# Cultural Adaption of Behavioral Activation and Therapeutic Exposure for Grief Among American Indian People

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2024 · $1

## Abstract

Project Summary/ Abstract
Candidate: The overall goal of this K01 career development proposal is to provide me with the training
experience needed to become a leader in health equity research with American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN)
populations. My preliminary Community Based Participator Research (CBPR) work with AI/AN communities
showed that grief symptoms negatively impact health and wellness. As my research progressed, it became
clear that culturally grounded mental health services were needed for people struggling with losing a loved
one. These findings helped shape the direction for this K01 proposal, which aims to culturally adapt and pilot
test the feasibility of Behavioral Activation and Therapeutic Exposure for Grief (BATE-G) with AI/AN
participants. To accomplish research and training goals for this K01 project, I will work closely with community
partners and academic mentors. The training plan is structured to support training in: 1) designing randomized
control trials for behavioral health interventions, 2) developing advanced quantitative analysis skills, 3)
developing and leading CBPR projects, and 4) developing skills in implementation science. The mentorship
team will also provide guidance throughout the proposed research project.
Research: AI/AN populations in the United States have the highest early death rates for young people
compared to White, Black, and Hispanic populations.1-4 High mortality rates in AI/AN communities are
attributed to chronic illness, accidental injuries, interpersonal violence/homicide, and suicide.1, 5 Experiencing
the sudden or unexpected death of a loved one increases the risk of developing disabling grief-related
symptoms, which can lead to Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD).6 PCBD is characterized
impairing
PCBD
with
and
evidence-based
by
symptoms of depression and PTSD among surviving family and friends. Importantly, research on
in AI/AN communities is extremely limited, and no evidence-based treatments (EBTs) have been tested
this population. This is sadly unsurprising as AI/AN people are typically underrepresented in clinical trials
are underserved with regard to evidence-based behavioral health treatments. 7, To address the need for
treatments for grief in AI/AN populations, will
8
I 1) conduct focus groups (4 groups of 6 people)
to gain feedback on the acceptability of the BATE-G intervention and generate possible adaptations, 2) work
with community partners to adapt the BATE-G intervention in light of the focus group findings, and 3) conduct a
single group feasibility trial of the culturally adapted BATE-G telehealth intervention and study components with
adult AI/AN (N = 20) who have experienced the loss of someone close to them due to accidental death. The
feasibility
community-based
plan
test of this culturally adapted treatment for PCBD delivered through telemedicine technology by
paraprofessionals will inform future RCT R01 grant projects. The K01 research and training
fulf...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10852092
- **Project number:** 1K01MD019282-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie A Gameon
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2024-09-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10852092

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10852092, Cultural Adaption of Behavioral Activation and Therapeutic Exposure for Grief Among American Indian People (1K01MD019282-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10852092. Licensed CC0.

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