The role and efficacy of native paraprofessional home visitors in reducing behavioral health disparities in indigenous populations

This doctoral dissertation examines a paraprofessional approach to promoting behavioral health among indigenous populations specifically within American Indian communities in rural reservation lands in the United States (US). It reports on a series of three randomized controlled trials of a home-visiting intervention, called "Family Spirit," administered by indigenous paraprofessionals to American Indian teen mothers to prevent maternal and child behavioral health problems. It includes a discussion of the intervention’s underlying theoretical model; the evaluation methods and findings; the theoretical and clinical relevance of the results; and recommendations for future research and intervention approaches.