Page 17 - Islands Business October 2022

Connectedness important in preventing

depression in Pacific adolescents

A new study uses network analysis to demonstrate how the University of Melbourne, and Nottingham Trent University
connectedness with family, friends, and school can prevent were able to draw on high-quality data from the world’s largest
depression in Pacific adolescents. longitudinal study of Pacific peoples.
Youth mental health in New Zealand is declining and This study builds on the important work conducted by the
the impact on Pacific youth, particularly young women, is AUT Pacific Islands Families Study, which tracks the health and
disproportionate. development of New Zealand-Pacific children. It has collected
Lisa Gossage, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology data at regular intervals from a cohort of 1398 children since
and Neuroscience at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), their birth in 2000.
has published a research article in the scientific Journal of
Affective Disorders which examines the relationship between Connectedness with parents
risk factors and the specific symptoms of depression in Pacific This study shows that two symptoms of depression, feeling
adolescents aged 17 years. alone and self-hatred, were associated with the highest risk
Most of the key risk factors for depression identified in this factor for depression among this group of Pacific adolescents –
study – such as the relationship with mother, relationship with a poor quality mother-child relationship. These symptoms had
friends, school connectedness, and impulsivity – support those the highest centrality, or number of connections, within the
from other research. network analysis.
“Our study identifies the associations with these risk factors “Based on the network model of psychopathology, that
at the symptom level, which could guide the development of depression symptoms are related and likely to reinforce and
targeted interventions for depression in adolescents. These trigger each other, designing interventions aimed at symptoms
findings highlight the importance of family, friends, and school with high centrality could have many beneficial effects,” says
connectedness for good mental health among young people in Gossage.
New Zealand’s Pacific communities,” says Gossage. Associate Professor El-Shadan Tautolo, Director of the
AUT PIF Study and co-author of this research article, says:
Network analysis “Previous findings from the Pacific Islands Families Study
Psychological network analysis is increasingly being used have highlighted the vital importance of the mother-child
to investigate depression at the symptom level, rather than relationship in supporting resilience and positive development
measuring depression as a single construct. outcomes for Pasifika children”.
This is the first known study to model depression
among Pacific adolescents using network analysis. Connectedness with peers
Researchers employed data visualisation to gain a This study demonstrates that two school-associated
greater understanding of the complex interplay symptoms of depression, not having enough friends
and associations between risk factors and or feeling part of the school, were associated with
various symptoms of depression. another key risk factor for depression – poor
“The results illustrate the various ways quality friendship or lack of friendship.
that depression can manifest itself. Pacific peoples often hold more collectivist
Different risk factors were associated views than Pakeha and this could be responsible
with different symptoms, and some in part for the strong relationship between school
symptoms were not associated with connectedness, friendship, and depression.
any risk factors. These system networks Tautolo says: “Schools and the learning
provide valuable information, highlighting environment are increasingly important in
targets for more nuanced prevention guiding the positive development of Pasifika
strategies and treatment plans based on students. It’s crucial that the necessary resources
the depression profiles of individuals or are provided to enable schools to create the culture
groups,” says Gossage. and environment for our young people to thrive”.
This study is part of a programme of linked
Pacific Islands Families Study multi-disciplinary AUT-led projects
Researchers from Auckland investigating the causality of anxiety
University of Technology, Deakin and depression among Pacific
University, Monash University, adolescents, undertaken with
the support of a Marsden Fund
grant from the Royal Society
Lisa Gossage, a PhD student in the
Department of Psychology and of New Zealand.
Neuroscience at Auckland University
of Technology Sponsored Content
Islands Business, October 2022 17