Laurie D. McCubbin

Native Hawaiians and psychology: the cultural and historical context of indigenous ways of knowing.

This article reviews psychological research on Native Hawaiians conducted in the 19th through the 21st centuries. The rationale is to provide a historical orientation to this indigenous group, to increase awareness of the complexities of research about Native Hawaiians, and to draw attention to emerging issues, practices, and challenges of psychological research emphasizing indigenous health and well-being. This article lays a historical foundation for future research with a renewed emphasis on indigenous knowledge and its holistic view of psychology in relationship to the land, spiritual beliefs, cultural practices, language, and community.

Education and self-rated health: An individual and neighborhood level analysis of Asian Americans, Hawaiians, and Caucasians in Hawaii.

Focusing on Asian Americans, Hawaiians, and Caucasians in Hawaii, this study contributes to the literature by examining (1) the geographical distributions of education in relation to self-rated general health at neighborhood levels, and (2) the individual variations in self-rated health by ethnicity and education at both individual and neighborhood levels. Using the 2007 Hawaii Health Survey with linked zip-code information, and applying GIS (Geographic Information System) and binary logistic regression models, this study found that (1) there are significant between ethnic differences in self-rated health in Hawaii, with Hawaiians being the most disadvantaged population compared to Japanese, Chinese, and Caucasians; (2) individual socioeconomic characteristics are all related to self-rated health, and education (in particular) mediates the Japanese vs. Hawaiian and Chinese vs. Hawaiian health differences; (3) the neighborhood level of education has an independent effect on self-rated health over and above individual characteristics for the whole sample and it partially mediates the between ethnic health differences; and (4) the relative importance of education to self-rated health is more significant and salient for Caucasians and Japanese/Chinese than for Filipinos and Hawaiians. In sum, this study not only demonstrates a geographical profile of health and education distributions in Hawaii, but also reveals significant mediating effects of education, at both individual and neighborhood levels, in explaining the between and within ethnic differentials in self-rated health.

The role of Indigenous family ethnic schema on well-being among Native Hawaiian families.

Abstract Despite assertions of the importance of family in Indigenous cultures and its impact on psychological and physical health, there remains a paucity of research and a lack of measurement on Indigenous families’ worldviews and their respective impact on well-being. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between Indigenous family ethnic schema and individual well-being. The sample consisted of 81 older adults (average age was 60.94 years old) with 77 Native Hawaiian and part-Native Hawaiian participants, and two Caucasian and two Asian participants with a Hawaiian partner or spouse. Family ethnic schema focusing on Indigenous values, beliefs, expectations and priorities was found to explain higher levels of individual well-being independent of age, income and gender. Clinical implications of family ethnic schema in terms of help-seeking behavior, treatment and adherence to treatment are discussed.

The Kanaka Maoli:Native Hawaiians and heir Testimony of Trauma and Resilience

“. . . the Sandwich Islands – to this day the peacefullest, restfullest, suniest, balmiest, dreamiest haven of refuge for aworn andweary spirit the surface of the earth can offer. . . . There they lie, the divine islands, forever shining in the sun, forever smiling out of the sparkling sea, with its soft mottling drifting cloud shadows and vagrant cat’s paws of wind, forever inviting you.’’ (Frear, 1969, Quoted in Nordyke, 1989, p. xix).

Resilience in Ethnic Family Systems: A Relational Theory for Research and Practice

Theory building and research on resilient family systems has evolved over time, beginning with family stress theory focused on factors that protected the family system from entering into a crisis. With the addition of the postcrisis recovery processes of adjustment and adaptation, the foundation of family resilience theory was established (for an overview of over 2 decades (1976–2003) of family systems theory building and research see Hansen and Johnson (1979), McCubbin and McCubbin (1996a, 1996b), Patterson (1988, 2002), and Walsh (1996, 2002, 2003)). With the rapid development of psychological theories and research on resilient children and adults, family scholars drew from these theories and research methods to advance their own body of work on ethnic family systems and their resilience. Research on ethnic family systems followed along the psychology-guided pathway with the inclusion of dimensions of ethnicity as categorical variables inserted in the equation to explain variability in the chosen indices of resilience. Consequently, the in-depth study of ethnicity in family systems and the advancement of a systems theory of resilience have been limited.

Ethical Principles in Resilience Research: Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity and Responsibility

By drawing from research and writings on indigenous people in the United States, Australia and Canada this chapter discusses the ethical issues and associated limitations of extant resilience research and its assumptions of commonalities. The current body of work on resilience has been largely guided by western theories and methods, with findings imposed on, or generalized to, populations who have had no/limited voice in the process and whose knowledge base of resilience and methods of inquiry have been marginalized and/or dismissed. We note that ethical concerns surface when collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, without giving appropriate consideration to the involvement, worldviews, understandings of adaptation, and most importantly, the sanctioning of indigenous communities. Using the four ethical principles of respect, relevance, reciprocity and responsibility, we urge the foregrounding of indigenous and native epistemologies throughout resilience-focused research processes, from the design of a study, through to the dissemination and application of findings.

