title: Utilizing drumming for American Indians/Alaska Natives with substance use disorders: a focus group study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drumming has been utilized among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes for centuries to promote healing and self-expression. Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans (DARTNA), currently under development, is a substance abuse treatment utilizing drumming as a core component.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Focus groups were conducted to assist in the development of the DARTNA protocol. Feedback obtained from these focus groups will inform a subsequent pretest of DARTNA and an empirical study analyzing its effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three focus groups were conducted among AIs/ANs with substance use disorders (n = 6), substance abuse treatment providers (n = 8), and a community advisory board (n = 4) to solicit feedback prior to a pretest of the DARTNA protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, participants indicated that DARTNA could be beneficial for AIs/ANs with substance use disorders. Four overarching conceptual themes emerged across the focus groups: (1) benefits of drumming, (2) importance of a culture-based focus, (3) addressing gender roles in drumming activities, and (4) providing a foundation of common AI/AN traditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DARTNA protocol is a potentially beneficial and culturally appropriate substance abuse treatment strategy for AIs/ANs. In order to optimize the potential benefits of a substance abuse treatment protocol utilizing drumming for AIs/ANs, adequate attention to tribal diversity and gender roles is needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the shortage of substance abuse treatments utilizing traditional healing activities for AIs/ANs, including drumming, results from this study provide an opportunity to develop an intervention that may meet the unique treatment needs of AIs/ANs.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , Los Angeles, CA 90025–7535, USA. daniel.dickerson@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Robichaud
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teruya
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagaran
authors.forename: Yih-Ing
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Hser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009147:Music Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology