Page 18 - IB August 2021

AUT

Pacific

youth

mental

health

study

AUT Associate Professor, Dr EL-Shadan Tautolo.

Almost 1000 Pacific youth living in South Auckland, New Zealand, Pacific youth, that have enhanced their resilience, and working out how
will be invited to take part in newly funded research to explore how we can unpack those in a way that they can be shared to help others
cultural identity, family and employment affect their mental health. who are struggling mentally.”
And how their experiences can be used to improve mental health ser-
vices for Pacific youth. An advisory group made up of largely Pacific experts working in
the mental health sector will support the research team and help ensure
Associate Professor El-Shadan Tautolo, Director of the AUT Pa- that their findings are disseminated widely to have the biggest pos-
cific Health Research Centre at South Campus, has received a $1.2 sible impact. Members of this group include representatives from the
million Pacific Project Grant from the Health Research Council of New Ministry of Pacific Peoples, New Zealand Mental Health Foundation,
Zealand (HRC). It is one of a record five HRC Pacific Project Grants Waitematā District Health Board, and the Mental Health and Wellbeing
funded this year, to a combined total of $5.79 million. Commission.
Tautolo, of Cook Islands and Samoan heritage, is also Lead Investi- “The evidence we collect will be used by key stakeholders and agen-
gator for the HRC-funded AUT Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study, cies to design policies and implement strategies to ensure our grow-
which has tracked the health and development of a large cohort of 1398 ing numbers of vibrant and gifted Pacific young adults can thrive and
Pacific children born in South Auckland in 2000. contribute to a prosperous future for their families and the wider New
As part of this new project, he and his team will interview members Zealand society,” says Tautolo.
of the PIF cohort, now aged 21 years, about the specific cultural, family HRC Chief Executive, Professor Sunny Collings, says this study has
and employment factors that influence their mental health and wellbe- the distinct advantage of being able to build upon the significant data
ing in positive or negative ways. gathered from the 21-year AUT PIF Study – the longest longitudinal
“We know Pacific people in New Zealand carry a higher burden of study of Pacific people in the world – to support meaningful changes
psychological distress and mental disorders than the general popula- and solutions to Pacific mental health and wellbeing in New Zealand.
tion, with our Pacific youth aged 16 to 24 disproportionately affected, In addition, she says the all-Pacific research team, which spans the
and that they are less likely to access mental health services. Disrup- range of senior, emerging and young researchers just starting out,
tions to schooling and increased unemployment associated with the should provide a great space for Pacific researchers to develop and
COVID-19 pandemic have only added to the pressures some of our grow.
young people face,” says Tautolo.
“El-Shadan was recently appointed chair of the HRC’s Pacific Health
He says this latest research is not about producing statistics that Research Committee, and he is a passionate advocate for developing
highlight what we already know, but about identifying tangible ways in and mentoring young Pacific health researchers. We are proud to have
which we can turn these mental health inequities around. supported him throughout his academic career, beginning with an HRC
“For our team, a big part of this research is about identifying the Summer Studentship back in 2004 and continuing with PhD, postdoc-
situations and ways of coping that have had a positive influence on our toral and project grants,” says Collings.
18 Islands Business, August 2021