Resilience and Low Substance Use Among Indigenous College Students from a Sexual Assault Prevention Study

While Indigenous communities have thrived for centuries despite colonization, Indigenous Peoples continue to experience high rates of sexual victimization and are rarely included in sexual assault prevention and intervention research. Given the common risk factors associated with experiencing sexual assault, including substance use, it is vital to understand the unique strengths and challenges of Indigenous young adults to inform prevention and intervention efforts. The goal of this study was to simultaneously examine resilience and risk factors associated with sexual assault using a multi-methods design. First, a large, national, quantitative survey to assess sexual assault–related mental health needs was conducted among Indigenous college students at 8 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and 50 predominantly White institutions (PWIs), which resulted in a sample of n = 401 survey participants. Qualitative interviews ( n = 14) were then conducted to complement the survey data from the perspective of Indigenous college students. Quantitatively, participants reported high levels of trauma history and, importantly, high levels of resilience and low levels of overall substance use compared to national heavy alcohol use guidelines. Qualitatively, findings suggest that Indigenous college students find strength in cultural and community engagement and recognize systemic inequities that contribute to sexual violence and substance use. This research provides a deeper understanding of the strengths possessed by Indigenous Peoples to help protect against substance use and sexual violence. Current findings help inform future research directions for developing culturally relevant sexual violence prevention and intervention programs coupled with substance use reduction.