This is an introductory article for the special issue on “Advancing Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Health” of the Asian American Journal of Psychology. It provides a demographic and historical overview of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in the United States as well as the most pressing physical and mental health issues faced by these communities. In so doing, this article provides the larger cultural and social context for the studies that comprise this special issue. The eight articles in this special issue reflect the current “state of the science” in Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander health-related research across two broad domains—behavioral health and chronic medical disease disparities. Each article in this special issue is summarized with a focus on its unique contribution to advancing Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander health. In addition, the current challenges and opportunities for advancing Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander health are explored, which include a call for data disaggregation from Asian populations, moving the science from characterizing health disparities to real-world solutions, conducting culturally responsive research, and diversifying the health science workforce to include Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
The results of this study suggest that problems with alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco, will become an increasingly important issue for the Indochinese refugee community. Although the problem is relatively small in comparison to the magnitude of the problem among other disadvantaged populations, the refugees still view this issue as troublesome for their community, especially for the younger generation. A significant number of refugees use alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco, as coping mechanisms to deal with their problems, and find their own behavior troublesome. This warrants further study in order to find the conditions under which substance abuse can be decreased and prevented. The present study suggests that adjustment and mental health problems, with the lack of social and institutional support, may be one of the major reasons refugees turn to psychoactive substances to alleviate their stresses and to forget their problems. Substance abuse among refugees creates enormous health risks for a population that is already at greater risk than the general American population. Preventive measures should be implemented at this critical moment in time so that this small problem will not grow into a larger one.
The American Psychological Association Health Care for the Whole Person Task Force was formulated to provide a rationale for integrating behavioral health services in primary care. Collectively, the task force called for a transformation of the biomedical system into one based on the biopsychosocial model. This article is a summary of the Women's Health Committee position paper that reviewed contextual factors in women's health, provided recommendations for clinical service action, and recommended an integrated primary health care system to address women's health needs. This article provides a vision of integrated care and a practical guide for psychology practitioners as they collaborate with other health care providers and health policy groups to improve health outcomes for women over the life course.
Overall results suggest that the conceptualization of depression among this sample of Vietnamese refugees has both universal and culturally specific features. Implications for providing culturally responsive mental health services are offered.
The health status and health outcomes of many ethnic minorities have remained poor, or have deteriorated, despite massive health promotion campaigns. Multiple factors that encourage ethnic minorities to engage in high-risk behaviors and those that discourage health promotive behaviors must be closely examined before any health interventions are likely to be successful in decreasing substance abuse, high-risk sex, accidental deaths and injuries, and violence. Cultural and contextual factors may put some ethnic minorities in jeopardy and at higher risk for poorer health than their White counterparts (B. W. K. Yee, 1995, in press). This review article identifies contributing factors in high-risk behaviors and highlights research gaps for Americans of African, Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic descent.
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