Opinion Piece: Indigenous values, cultural safety and improving health care: The case of Native Hawaiians

Mana, also referred to as the life force of all things, is what underlies this paper. It is written from the perspectives of an academic, an Indigenous community member and a Native Hawaiian, and is best read from the pico, the center or essence of who and what one is as a person, rather than isolated to the intellect of the mind. It is this feeling from the center that one can most easily grasp the plight of Native Hawaiians and where healing and change can occur.This paper is an expression of the voices of generations of Indigenous people who have not been understood or worse, trivialized, but who persist in sharing their viewpoints in order that future generations may be better served. What is at stake if this falls on deaf ears is not just miscommunication, but the continued loss of mana or life force from generations upon generations of people.This editorial is for those who are seeking to be understood and for health professionals who care enough to search for and find meaning in the cultural values of their clients. I encourage colleagues to read these articles with an open mind, not as another hurdle or challenge, but rather as an opportunity for the healing of past injustices and for the voices of one’s ancestors to be heard again across the lands of the Pacific.This chorus of the collective voice of Indigenous peoples, if heard, can help change the plight of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and create its own mana or energy for healing. As a Native Hawaiian psychologist, I have been asked by various professionals and organizations to talk about Native Hawaiian values and their connections to physical and mental health. A more important question is how can knowledge of cultural values help promote primary prevention and early detection of health issues facing Native Hawaiians today? Native Hawaiians, similar to many Indigenous populations across the globe, are at risk of multiple illnesses including depression, anxiety, suicide, obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Recently, theoretical models have been developed (McCubbin & McCubbin 2005) and empirical research has investigated Native Hawaiians’ world views and values, and their impact on health and health care (McCubbin 2006; Oneha 2001). At the center of Native Hawaiian culture is the family system (also referred to as ’ohana in Hawaiian) and the interpersonal relationships which shape the processes by which culture practices and values are transmitted, maintained, nurtured and affirmed. The ’ohana or Indigenous values, cultural safety and improving health care: The case of Native Hawaiians

Battered Women’s Evaluations of Their Intimate Partners as a Possible Mediator Between Abuse and Self-Esteem

This study examined whether battered women’s evaluations of their intimate partners mediate the relationship between the abuse they experience and their self-esteem. The sample consisted of 196 battered women seeking services from seven shelters. Results provide empirical evidence against theoretical postulates about battered women’s idealization of their abusive partners and against the hypothesized mediating role of partner evaluations in the association between intimate partner violence and women’s self-esteem. The overall findings imply ongoing changes in a battered woman’s internal state as she goes through different developmental stages in her process of breaking away from the cycle of intimate partner violence.

E Ola Na Kini: The Health of the Hawaiians

In general, Special Journal Issues have a unique role to play in the field by serving the function of providing a penetrating as well as sweeping examination of major health issues affecting a population (in this case Native Hawaiians) that has not been thoroughly examined in the mainstream literature.This volume entitled The Health of Hawaiians attempts to fill a gap in the scientific literature by presenting scholarly research, inclusive of community health issues and emphasizing culturally competent care in service to Native Hawaiians. This publication is unique in that it reveals an emergent trajectory of research on Native Hawaiians conducted by Native Hawaiian scholars focused on the health and wellness of this Indigenous community. Additionally, this collection of scholarly work demonstrates the value of combining the documentation of health disparities with insights and strategies of insuring cultural competent health care services to Native Hawaiian (NH) people in underserved communities. Of special interest, this publication brings to the forefront cultural and social movements in the island community inclusive of: (a) the wisdom and voices of elders and their knowledge traditional healing practices; (b) the demonstrable value of training NH scholars and physicians in the health care field; and (c) underscoring holistic health and community based health care perspectives to guide culturally based practices in servicing Pacific Islanders. The journal contains several empirical articles related to health issues among Native Hawaiians including: training Hawaiian health care providers, using outreach programs to increase screening behavior among women for breast cancer, utilizing health services and benefits in the NH community, and addressing health risks and needs of transgendered individuals It also focuses on cultural values such as the ‘aina’ (land or sense of place) on health and ‘ohana’ (family) and adherence to treatment protocol for HIV patients.This special edition also discusses critical issues facing Indigenous communities including genetic research and protecting Indigenous knowledge and intellectual property. An underlying theme of the journal is the challenges Native Hawaiians face in finding a balance when dealing with a Western world while maintaining the importance of cultural identity and values in the provision of health care to Indigenous populations.The Journal editors have been skillful in their selection of articles intended to promote the development of Indigenous scholars and health care professionals by making this and future publications both interesting and a comprehensive resource for scholars and health care providers. Serving as a solid foundation for future articles and dissemination efforts, this Journal holds great promise for advancing theory, research and practice in an effort to insure continuous improvement in health care to Indigenous populations in the Pacific. The Pacific Health Dialog (PHD) is published twice a year and supported by multiple Pacific health programs including institutions in Māori, Fiji, Micronesia and other councils or organizations in the Pacific.The journal was established in 1994 and was published by Resource Books (http://www.resourcebooks.co.nz/phd/phd.h tm) until 2005 where it was transferred to the Pacific Health Research Council associated with the Fiji School of Medicine. E Ola Na Kini: The Health of the Hawaiians Hishinuma E (Ed) (2001) Pacific Health Dialog: Journal of Community Health and Clinical Medicine for the Pacific, 8(2), 243–468