anna rita spein, m.d., ph.d. center for sami health research, karasjok

Revkjavik, Iceland 23.08.2010.

The influence of religious factors on drinking behavior among young indigenous Sami and non-Sami peers in northern Norway

Anna Rita Spein, M.D., Ph.D.Center for Sami Health Research, Karasjok.Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway. E-mail: [email protected]


Co-authors:Roald Kristiansen, Marita Melhus & Siv Kvernmo

Sami Parliament, Karasjok


SAPMI: northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland & the Russian Kola Peninsula

Estimated population size: 100 000

70% of the Sami is residing in Norway

Have their own culture and language

Norway: formal status as indigenous people

Historical: colonization of Sapmi, assimilation (Norway) and separation (Sweden) policy

Norway: 10% semi nomadic reindeer herding

SAPMI – The Sami people


Semi nomadic reindeer herding


Summary of drinking among young Sami• Higher abstinence rates/lower lifetime prevalence• Less current drinking, less intoxication and binge drinking • Higher parental abstinence rates; 49% of mothers & 24% of the fathers in the Sami Highland

•Higher alcohol involvement among assimilated Sami•Strong Sami/ethnic identity was associated with less binging•Sami reported more often public drinking• Sami reported more often worries from family and friends about their drinking


Religion in Sami

Pre-Christian religion – shamanistic - Sami folk music or sacred drum (”runebomma”)

”Christianity of Sami” – Laestadianism: pietistic & conservative Lutherian revival movement

Founder Swedish/Sami priest Lars Levi Læstadius in the mid 1900 century

Alcohol was regarded as contrary to Christian values – a sin - and a threat to the Sami nomadic lifestyle (Kvist, 1986; Sköld

& Kvist, 1988)


Hypothesis

Less drinking observed among Sami due to their strong influence of Laestadianism (Larsen, 1993)

Lower alcohol consumption level found among people 18 years and older in the Sami highland when compared to county average – higher church attendance rate – when compared to county/national levels (Saglie & Larsen, 1996)


STUDY AIMS

To examine weather earlier noted ethnic differences in drinking behavior among young indigenous Sami and non-Sami peers

could be partly or fully explained by correlates of

religious affiliation (Laestadianism) and religious importance (personal Christian) when controlling for socio-demographic

(ethnicity) and parental drinking and monitoring


The North Norwegian Youth Study (NNYS) – design & sample

Longitudinal, questionnaire survey: (T1) 1994/95 & (T2) 1997/98. T1 sample: totally 2950, including 375 Sami (22%)

T1: school-based study (RR: 85%)

T2: school based ＆ postal questionnaire study (RR: 58%)

T1: 21 high schools in communities in the three northern most counties having an ethnic diverse population

Based on youth self-report, including several different issues related to both physical and mental health


Measuring Sami ethnicity (Aubert, 1978; Høgmo, 1986; Kvernmo & Heyerdahl, 2003)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Ethnic group/self-identif ication

Parents Sami-speaking

Parents Sami ethnicity

Grandparents Sami-speaking

Sami language or ethnicity

Figures

Sami


Findings:

Ethnic differences in religious factors: Religious importance: personal Christian Yes vs. No Sami vs. non-Sami: 14% vs. 7%, p≤.001.

Religious affiliation (Laestadian affiliation or background, either the youth themselves, or their parents seperately)

Yes vs. No Sami vs. non-Sami: 10% vs. 3%, p≤.001.


Findings: Religion was associated with…

Across ethnic groups……… Higher youth abstinence rates Less current drinking Less alcohol intoxication Higher parental (mother & father) abstinence rates …no association were found to public drinking venue

In non-Sami: Less binge drinking (personal Christian only) Less party drinking


Findings: stepwise logistic regression

Sami ethnicity was only significant associated with 2/6 alcohol measures

when controlling for religious, socio-demographic and parental factors

- Current drinking

- Party drinking


Conclusions Laestadianism with it`s religious–socio-

cultural context of abstinence contribute to less drinking among indigenous Sami

Religious – strong anti alcohol norms Social (-environmental)– Upbringing in a

Laestadian family or community context –less drinking - fewer drinking role models

Cultural markers of Sami values

-


References based on the NNYS:

•Kvernmo, S., (ed.), Johansen, Y., Spein, A.R. & Silviken, A.C. (2003) Young in Samiland, pp.51-56. Tromsø: Center for Sami Health Research, Department of Communtity Medicine, University of Tromsø.

•Spein, A.R., Sexton, H. & Kvernmo, S. (2006) Longitudinal drinking patters in indigenous Sami and non-indigenous youth in northern Norway. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse; 5 (3): 103-117.

Spein, A.R., Sexton, H. & Kvernmo, S. (2007) Substance use in young indigenous Sami: an ethnocultural and longitudinal perspective. Substance Use & Misuse; 42.


Thank you for your attention

Questions/references:

[email protected]

Photos:Anne Silviken

anna rita spein, m.d., ph.d. center for sami health research, karasjok

Documents

sami peoplerevkjavik

public drinking sami

young indigenous sami

nonsami peers

sami health research

sami nomadic lifestyle

drinking behavior

parental drinking