Although the mental health status of Asian immigrants in New Zealand is not well studied, the limited data that is available suggests that the mental disorder prevalence rates are similar to that of the general population, and that language problems, failure to find employment, separation from family and community, and traumatic experiences prior to migration are key factors associated with increased risk of minor mental disorders such as anxiety or depression. The research has also found that stigma is a major obstacle preventing Asian immigrants from using mainstream mental health services. Cultural differences in assessment and treatment, a lack of English proficiency and inadequate knowledge and awareness of existing services are additional barriers. These issues draw attention to the need for greater responsiveness to the needs of Asian service users and their families in the mental health system.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbbottMax W.1997“Refugees and Immigrants.” In Mental Health in New Zealand from a Public Health Perspective. Edited by EllisPete M. and CollingsSunny C.D.. Wellington: Public Health Group, Ministry of Health.
2.
AbbottMax W.1989Refugee Resettlement and Wellbeing. Auckland: Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
3.
AbbottMax W.2003“Depression in Older Chinese Migrants to Auckland,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 37: 445–451.
4.
AbbottMax W.1999“Chinese Migrants' Mental Health and Adjustment to Life in New Zealand,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 33(1): 13–21.
AyeAlice M.M.M.T. and GuerinBernard2001“Asian Astronaut Families in New Zealand: Their Characteristics and Impact, and the Implications for Psychological Practice,”New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 30: 9–15.
7.
BasnayakeAsoka1999Employment Experiences of Sri Lankan Migrants in New Zealand. Auckland: Equal Employment Opportunities Trust.
8.
BedfordRichard D.2002“Contested Ground: The Politicisation of Immigration and Belonging,”New Zealand Journal of Geography, 114: 8–16.
9.
BedfordRichard D.SpraggBridget and GoodwinJoanne1998International Migration, 1995–1998: A Report on Current Research and a Bibliography. Wellington: New Zealand Immigration Service.
10.
BoyerTania1996“Problems in Paradise: Taiwanese Immigrants to Auckland, New Zealand,”Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 37(1): 59–79.
11.
Canadian Task Force on Mental Health Issues Affecting Immigrants and Refugees1988aReview of the Literature on Migrant Mental Health. Ottawa: Ministry of Supply and Services.
12.
Canadian Task Force on Mental Health Issues Affecting Immigrants and Refugees1988bAfter the Door Has Opened. Ottawa: Ministry of Supply and Services.
13.
ChanChun-Wai and ChangJade K.1976“The Role of Chinese Medicine in New York City's Chinatown,”American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 4(1): 31–45.
14.
ChanDaniel W.1985“The Chinese Version of the General Health Questionnaire: Does Language Make a Difference?”Psychological Medicine, 15: 147–155.
15.
ChengTai-Ann and WilliamsPaul1986“The Design and Development of a Screening Questionnaire (CHQ) for Use in Community Studies of Mental Disorders in Taiwan,”Psychological Medicine, 16: 415–422.
16.
CheungFanny M. and LauBernard W.K.1982“Situational Variation of Help-Seeking Behaviour among Chinese Patients,”Comprehensive Psychiatry, 23: 252–262.
17.
CheungPeter1994“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Cambodians in New Zealand,”International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 40: 17–26.
18.
CheungPeter1993“Somatisation as a Presentation in Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Cambodian Refugees,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 27: 422–428.
19.
CheungPeter and SpearsGeorge1995a“Illness Aetiology Construct, Health Status and Use of Health Service among Cambodians in New Zealand,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 29(2): 257–265.
20.
CheungPeter and SpearsGeorge1995b“Psychiatric Morbidity among New Zealand Cambodians: The Role of Psychosocial Factors,”Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epideminology, 30: 92–97.
21.
CheungPeter and SpearsGeorge1994“Reliability and Validity of the Cambodian Version of the 28-item General Health Questionnaire,”Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 29: 95–99.
22.
CheungPeter and SpearsGeorge1992“Psychiatric Morbidity among Dunedin Chinese Women,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 26: 183–190.
23.
FarmerRuth S.J. and HaffezAbdul1989“The Contribution and Needs of South East Asian Refugees in New Zealand.” In Refugee Resettlement and Wellbeing. Edited by AbbottMax W.. Auckland: Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
24.
HaffezAbdul1988“Southeast Asian Refugee Settlement in New Zealand.” Master's thesis, University of Waikato.
25.
HendersonAnne2003“Untapped Talents: The Employment and Settlement Experiences of Skilled Chinese in New Zealand.” In Unfolding History, Evolving Identity: The Chinese in New Zealand. Edited by ManyingIp.Auckland: Auckland University Press.
26.
HendersonAnne1989“A Study of South East Asian Refugee Language Needs and Provisions in New Zealand.” In Refugee Resettlement and Wellbeing. Edited by AbbottMax W.. Auckland: Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
27.
HendersonAnneTrlinAndrew and WattsNoel2001“Squandered Skills? The Employment Problems of Skilled Chinese Immigrants in New Zealand.” In Asian Nationalism in an Age of Globalisation. Edited by StarrsRoy. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press (Japan Library).
