Community Resilience and Cultural Responses in Crisis: Lessons Learned from Pacific Islander Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA.

Pacific Islander communities in the USA experienced some of the most severe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative synthesis examines the literature on Pacific Islander community responses and lessons learned from COVID-19, using a systematic search that identified 28 articles with this focus. Thematic analysis was subsequently used to classify both documented efforts by Pacific Islander communities to respond to the pandemic, as well as lessons learned and best practices from research in this area. Results revealed multiple efforts to address the pandemic, including Pacific Islander grassroots approaches, government responses, inter-sector collaboration, and research. Results further emphasized the importance of culturally and linguistically responsive outreach and messaging; partnership, engagement, and capacity building; and changes in research and policy approaches to promote health equity. Future efforts to address public health crises should make the most of Pacific Islander cultural approaches to disaster response. To achieve this, government and other organizations that work with PI communities need to support the development of the PI leadership, healthcare and research workforces, and work with Pacific Islander communities to build long-term, sustainable, and trustworthy partnerships.

Grandparenting Among Maoris of New Zealand: Reflecting on Meanings.

Regardless of nation and culture, grandparents have been instrumental in the survival of families and communities as well as the preservation of cultures. This study explored the meaning and roles of grandparenting among Maori grandparents in New Zealand as a possible platform for advancing the conversation on the significance of grandparents in the lives of people across cultures. Participants interviewed included 17 Maori grandparents to great, great grandparents in Aotearoa New Zealand, living in intergenerational homes. A phenomenology approach was used to analyze the data. Five themes were extracted that elucidated the meaning of the roles of grandparenting from the perspective of Maori grandparents: Elders' responsibilities from a cultural perspective; support, resources, and assets; sociopolitical and economic challenges; current state of Elders' and role in family, and benefits and rewards. Implications and recommendations are discussed towards a more systemic and culturally responsive support of grandparents.

Factors Contributing to Substance Misuse Treatment Completion among Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans.

Background: Research on substance abuse treatment completion (SATC) among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs) is extremely limited despite growing concern of SA among these groups. Objectives: This study examined predictors of SATC among and within Asian, NHOPI, and White racial groups. Methods: 129,939 cases from the SA and Mental Health Services, Treatment Episode Data Set-Discharges-2016 were used in this study. Logistic regressions were employed to examine the differential impact of race on SATC and to investigate the moderating effect of race on the relationship between socioeconomic factors, type of substance used, and type of treatment setting on SATC. Results: NHOPIs were less likely to complete SA treatment than Whites. Within-group analysis indicated that NHOPIs who were in outpatient non-intensive treatment were more likely to complete treatment compared to ones in inpatient (more than 30 days), and outpatient intensive settings. In contrast, Asians and Whites in outpatient non-intensive treatment settings were less likely to complete compared to all other types of treatment settings. Older adults for Whites were more likely to complete treatment compared with younger adults. Age was not a significant predictor of SATC for Asians and NHOPIs. Asian and NHOPI methamphetamine users were less likely to complete treatment compared with White users. Conclusion/Importance: Findings highlight the importance of disaggregating Asians and NHOPIs in future SA studies to better understand how specific factors are relevant to each group, and to guide the development of cultural and race-informed treatments for these groups.

Transnational Pacific Islanders: Implications for Social Work.

The Pacific Islander American racial group is smaller in terms of numbers relative to other racial groups and yet one of the fastest-growing in the United States. The complexity of their lives exceeds the implications of such small numbers, yet it reflects the contribution of their transnational ties and relationships in the Pacific and increasing multiple cultural identities as Pacific Islander Americans. Although this identity provides potential opportunities, challenges and struggles in navigating dual cultures and systems is a reality. Thus, commitment to culturally relevant social work practice with transnational Pacific Islander Americans is imperative. Social work practices that acknowledge and integrate indigenous ways of knowing and doing with consideration to the duality of their transnational identities will produce better outcomes. Emphasis on Pacific Islander cultural strengths is fundamental to generating positive health and mental health outcomes as these strengths have sustained Pacific Islanders through experiences of colonization, immigration, and historical trauma. This article discusses the multiple dimensions of the transnational experiences of Pacific Islander Americans and the implications for culturally relevant social work practice, policy, and research.

Efficacy or Chaos? Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in Maltreating Populations: A Review of Research.

Child abuse remains a serious and expensive social problem in the United States. Few evidence-based treatments (EBTs) exist for at-risk families and/or maltreating families where neglect or abuse has occurred, limiting the ability of social service agencies to comply with legislative mandates to use EBTs with clients. One promising intervention, parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), has been tested in 11 separate trials with this population. This review of research on PCIT with abusive adults found that overall PCIT is an appropriate, efficacious intervention method to prevent future maltreatment by targeting parenting skills and child externalizing behaviors. These findings must be taken with caution, since the key factor to determine efficacy is completion of treatment, and all the studies involved showed significant problems with sample attrition. While the current studies are promising, there is a need for research that focuses on measuring parental sensitivity and attachment levels, explores use in the foster and adoptive communities, and studies that use tertiary subjects to serve as unbiased reporters of perceived levels of behavioral changes.

Early childhood maltreatment and trajectories of behavioral problems: exploring gender and racial differences.

The current study aimed to examine the trajectory of child behavior problems over time as a function of early maltreatment. We anticipated that early alleged maltreatment would have a substantial impact on both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The impact of gender and racial differences in the trajectories were also examined. Using the LONGSCAN archived data, a total of 484 children were selected for the study from varying sites. Two groups were formed: children with early allegations of maltreatment from birth to age 4 and children without any report. Children included did not have further allegations of maltreatment from ages 4 to 12. Additionally, they must have completed a behavioral assessment using the Child Behavior Checklist at the age 4 baseline interview. Multilevel modeling using the SAS PROC MIXED procedure was used to examine the effects of early allegations of maltreatment on the trajectories of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Although race was not significant, gender was found to differ in trajectory of behavioral problems among children with early allegations of maltreatment. For boys, the impact of early maltreatment was strongest at the most proximal assessment of behavioral outcomes and then decreased gradually over the course of subsequent periods. For girls, although no significant impact was observed at each measurement point, the impact of early maltreatment increased and became pronounced over time. Findings support the importance of early intervention/prevention to decrease the likelihood of presenting behavioral problems in later childhood years with consideration to gender.