Pacific peoples, mental health service engagement and suicide prevention in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

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.

Suicidal behaviours among adolescents from 90 countries: a pooled analysis of the global school-based student health survey

“…Countries in the Pacific Region, including Samoa, experienced epidemic youth suicide rates between 1960 to 1995 with a peak in 1980 [ 30 ]. High suicide rates in Samoa continued until 2013 despite significant investments in prevention programs [ 31 ]. More recent estimates from Samoa (2016) show a 20–40% decrease of adult suicide mortality attributed largely to the success in a ban on lethal pesticides like paraquat [ 4 , 32 – 35 ].…”

Pasifika preferences for mental health support in Australia: focus group study

“…Our research mirrors others who have found that Pasifika people are more likely to access services which consider different cultural perspectives and seek to deliver more holistic care. 23,24,25 Official resettlement support programmes could include discussions of mental health issues and support. This would help newly arriving families know what to expect from acculturation and where to seek help.…”

UNDERSTANDING PASIFIKA MENTAL HEALTH IN NEW ZEALAND: A review of the literature

“…Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Previous work has demonstrated that Pacific mental health beliefs can differ from Western beliefs due to their contrasting perspectives regarding mental distress, cultural identity, and social and familial connection and obligation (Canfield & Cunningham, 2004;Culbertson, 1999;Hezel, 1994;Tiatia-Seath, 2014;Vaioleti, 2006;Vaka, 2014). Higher rates of mental distress among Pacific populations in NZ may reflect greater barriers to accessing mental health services, greater burden of economic inequality and cultural differences in mental health beliefs.…”