Mental Health
“Mental health is a big issue in our culture, but it’s not addressed. It’s kind of just swept under the rug, and you’re told: Oh, you’re fine; don’t worry about it. But, it’s meant to happen. It’s alive and it’s thriving and a lot of us suffer from it.”
— Simon Tuivai, MALO Community Health Worker (CHW)
In our talanoa dialogues, MALO community members reflected on the role of mental health in their personal lives and larger communities. While mental health issues—and stigmas—remain prevalent, MALO is working to bring the community together and create a supportive space for open discussions about mental health. As college students and members of Health Bridges, we are inspired by the openness, care, and dedication that the MALO team brings to starting these tough conversations and supporting their community members.
Even as most community members are aware of mental health issues, open discussions about mental health are still rare within the Inland Empire Tongan American community. Annie Vave, a MALO CHW, explains, “I guess it’s taboo for our kids or our culture to speak about our feelings of mental health. It’s kind of like, get through it and get over it.” According to research conducted by Andrew Subica, a professor at UCR focused on researching health disparities, acknowledgment of mental health issues across Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities is high, with 90 percent of participants in one study perceiving depression and schizophrenia as a somewhat serious or very serious concern (Subica et al., 2019). However, many Pacific Islanders in the U.S. believe that mental illnesses do not require addressing, with 47 percent and 33 percent of those surveyed believing that major depression and schizophrenia, respectively, can resolve on their own (Subica et al., 2019).
Within the Inland Empire Tongan American community, many struggle with social pressures regarding mental health. MALO Executive Director and Founder Lolofi Soakai reflects on how people she grew up with became isolated from her community due to mental health issues: “I think about people I know and, it’s just, you labeled them saying that they’re just bad, and then you just kind of throw them away.” According to Simon, the expectation to take care of family can come at the cost of acknowledging personal mental struggles:
“You’re brought up to be tough, to get on, be there for your family, your siblings, and just keep pushing. You can only be tough for so long. So then when you have that breakdown, it’s like, what’s wrong with you? But you know, it’s been there. I’ve been telling you, but you guys just don’t address it.”
Mental health stigma makes it difficult for many to discuss their struggles. As CHWs, Laila and Simon recognize how difficult it can be to reach out for help. Laila explains, “I feel like just in terms of coming to a mental health workshop, the problem would be just showing up in general, because mental health is scary, like it’s a scary thing to talk about, especially when you were raised to not talk about it.” Without acknowledgement and support, mental health issues often get worse over time. Simon explains,
“It’s just been so long, that at the end when you’re done and something happens or you blow up or you just have that mental breakdown, you can’t bring them back, you know, and then years of all this without talking about it and just going by what they’re brought up with, but I feel like the hardest part is to get them here.”
In addition to social stigma, structural barriers can prevent people from accessing the mental health care they need. Pacific Islanders in the U.S. disproportionately struggle to access the transportation, insurance, and time necessary to utilize health services (Prabhudesai et al., 2022; Morisako et al., 2017). Even when they access services, providers may not relate to cultural influences on their mental health (Morisako et al., 2017). In the 2023 MALO Health Needs Assessment, 20 percent of respondents expressed that they needed mental health counseling in the last year but could not get it, and 40 percent wanted mental health resources to be provided at future MALO events. In one talanoa dialogue, CHW Maikolo emphasizes this challenge: “They’re [those struggling with mental health issues] not able to get certain resources or help that they need.”
Many MALO community members believe that one first step to promoting mental health can be dismantling the stereotypes that prevent Tongan Americans from seeking care. Lolofi explains, “Pacific Islanders are supposed to be happy and they play sports and they’re supposed to be not that smart.” She believes that deconstructing these harmful stereotypes might bring the community towards a healthier future: “I think it’s healing in that way where we have to say to ourselves, ‘this is what they said we are, but this is what we actually are.” Lolofi likes to remind the folks who doubt themselves about the deep cultural legacy that every Tongan American carries: “Our people are native to Tonga, so they didn’t have compasses to tell them how to direct—they literally used the stars. So really, we’re all like, brilliant, you know?”
Over the past few years, MALO has become an invaluable source of trust, shared joyfulness, and support for people going through tough times. Simon believes that MALO has become such a supportive space by bringing everyone together:
“MALO is very community-based; it’s very family-oriented. I feel like if you’re comfortable in your own community and your family, you’re able to step out there into the world and face what you have to face because you’ve been nurtured in your community.”
Everyone—no matter their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or mental health challenges—is welcome at MALO, connecting individuals who may feel isolated to a network of social support. Laila explains the impact MALO programs have had on her own wellbeing: “MALO has definitely helped my mental health. I feel more confident than I was before and it’s helped me be more present.” MALO’s CHWs and other community members hope these talanoa dialogues can prompt more open conversations about mental health with their families, friends, and larger communities.
To realize this goal, MALO is placing mental health at the forefront of their initiatives. Youth summits, workshops, and Zumba classes have created accessible, joyful spaces for the community to improve its physical and mental health. After one exuberant dance class, one community member, Tupou Naeata, explains, “Especially with mental issues, it’s best to do something you like, and I love dancing. So why not come and dance?” In addition to Zumba, MALO’s youth mental health summits create space for younger generations to safely express their feelings and learn about their culture, dismantling stigmas surrounding mental health from an early age. These opportunities connect MALO community members to their culture, identities, bodies, and each other, making them more confident and supported in who they are.
