Study shows higher rates of psychological distress among Pacific adults

A recent study from the University of Otago in Wellington has discovered that Pacific adults face disproportionately higher rates of psychological distress compared to non-Māori and non-Pacific adults.

The findings showed that while Pacific adults report high levels of psychological distress, they have lower rates of diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders.

This suggests significant barriers to accessing mental healthcare.

Joanna Ataera-Minster, lead researcher and PhD candidate in Psychological Medicine, suggested that factors such as racism, migration stress, and the ongoing impacts of colonisation significantly contribute to these mental health disparities.

In an interview with Pacific Mornings’ host William Terite, Ataera-Minster noted the differences between the Pasifika born in Aotearoa and those born overseas.

“With acculturation, we see the weakening of our social structures, our cultural connectedness, and the decline in the transmission of cultural aspects that are really health protective.

“These are things like our language and our values, and all of these things that are part of our culture as Pacific people that protect our mental health.”

The study also showed that disparities in mental health persist among different Pacific groups, including those born in New Zealand and multi-ethnic Pacific people, even when accounting for demographic and social factors.

“Even when you control for various social and demographic factors, we still have seen these differences that persist … it brings us back to what are the broader factors influencing our mental health,” Ataera-Minster said.

Watch Joanna Ataera-Minster's full interview below.

The study also highlights a low rate of mental health service usage among Pacific adults, a long-standing issue in Aotearoa.

Ataera-Minster pointed out that the challenges to accessing care go beyond physical and financial barriers.

She stressed the need for greater cultural understanding among mental health professionals.

“It’s about helping non-Pacific mental health professionals understand that there are other factors that influence Pacific mental health that need to be integrated into our care.

“We have quite relational concepts of mental health. The way we relate to others socially is very important to Pacific people … cultural aspects of our identity, our language is really important to our mental health.”

Ataera-Minster advocated for strengthening cultural connectedness to positively influence and reduce the mental health inequities experienced by Pacific people.”

Ataera-Minster also noted gaps in the study, including the lack of up-to-date data on Pacific mental health, calling for more regular and comprehensive national surveys.

The study highlights a low rate of mental health service usage among Pacific adults, a long-standing issue in Aotearoa. Photo/File.

“What we really, really need is better routine monitoring of national mental health through surveys like Te Rau Hinengaro, which use structured diagnostic interviews based on clinical criteria.”

Looking ahead, Ataera-Minster calls on the Government to address the ongoing issues of Pacific mental healthcare.

“The Government definitely needs to think about how we can build a sustainable Pacific mental health workforce and also equip our non-Pacific mental health workers to deliver the culturally safe care that we need to address these mental health inequities for Pacific people.”

This study is part of a two-phase cross-disciplinary research project, and its co-authors are Jesse Kokaua, Ruth Cunningham, and Susanna Every-Palmer.

The second phase will use General Social Survey data to examine the impact of identity as a key sociocultural factor on psychological well-being.

The findings are consistent with recent New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) results, which show Pacific adults are 1.3 times more likely to experience psychological distress than non-Māori and non-Pacific adults.

The complete findings are published in Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online. The journal analysed five years of data from NZHS between 2014/15 and 2018/19.

Click here for the University of Otago's press release on the study.

Joanna Ataera-Minster is the lead researcher and PhD candidate in Psychological Medicine. Photo/University of Otago