28.
HoElsie S.2003“Reluctant Exiles or Roaming Transnationals? The Hong Kong Chinese in New Zealand.” In Unfolding History, Evolving Identity: The Chinese in New Zealand. Edited by ManyingIp.Auckland: Auckland University Press.
29.
HoElsie S.2002“Multi-local Residence, Transnational Networks: Chinese ‘Astronaut’ Families in New Zealand,”Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 11(1): 145–164.
30.
HoElsie S.2002Mental Health Issues for Asians in New Zealand. A Literature Review. Wellington: Mental Health Commission.
31.
HoElsie S.2000Settlement Assistance Needs of Recent Migrants. Wellington: New Zealand Immigration Service.
32.
HoElsie S.1997“East Asian Migrants in New Zealand: Adaptation and Employment.” In New Zealand and International Migration. A Digest and Bibliography, Number 3. Edited by TrlinAndrew D. and SpoonleyPaul. Palmerston North: Department of Sociology, Massey University.
33.
HsuGeorge L.K. and FolsteinMarshal F.1997“Somatoform Disorders in Caucasian and Chinese Americans,”Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 185(6): 382–387.
34.
IpManying2003“Seeking the Last Utopia: The Taiwanese in New Zealand.” In Unfolding History, Evolving Identity: The Chinese in New Zealand. Edited by ManyingIp.Auckland: Auckland University Press.
35.
IpManying and FriesenWardlow2001“The New Chinese Community in New Zealand: Local Outcomes of Transnationalism,”Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 10(2): 213–240.
36.
LidgardJacqueline M. and YoonHong-Key1999“The Employment Experiences of Recent Korean Immigrants in New Zealand,” In Labour, Employment and Work: Proceedings of the Eighth Conference, 1998. Edited by MorrisonPhilip S.. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington.
37.
LinKeh-Ming and CheungFreda1999“Mental Health Issues for Asian Americans,”Psychiatric Services, 60(6): 774–780.
38.
MaGrace X.1999“Between Two Worlds: The Use of Traditional and Western Health Services by Chinese Immigrants,”Journal of Community Health, 24(6): 421–437.
39.
MakAnita S.1998“Workplace Adjustments of Hong Kong Migrant Supervisors,”Australian Psychologist, 33: 113–118.
40.
MakAnita S.1991“From Elites to Strangers: Employment Coping Styles of New Hong Kong Immigrants,”Journal of Employment Counselling, 28: 144–156.
41.
MakAnita S. and ChanHelen1995“Chinese Family Values in Australia.” In Families and Cultural Diversity in Australia. Edited by HartleyRobyn. St Leonards, NSW: Allen and Unwin.
42.
NgaiMarian M.Y.LatimerSandy and CheungVivian Y.M.2001Healthcare Needs of Asian People: Survey of Asian People and Health Professionals in the North and West Auckland. Auckland: Asian Health Support Service, Waitemata District Health Board.
43.
NguyenSan D.1982“Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Problems among Southeast Asian Refugees,”Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa, 7(3): 163–172.
44.
Pakuranga Chinese Baptist Church Employment Action Group1998The Labour Market Experience of Chinese Immigrants to New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland Baptist Social Service.
45.
PerniceRegina and BrookJudith1996a“Refugees' and Immigrants' Mental Health: Association of Demographic and Post-Migration Factors,”Journal of Social Psychology, 136(4): 511–519.
46.
PerniceRegina and BrookJudith1996b“The Mental Health Pattern of Migrants: Is There a Euphoric Period Followed by a Mental Health Crisis?”International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 42(1): 18–27.
47.
PerniceRegina and BrookJudith1994“Relationship of Migrant Status (Refugee or Immigrant) to Mental Health,”International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 40: 177–188.
48.
PerniceRegina2000“Employment and Mental Health of Three Groups of Immigrants to New Zealand,”New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 29(1): 24–29.
49.
SmithHilary1996“English Language Acquisition in the Lao Community of Wellington: Recommendations for Refugee Groups,”Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 6: 200–215.
50.
Statistics New Zealand2002New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings 2001. Ethnic Groups. Wellington: Statistics New Zealand.
51.
TanHean1995“Indo-Chinese Refugees' Well-Being from the Sponsors' Perspective.” Master's thesis, University of Auckland.
52.
TrlinAndrew D. and SpoonleyPaul, eds. 1997New Zealand and International Migration. A Digest and Bibliography, Number 3. Palmerston North and Albany: Department of Sociology, Massey University.
53.
US Department of Health and Human Services2001Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity. A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington DC: US Public Health Service.
54.
WalkerRatana1998New Zealand's Asian Population: Views on Health and Health Services. Wellington: Health Funding Authority.
55.
YeeBeven2003“Asian Mental Health Recovery — Follow-Up to the Asian Report.” Mental Health Commission Occasional Paper No.3. Wellington:Mental Health Commission.
