Access to Mental Health Services Among Pacific Young Adults in Auckland, New Zealand: Relational Navigation of Mental Health and Help-Seeking

Abstract

This study explores how young Pacific adults in Auckland navigate the tensions between cultural beliefs, social expectations, and access to mental health services. Despite evidence of disproportionately high levels of psychological distress among Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand, engagement with formal mental health services remains low. Existing research has predominantly focused on structural disparities and population-level patterns, with limited attention to the lived experiences of young Pacific adults and the relational processes that shape help-seeking.

Using a qualitative approach grounded in Pacific epistemologies, this research draws on the Ūloa methodology and the Talanoa method to support culturally appropriate, relational, and participant-led inquiry. Data were collected through individual Talanoa sessions with seven young Pacific adults aged 18 to 25 residing in Auckland. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key patterns and meanings across participants’ narratives.

The findings indicate that mental health is understood in holistic and relational terms, shaped by interconnected domains such as family, culture, spirituality, and identity. Participants described navigating culturally embedded expectations of strength, silence, and collective responsibility, which often constrained emotional expression and delayed help-seeking. However, they also demonstrated agency in negotiating these expectations, actively balancing cultural belonging with personal wellbeing. Help-seeking emerged as a non-linear, relational process influenced by peer support, cultural alignment, and strategic decision-making.

This study contributes to Pacific mental health scholarship by revealing that young Pacific adults actively negotiate, rather than passively absorb, cultural and structural influences on their mental health. The findings underscore the importance of strengthened education and dialogue to bridge intergenerational gaps in mental health understandings, thereby fostering shared perspectives between older and younger Pacific generations. Such efforts would enable open conversations that challenge silence, stigma, and shame, reducing tensions between cultural and social expectations, and supporting the wellbeing of young Pacific adults.