Objective: To describe the health status over time of Māori secondary school students in New Zealand compared to European students.

This study suggests that given the high rates of suicide ideation and attempts among Pacific young people, targeted trials for new ways of support should be prioritized for this high-risk group. The Pacific family environment, which continues to be the critical space for intervening, and the school environment, as a provider of health services, were both protective of suicide attempt.

Recent studies and increased media reporting across Australasia have linked young Pacific maleelite athletes to depression, suicide, and other adverse mental health-related events. Despite these accounts,little is known about the way this group experience emotions and mental wellbeing. The aim of this studywas to explore young Pacific male athletes’ perceptions and experiences of emotions and mental wellbeing.This qualitative study involved 20 face-to-face interviews with young Pacific males (16–24 years) engaged inelite rugby union and rugby league programmes in Auckland, New Zealand. The results identified thatathletes defined mental wellbeing in a holistic and relational manner and perceived and mental wellbeing asthe culmination of several interconnected factors, including: Family support, reciprocating family support,living a ‘well-balanced’ life, athletic performance, and personal development away from sports. Themaintenance of a well-balanced athletic identity and positive social relations were deemed central tosustaining mental wellbeing for these young men.

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.

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:198285 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -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. Design/methodology/approach -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. Findings -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.