Risk and Protective Factors of Micronesian Youth in Hawai'i: An Exploratory Study.

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the risk and protective factors of Micronesian middle and high school students in Hawai'i. Forty one Micronesian youth participated in 9 focus groups that explored their experiences within their schools, families, and communities. The findings describe youths' experiences of ecological stress beginning with their migration to Hawai'i, and the potential outcomes of this stress (e.g., fighting, gangs, and drug use). Cultural buffers, such as traditional practices and culturally specific prevention programs, were described as aspects that prevented adverse outcomes. Implications for prevention practice are discussed.

Asian/Pacific Islander youth violence prevention center: interpersonal violence and deviant behaviors among youth in Hawai'i.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the prevalence rates of violent and deviant behaviors among a sample of Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Samoan public high school students residing in Hawai'i, and is the first relatively large-scale study of its kind regarding a disaggregated sample of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. Filipino, Hawaiian, and Samoan adolescents were the chosen ethnic groups for this study's focus due to their over-representation in Hawai'i's juvenile justice system. METHODS: Data for this study were gathered collaboratively by researchers, community groups, and school officials who agreed that youth violence was a community concern worthy of deeper understanding and community response. The study's process included three phases: a focus group consultation phase, field-testing, and the final risk and protective factor study. For the final study, 326 randomly selected students representing three Hawai'i public high schools were surveyed on a one-on-one basis.A smaller sample of Japanese students was also included in the study, serving as a control group. RESULTS: Findings illustrate the importance of disaggregating specific ethnic and gender groups within the AAPI ethnic category when examining adolescent issues. As examples, Samoan youth reported significantly higher rates of violence than other ethnic groups surveyed, and Hawaiian girls reported higher rates of substance use than Hawaiian boys, which was not commensurate with other ethnic groups. Filipino, Hawaiian, and Samoan youth all reported significantly higher rates than Japanese on overall deviant behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for further research and community development include enhancing minority youths' bicultural self-efficacy.

Prevalence and correlates of misconduct among ethnically diverse adolescents of Native Hawaiian/ part-Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian ancestry.

BACKGROUND: Research on the prevalence and correlates of adolescent misconduct, arrests, and juvenile delinquency has been greatly neglected for the ethnically diverse adolescent groups in Hawai'i (i.e. Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders). AIMS: The aims of the present study are three-fold: (1) to determine whether there are differential rates of adolescent misconduct based on ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic (SES) factors; (2) on an exploratory basis, to ascertain the demographic, social-cultural, psychological-psychiatric, and school-related correlates of misconduct, with some focus on cultural identification; and (3) to derive a parsimonious model of the correlates for an ethnically diverse group of adolescents by disentangling cultural identification from other variables including ethnicity. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the Native Hawaiian Mental Health Research Development Program, consisting of 2,732 Asian/Pacific Islander youths. Misconduct was operationally defined as 'was arrested or got in serious trouble with the law' within the past six months via adolescent self-report. Of added importance were the inclusion of a valid measure of Hawaiian cultural identification and actual school data. RESULTS: Significantly higher rates were obtained for Native Hawaiians, males, and adolescents whose main wage earners' educational attainment was at the high school level or less. Absences may be a more important marker for females than males in the prediction of arrests and serious trouble with the law. The most parsimonious model of self-reported arrests/serious trouble with the law consisted of four variables in the following order of importance: substance use, actual grade-point average, aggressive symptoms, and gender. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first major studies to examine the prevalence and risk-protective factors of misconduct for adolescents of Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry, and the first to include a valid measure of cultural identification and actual school data. The findings indicated that gender-specific prevention and intervention programs are needed. However, the issues are also complex whereby the use of substances, school performance, and aggression must be taken into account in deriving successful programs. The lack of sustained association between culturally based factors (e.g., ethnicity, Hawaiian cultural identification) and misconduct in the final parsimonious model suggested that the culturally based variables are not direct causes of misconduct, but rather correlates of misconduct that are over-shadowed by more substantive factors, such as substance use and academic performance, the latter being variables that must be addressed for youths across the United States. The present results reaffirmed the common correlates of misconduct across different ethnic groups. Further research is needed in the causal relationships among these important associations with misconduct.

Prevalence of victims of violence among ethnically diverse Asian/Pacific Islanders.

The present research project is the first large-scale study (N = 5,051) that investigated the prevalence of victims of violence for an ethnically diverse Asian/Pacific Islander sample. The rate for the adolescent respondents of "was a victim of violence (was physically harmed by someone)" within the past 6 months was 3.33%. Over twice that rate was found for family members (6.97%) and over three times the adolescent-respondent rate was obtained for close friends (10.75%). Only partial support was found for the hypothesis that Asian groups would have the lowest rates, and Polynesian, African American, Hispanic, and Native American Indian/Alaska Native groups would have the highest rates. Higher rates were found for Whites (adolescent respondents, close friends) and the Portuguese (family members, close friends), suggesting a "minority" effect. There is a need to disaggregate ethnicity, engage in further research that considers risk and protective factors, and investigate culturally appropriate interventions.

Prevalence and Correlates of Misconduct Among Ethnically Diverse Adolescents of Native Hawaiian/Part-Hawaiian and Non-Hawaiian Ancestry.

BACKGROUND: Research on the prevalence and correlates of adolescent misconduct, arrests, and juvenile delinquency has been greatly neglected for the ethnically diverse adolescent groups in Hawai'i (i.e. Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders). AIMS: The aims of the present study are three-fold: (1) to determine whether there are differential rates of adolescent misconduct based on ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic (SES) factors; (2) on an exploratory basis, to ascertain the demographic, social-cultural, psychological-psychiatric, and school-related correlates of misconduct, with some focus on cultural identification; and (3) to derive a parsimonious model of the correlates for an ethnically diverse group of adolescents by disentangling cultural identification from other variables including ethnicity. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the Native Hawaiian Mental Health Research Development Program, consisting of 2,732 Asian/Pacific Islander youths. Misconduct was operationally defined as 'was arrested or got in serious trouble with the law' within the past six months via adolescent self-report. Of added importance were the inclusion of a valid measure of Hawaiian cultural identification and actual school data. RESULTS: Significantly higher rates were obtained for Native Hawaiians, males, and adolescents whose main wage earners' educational attainment was at the high school level or less. Absences may be a more important marker for females than males in the prediction of arrests and serious trouble with the law. The most parsimonious model of self-reported arrests/serious trouble with the law consisted of four variables in the following order of importance: substance use, actual grade-point average, aggressive symptoms, and gender. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first major studies to examine the prevalence and risk-protective factors of misconduct for adolescents of Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry, and the first to include a valid measure of cultural identification and actual school data. The findings indicated that gender-specific prevention and intervention programs are needed. However, the issues are also complex whereby the use of substances, school performance, and aggression must be taken into account in deriving successful programs. The lack of sustained association between culturally based factors (e.g., ethnicity, Hawaiian cultural identifi-cation) and misconduct in the final parsimonious model suggested that the culturally based variables are not direct causes of misconduct, but rather correlates of misconduct that are over-shadowed by more substantive factors, such as substance use and academic performance, the latter being variables that must be addressed for youths across the United States. The present results reaffirmed the common correlates of misconduct across different ethnic groups. Further research is needed in the causal relationships among these important associations with misconduct.