Social integration and suicide in the Western Pacific Islands

In the Western Pacific Islands, the rate of suicide was more common in those islands with faster growing populations, but not among the islands with larger total populations or with greater population densities. This offers partial support for some of the propositions of Durkheim and Lester.     

Suicide prevention in the Pacific War (WW II).

During the war against Japan, there were two facets of an American program to prevent suicide among the Japanese. One was a research component in the Foreign Morale Analysis Division (FMAD), a subunit of the Office of War Information. The principal FMAD figure who did most of the research on Japanese suicide and ways to prevent suicide among the Japanese military was the anthropologist Ruth Benedict, assisted by her Japanese-American aide Robert Hashima. The second facet was the suicide prevention program itself, which was put into effect toward the end of the war in the battles of Saipan and Okinawa. This program of action was undertaken by American GIs. These unheralded activities in suicide prevention merit a place in the annals of suicide prevention programs.     

Preferences for female body size in Britain and the South Pacific

To assess current attitudes to body weight and shape in the South Pacific, a region characterised by relatively high levels of obesity and traditionally positive views of large bodies, 38 high socio-economic status (SES) adolescent males and 38 low SES adolescent males in Independent Samoa were asked to rate a set of images of real women for physical attractiveness. Participants in both SES settings preferred women with a slender figure, as did a comparison group in Britain, suggesting that the traditional veneration of large bodies is no longer apparent in Samoa. However, the results also showed that low SES adolescents were more likely to view overweight figures as attractive, which suggests that the veneration of slim figures may be associated with increasing SES. Implications of this finding are discussed in conclusion.     

Suicidal Behavior in the Western Pacific Region: Characteristics and Trends

Current knowledge of suicidal behavior in the Western Pacific region is relatively limited when compared to other areas of the world. This area is characterized by a wide diversity of social, economic, and cultural aspects that do not permit any homogenous reading of suicide phenomena. Data from countries of the region included in this article suggest the existence of important differences among nations in terms of gender, age, and methods of suicide, as well role of mental illness. In addition, the Western Pacific region appears to be affected by higher rates of suicide than other areas in the world, with signs of progressive worsening in recent years and worrying predictions for the next two decades. The Suicide Trends in At‐Risk Territories (START) Study, initiated by the World Health Organization Regional Office in Manila, seeks to research the incidence of both fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior in countries of the region and to implement interventions for suicide attempters. This ambitious project is expected to standardize data collection procedures and improve the knowledge cultural factors in suicide.     

Pasifika in the news: the portrayal of Pacific peoples in the New Zealand press

Pacific Islanders have faced discrimination in New Zealand particularly since the 1960s when communities began to be transplanted from their home nations to Aotearoa as cheap immigrant labour. Subsequently, the New Zealand vernacular has contained references to Pacific Islanders as ‘overstayers’, ‘coconuts’, ‘bungas’ and ‘fresh off the boat’ [FOB]. However, the legacy of a domineering relationship between the Palagi 1 majority group and Pacific minorities 2 that is captured by such derogatory terms is still evident in public forums such as the media. Using a quantitative content and qualitative narrative analysis, this paper documents portrayals of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand print media reports (n = 65) published over a 3 month period. Findings reveal that Pacific people are predominantly portrayed as unmotivated, unhealthy and criminal others who are overly dependent on Palagi support. We consider this offered pacific identity formation with that implied for Palagi, which is active, independent, competent and caring. Issues in coverage are discussed in relation to how Pacific Islanders are encouraged to see themselves, and the health and social consequences of dominant practices in press coverage. We offer some suggestions as to how more equitable representations of Pacific people could be fostered in news media. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of the literature on Pacific Island youth offending in New Zealand

This review examines the current literature on Pacific youth offending in New Zealand. Pacific Island youth offenders are over-represented in the rates of violent offenses, despite not being overly represented in youth offending statistics. A major concern is that the Pacific population has the largest percentage of children and young people under 15 years old in New Zealand. Therefore, this is an issue to be faced by Pacific and wider communities in New Zealand. We focus on risk factors of offending, and its current impacts on Pacific Island youth in New Zealand. A literature review was conducted to explore some of the risk factors for offending looking at New Zealand studies and government reports. This was followed by a review of overseas literature regarding Pacific youths and their offending behavior. Following this, ethnic minorities were included in the literature review from New Zealand and international perspectives. Expectedly, results in this area are sparse. However, a number of efforts have been made to address this gap in the literature which this review included. The findings in this review make future recommendations for Pacific youth with offending behavior. These include that ethnicity should be taken into account when addressing research on youth offenders; data relating to the youth offender such as social and demographic history should also be considered for a more collaborative approach to researching and understanding this population; and more targeted studies towards this population are needed to improve the overall health of the Pacific Island population in New Zealand and overseas. Finally, existing programs and interventions currently in place for our Pacific youths with offending behavior needs to be evaluated to ensure it continues to meet the dynamic needs of our Pacific youth population.     

