Adversity and Resiliency in the Lives of Native Hawaiian Elders

Abstract

Native Hawaiians constitute 401,000 or 0.1 percent of the total U.S. population, with approximately 60 percent residing in the state of Hawai'i. In Hawai'i, Native Hawaiian elders (na kapuna) face a number of social and health disparities when compared with their non-Native Hawaiian counterparts: higher rates of poverty, greater disability rates, higher rates of specific life-threatening diseases, shorter life expectancies, and lower utilization rates of some services. Integrating life course literature and resiliency theory, the authors propose a model that provides a context from which to analyze and understand social and health disparities found among older Native Hawaiians. The authors introduce a historical timeline that identifies key cultural and historical markers in the lives of na kapuna and then link this timeline to health and social-health delivery strategies. This model offers a rationale for the development and implementation of culturally based solutions for na kapuna and underscores the need for social workers to intervene at the micro, meso, and macro levels to affect the well-being for this and other ethnic populations.