Cherokee Self-Reliance Measure is a 24-item Likert scale instrument designed to assess self-reliance within Native cultural contexts. The measure originated as the Cherokee Self-Reliance Measure, which was developed to evaluate the Cherokee life-way of self-reliance as a composite of three cultural domains: being responsible, being disciplined, and being confident. Two overarching cultural themes cut across these domains: being true to oneself and being connected. These concepts were identified through the Cherokee Self-Reliance Model, which reflects the holistic and interconnected worldview of Cherokee culture. The instrument was later adapted for broader use with other Native groups, including Plains tribes, and renamed the Native Self-Reliance Measure. It has been used in intervention studies with Native adolescents to assess strengths-based cultural protective factors against substance use.

AI/AN Communities where the measure has been used

Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma); Native American Indian adolescents from Plains tribes in southwestern Oklahoma

Demographics of AI/AN participants where the scale has been used

  • Cherokee high school students ages 13–18, enrolled in participating schools, referred for substance abuse counseling, with active parental consent (Lowe, 2006).
  • Adolescents ages 16–19 from southwestern Oklahoma Plains tribes, enrolled in grades 10–12, identified as at risk for substance abuse, with parental permission (Patchell, 2011).

Notes on adaptations or modifications

  1. Original instrument was called the Cherokee Self-Reliance Measure.
  2. Adapted to become the Native Self-Reliance Measure by replacing the word “Cherokee” with “Native” or “tribe,” to increase cultural relevance for Plains Indian participants (with permission of the original instrument author).

Modality and administration

Self-report; self-administered questionnaires delivered in schools

Scoring

Exact scoring method unspecified. 24-item with Likert-type response scale (“Strongly disagree” = 1 to “Strongly agree” = 5). Higher scores indicate greater levels of Native self-reliance.

Psychometric evidence

Lowe (2006) reported good reliability for the Cherokee Self-Reliance Questionnaire (α = .84).

Citation(s)

  • Lowe, J. (2006). Teen intervention project–Cherokee (TIP-C). Pediatric Nursing, 32(5), 495–500.
  • Patchell, B. A. (2011). Native American Indian adolescents: Response to a culturally tailored, school-based substance abuse intervention (Doctoral dissertation, New Mexico State University). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Disclaimer: The included citations are not exhaustive, but represent the examples we had access to. If you are an original author or have other work that could be included here, please contact us.