Career Interventions and the Career Thoughts of Pacific Island College Students

Students enrolled in a college success course were assigned to (a) a cognitive intervention using the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) workbook ( Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1996b ), (b) an occupational research project involving an oral report, and (c) a control condition. The workbook condition had a significant effect on the CTI total score, whereas the research condition and the control condition did not. Both workbook and research conditions had a significant positive effect on decision‐making confusion and commitment anxiety.     

Lifeboat politics in the Pacific: Affect and the ripples and shimmers of a migrant saturated future

Affect is explored in relation to the governance of irregular migrants and asylum seekers that turn such vulnerable individuals into a feared category. How are emotions as practices developed, fostered and enacted? The examples developed in the article focus on ‘illegal maritime arrivals’ (asylum seekers arriving by boat) and the emotionally charged response to them in Australia. The article argues that the state, far from embodying a detached and neutral arbiter utilising various steering mechanisms of care and due process, instead governs through fear and anxiety generated in relation to outsiders. The state draws on, and indeed creates, dispositions and feelings, generating a distinct politics of affect. The motif of the lifeboat is an example of a diversion from the anxieties and fears in everyday life; a metaphor for scarcity and a battle for survival. The asylum seeker as ‘illegal maritime arrival’ (boat person) is the exemplar of such a lifeboat politics in the Australian case.     

Authoritarianism,child-rearing practices and ethnocentrism in seven Pacific Islands groups

Data were collected from seven cultural groups in the South Pacific in order to examine the relationship between authoritarian child-rearing practices and ethnocentrism. An analysis of the data within each cultural group showed that there were inter-cultural differences in the structure of child-rearing pratices. In particular authoritarianism scales were obtained in the Tahitian, Cook Islands and Samoan groups and these scales were significantly correlated with measures of ethnocentrism. Scales which were close variants of authoritarianism were obtained in the Tongan and Fiji-Indian groups and these scales were also significantly correlated with ethnocentrism. The scales obtained in the Fijian and New Hebrides groups, however, did not appear to be closely related to authoritarianism and these two groups showed less inter-individual variation than the other cultural groups.     

A bridge too far: yoga,spirituality, and contested space in the Pacific Northwest

ABSTRACT

In 2015 a plan to celebrate the inaugural International Day of Yoga in Vancouver generated a powerful backlash. What might have been for some a public expression of their interest in a trendy wellness activity, and for others a meaningful demonstration of an important spiritual practice, was cancelled just a week after it was announced. How did this single postural yoga class so quickly and definitively galvanise public opinion, and what can this teach us about the machinations of public discourse? In this brief but revealing controversy, most interlocutors focused on local political considerations, paying somewhat less attention to the now common critique that postural yoga is elitist and vapid, and virtually none to claims and metaphors related to spirituality that circulated widely among practitioners and promoters. This incident may remind us that religious and spiritual claims are not sui generis but always part of larger social discourses that reveal a great deal about quite this-worldly concerns, interests, and values.     

The role of acculturation in the mentoring-career satisfaction model for Asian/Pacific Islander American university faculty

This study aimed to test the generalizability of the mentoring-career satisfaction relationship from European Americans to Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) faculty and to examine acculturation as a possible moderator. Faculty (N = 139) from four large public universities in California completed self-report surveys on mentoring, career satisfaction, and acculturation. Results suggest that the relationship generalizes to APIA faculty and that acculturation plays a role in the model, though not as hypothesized. Although acculturation did not moderate the relationship between mentoring and career satisfaction, it predicted mentoring (via an interaction) and career satisfaction (for participants born overseas) individually. Protégés using particular acculturation strategies reported a greater extent of mentoring from mentors of certain ethnic groups. In addition, participants who were born overseas and are more oriented to their API culture reported greater career satisfaction. Our results suggest that researchers should consider cultural variables, such as acculturation, when studying APIAs or when working with APIAs.