Defining positive mental wellbeing for New Zealand-born Cook Islands youth (original) (raw)
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Pacific peoples, mental health service engagement and suicide prevention in Aotearoa New Zealand
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the engagement of Pacific peoples in mental health services in Aotearoa New Zealand and Pacific strategies for suicide prevention. This qualitative study involved 22 interviews with Samoans who had made a suicide attempt and/or had suicide ideation, were engaged in a mental health service. Narratives of mental health services and suicide prevention focused on issues of cultural competency, the importance of family involvement, dichotomous views of western and traditional beliefs around mental illness and the unsuccessful engagement of Pacific youth. Originality/value – This research argues that cultural considerations for Pacific communities are of paramount importance if mental health service engagement and developments towards Pacific suicide prevention strategies are to be effective.
Frontiers in Public Health
Objectives: To explore the relationships between Māori cultural identity, ethnic discrimination and mental health outcomes for Māori youth in New Zealand. Study Design: Nationally representative, anonymous cross-sectional study of New Zealand secondary school students in 2012. Methods: Secondary analysis of Māori students (n = 1699) from the national Youth'12 secondary school students survey was undertaken. Theoretical development and exploratory factor analysis were undertaken to develop a 14-item Māori Cultural Identity Scale (MCIS). Māori students reporting > 8 items were classified as having a strong MCIS. Prevalence of indicators were reported and logistic regression models were used to explore how wellbeing (WHO-5), depressive symptoms (Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale-SF), and suicide attempts were associated with the MCIS. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, ethnic discrimination and NZ Deprivation Index (NZDep), a strong Māori cultural identity (MCIS) was associated with improved wellbeing scores (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.18-2.01) and fewer depressive symptoms (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.73). Experiencing discrimination was associated with poorer wellbeing scores (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.39-0.65), greater depressive symptoms (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.55-3.18), and a previous suicide attempt (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.71-3.58). Females less frequently reported good (WHO-5) wellbeing (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.26-0.42), increased (RADS-SF) depressive symptoms (2.61, 95% CI 1.86-3.64) and increased suicide attempts [OR 3.35 (2.07-5.41)] compared to males. Wellbeing, depressive symptoms and suicide attempts did not differ by age or neighborhood level socioeconomic deprivation, except those living in neighborhoods characterized as having medium level incomes, were less likely to have made a suicide attempt (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.27-0.91). Conclusions: Māori youth who have a strong cultural identity were more likely to experience good mental health outcomes. Discrimination has a serious negative impact on Māori youth mental health. Our findings suggest that programmes, policies and practice that promote strong cultural identities and eliminate ethnic discrimination are required to improve mental health equity for Māori youth.
A recent special section on cultural diversity across the Pacific, in this journal, highlighted the need for greater alignment between human services and cultural diversity in the region. Alignment entails detailing a local context. Samoan cultural constructs of emotion, particularly anger and shame, may precede suicidal behaviours among New Zealand-born (NZ-born) Samoan youth. These behaviours can stem from perceived ruptures in family unity, as youth partly identify with majority norms. A barrier to integration faced by acculturating youth is that the young person either lives with the shame of their offence, or avoids it by taking their life. It seems Samoan cultural constructs of emotion must be considered in effective service delivery for this population. Consistent with the articles in the special section, suicide prevention should focus on developing culturally competent tools tailored for NZ-born Samoan youth, so they may communicate their feelings without fear of disrupting cultural prescriptions and expectations, as well as functioning successfully in both the Samoan and Western worlds. Although the point is discussed in relation to one special population in the Pacific region, it is consistent with an emergent theme in the special section and subsequent commentaries: the need to integrate and acculturate human services.
Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide Attempt Among Indigenous Māori Youth in New Zealand
2011
The purpose of this study was to (1) describe risk and protective factors associated with a suicide attempt for Māori youth and (2) explore whether family connection moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts for Māori youth. Secondary analysis was conducted with 1702 Māori young people aged 12-18 years from an anonymous representative national school-based survey of New Zealand (NZ) youth in 2001. A logistic regression and a multivariable model were developed to identify risk and protective factors associated with suicide attempt. An interaction term was used to identify whether family connection acts as a moderator between depressive symptoms and a suicide attempt. Risk factors from the logistic regression for a suicide attempt in the past year were
He waipuna koropupū: Taranaki Māori wellbeing and suicide prevention
2017
The research project He Waipuna Koropupū aimed to explore and share a knowledge base that could inform practice in relation to Taranaki Māori suicide. The project was grounded upon the notion that through Taranaki knowledge and information we can make significant changes in our approach to life and to our whānau relationships. The project was primarily about whānau ora and the wellbeing of future generations; through the reclamation and sharing of Taranaki Māori knowledge that can support intergenerational change and transformation. Taranaki Māori whānau (extended family groupings), hapū (subtribal grouping) and iwi (tribal grouping) deserve access to Kaupapa Māori approaches in order to help reclaim and inform decision making processes.
Mental Health and Well-Being of First Year Pacific Students at a New Zealand University
Open Journal of Social Sciences
The mental health and well-being of tertiary students is a growing area of global concern. This prospective cohort study highlights the mental health and well-being of 144 Pacific students (response rate 78%) in their first year of tertiary studies. They are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in New Zealand. Participants completed two online surveys in 2019, on their socio-demography, mental health and well-being, and access to support services. Most participants (80% Survey 1, 74% Survey 2) well-being scores indicated a positive quality of life, and a sense of belonging to the University, where they were living (accommodation), and the wider local community. In contrast, at least half (55%) reported poor mental health comprising moderate to severe symptoms of psychological distress, anxiety and/or depression, which was significantly and negatively associated with well-being. Nearly one fifth reported all three forms of poor mental health. Current suicidal or selfharm thoughts were reported by 26% of the cohort; the majority also reported concurrent poor mental health. Actual self-harm was reported by 7%, who also met criteria for concurrent poor mental health. Overall, only one third with poor mental health sought help from professional support services on campus. Good mental health was associated with low current financial stress, a sense of belonging to various groups, and self-identifying as having sole-Pacific ethnicity (one or more Pacific ethnicities). These findings can inform higher education institutions and government policies to improve Pacific tertiary students' mental health and well-being outcomes in New Zealand.
2020
The aim of this paper is to present a case for reframing Māori suicide prevention research away from a strong emphasis on clinical research towards research that is more self-determining and historically and culturally contextualised. Rising levels of indigenous suicide have produced an intensified global focus on suicide prevention in indigenous, migrant and LGBTIQ populations. Suicide research in Aotearoa/New Zealand has largely disregarded the potential explanatory power of historical trauma and the inter-generational transfer of collective suffering on Māori suicide levels. Similarly, the effects of regular exposure to racism, daily micro-aggressions and structural violence are often overlooked as explanatory of Māori suicide. Instead, Māori suicide is generally viewed through a pathological, agentic and individualistic lens and Māori suicide prevention efforts framed and informed by a risk factor discursive minimising the historical and contemporary outcomes of pervasive and pe...
International Journal of Indigenous Health
The purpose of this study was to (1) describe risk and protective factors associated with a suicide attempt for Māori youth and (2) explore whether family connection moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts for Māori youth. Secondary analysis was conducted with 1702 Māori young people aged 12–18 years from an anonymous representative national school-based survey of New Zealand (NZ) youth in 2001. A logistic regression and a multivariable model were developed to identify risk and protective factors associated with suicide attempt. An interaction term was used to identify whether family connection acts as a moderator between depressive symptoms and a suicide attempt. Risk factors from the logistic regression for a suicide attempt in the past year were depressive symptoms (OR = 4.3, p < 0.0001), having a close friend or family member commit suicide (OR = 4.2, p < 0.0001), being 12–15 years old (reference group: 16–18 years) (OR = 2.7, p < 0.0...
Suicide mortality among Pacific peoples in New Zealand, 1996–2013
2017
This study is a review of all recorded suicide deaths for Pacific peoples in New Zealand over a 17-year period (1996–2013) and is the first of its kind. This will help in the planning of policies, programmes and services for mental health and suicide prevention and the need to be mindful of the shifting trends over time, in order to adequately and appropriately address the issue of Pacific mental health and suicide.