Multigenerational Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Families’ Perspectives on Health and Well-Being

Abstract

Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) are peoples diverse in culture and history who are too often represented as a monolithic entity, a tendency that undermines efforts to ameliorate health inequities. The current study represents a partnership between academic researchers and a community organization serving NHPIs, in which space was held for five multigenerational NHPI families (N = 15 family members) to share their experiences with educational and healthcare systems, including issues of discrimination and barriers to accessing services. Qualitative analysis of the interviews identified four themes: Cultural Values and Strengths; Mental Health—Past, Present, and Future Directions; Systemic Racism and Discrimination; and Need for Culturally Informed and Linguistically Accessible Healthcare. These results, including the importance of family systems within NHPI cultures, positive intergenerational shifts in mental health, and the pervasive impacts of colonization on health, are discussed in terms of implications for the health of NHPI communities.