Getting to the Heart of the Story: Using<i>Talanoa</i>to Explore Pacific Mental Health

Vaka, Sione; Brannelly, Tula; Huntington, Annette

doi:10.1080/01612840.2016.1186253

Cited by 43 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Talanoa means tala (to tell/told) and noa (sense of harmony, balance) and refers to a way of communication that captures the Pacific worldview in which people tala (tell) their stories from their noa (heart) (Vaka, Brannelly et al 2016). Noa encompasses the inner being and heart, which is the centre point that brings balance and sense of harmony to a conversation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnic interpretation of mental distress from the perspective of Tongan men and community leaders

Vaka

Neville

Holroyd

2020

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Tongan people living in New Zealand have a high prevalence of mental illness and low uptake of mental health services. Rates of mental illnesses also differ between those born in Tonga and those born in New Zealand. However, little is known about the personalized and culturally shaped meaning and experience of mental distress in this population. Therefore, this research explored the meaning of mental distress for Tongan men and community leaders living in Auckland, New Zealand. The Tongan cultural framework, talanoa (talking, to tell), enabled a culturally congruent and collective approach to examining mental health-related ideologies and ensuing distress. Two talanoa groups were held (one with men and one with community leaders), with a total of 18 participants. The primary research questions focused on tufunga faka-Tonga (Tongan constructions of mental distress). Four themes emerged: fa'unga (reality), hu'unga (directionality), ta'anga (temporality), and tu'unga (positionality). The analytic lens used to define reality was fa'unga, because this concept encompasses the creation/preservation of sino (body), me'a (thing, something), and mo'oni (truth, real). The findings suggested that it is necessary to incorporate tufunga faka-Tonga into all aspects of service delivery to improve mental health services for the Tongan population. The Tongan community will benefit from increased awareness of tufunga faka-pai osaikos osiolo (biopsychosocial constructions of mental distress) and tufunga fepaki mo e fetaulaki he vaha'a 'o e tufunga faka-pai osaikos osiolo mo e tufunga faka-Tonga (intersections between biopsychosocial and Tongan constructions of mental distress) to support identification of health risks and health service seeking behaviours.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnic interpretation of mental distress from the perspective of Tongan men and community leaders

Vaka

Neville

Holroyd

2020

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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“…At a health care level, psychiatric treatment for Chamorro and other Pacific Islanders would do well to consider wider societal injustice in assessments and formulations, rather than solely focusing on organic, individual or familial factors. This is particularly important to prevent the pathologisation of normal reactions to oppression and disaffection in indigenous groups [45], to incorporate wider socially and culturally constructed understandings of mental distress [46], to acknowledge the impact of negative ethnic identities on wellbeing [47], and reflect the complexity of individual and socio-cultural level interactions in explaining distress.…”

Section: Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnic Inequalities in Psychological Distress: A Population Data Linkage Study on the Pacific Island of Guåhån/Guam

Bosqui

Kouvonen

Kawabata

2018

J Immigrant Minority Health

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Psychological distress and mental illness has been found to be elevated in migrant groups living in sovereign countries, as well as for indigenous people living under colonial or administrative rule. The north Pacific island of Guam is unusual in its ethnic composition as it has no majority ethnic group, has a large indigenous population and remains a territory of the U.S. This study aimed to identify ethnic differences in self-reported psychological distress between the main ethnic groups on Guam. The study uses a cross sectional design with data linkage methodology, drawing on the Guam Census and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System health survey for Guam. The results showed that the native Chamorro population had worse self-reported psychological distress (defined as a 'mental health condition or emotional problem') than White/Caucasians (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.52-2.87), particularly for severe distress (OR 3.61, 95% CI 1.33-2.77). This relationship persisted even after adjusting for a wide range of socio-demographic and economic factors (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.15-5.76). Other Pacific Islanders also had higher psychological distress compared to White/Caucasians, but this association was largely explained by the adjusted factors. The findings are discussed in terms of social and economic disadvantage for Pacific Island peoples on Guam, as well as the impact of colonial administration, disaffection, and lack of autonomy for the Chamorro of Guam. Recommendations are made to improve psychiatric treatment for these groups by considering wider socio-political factors in assessment and treatment, as well as broader implications for the national dialogue on self-determination.

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“…The narrative approach has been utilised in social work to assist individual, groups and communities understand their experience, positioning an insight into in the past, how this has impacted the present, and considerations for the future (Burack-Weiss, Lawrence, & Mijangos, 2017). The benefits of a narrative approach in this cultural framework is supported by the notion of talanoa; where individuals share their own insights and perspectives on situations and circumstances (Vaka, Brannelly, & Huntington, 2016). Traditional stories reflecting Pacific ways of thinking, knowing, doing, and becoming also resonate with the concept of talanoa, as people will come to understand their own realities in the context of previous family encounters, or narratives passed through generations to further highlight possible skills and attributes that will assist in overcoming certain adversities.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Australian students going to the Pacific Islands: International social work placements and learning across Oceania

Ravulo

2019

ANZSWJ

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INTRODUCTION: This paper explores various issues pertinent to international social work practice, including its definition, how Western epistemologies affect international placements, barriers to effective placements and student motivations for undertaking practicum away from home. METHOD: Reviewed literature will be coupled with Australian student-participants’ evaluations of their experience in completing social work placements in Fiji and Samoa. FINDINGS: A new model of approaching Pacific social work across Oceania emerges from the study. Entitled Tanoa Ni Veiqaravi(Serving Bowl of Serving Others), this culturally nuanced framework integrates both Western and Pacific social work perspectives to support professional practice, policy development and research across the region.CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for the improvement of international field practice are offered.

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Getting to the Heart of the Story: UsingTalanoato Explore Pacific Mental Health

Cited by 43 publications

References 7 publications

An ethnic interpretation of mental distress from the perspective of Tongan men and community leaders

An ethnic interpretation of mental distress from the perspective of Tongan men and community leaders

Ethnic Inequalities in Psychological Distress: A Population Data Linkage Study on the Pacific Island of Guåhån/Guam

Australian students going to the Pacific Islands: International social work placements and learning across Oceania

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