issue 1 09 - APS Member Groups - Australian Psychological Society

States of Micronesia109community psychology and culture was alsoreflected in the theme of the recent 2007SCRA Biennial Conference, “Community andCulture: Implications for Policy, Social Justice,and Practice.”Although cultural psychology and relatedfields have made vast contributions, it is anenormous task to develop an understanding ofthe numerous evolving cultures that exist alongwith all of the problems, solutions, andopportunities related to culture. Communitypsychology, which often tackles social issuesat the most local level, must fill this need whenworking with communities in which littleresearch or theoretical knowledge exists. Forexample, Pacific Island cultures have not beenincorporated in major theoretical perspectivessuch as those from Hall (Hall & Hall, 1990),Hofstede (1980), Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck(1961), and Schwartz (1992), although manycommunity psychologists are involved withPacific Island people and their related issues.Cultural knowledge is necessary for us toengage in our work, and thus it becomes ourresponsibility to build and share culturalunderstanding to effectively assist thosecommunities.Reinforcing the case for a greaterincorporation of cultural theories and researchin community psychology, this paper reviewssubstance abuse and mental health in theFederated States of Micronesia (FSM). Thecase of FSM, with its increasing socialproblems, reveals that our contributions toglobal issues are valuable, but they are stillinsufficient. With greater attention to culture,community psychology’s impact can be morefully realized.The first section of this paper provides anoverview of FSM as many readers may not befamiliar with the region or its people. Ofcourse, many differences exist within the FSMpopulation, but they also share manycharacteristics that are useful for examiningtheir situation as a whole (Saleh, 1996). Thesesocio-cultural elements provide a context forbetter understanding the subsequent topics ofsubstance abuse and mental illness.References to the cultural factors and socialconditions that may underlie these problemsare infused throughout most of the paper.While minimal, the current efforts to addressthese issues in FSM are also reviewed, whichunderscores the critical need for an expansionof community psychology.FSM and its cultureThe Federated States of Micronesia(FSM) provides a compelling case of a regionat the threshold of cultural changes where ourexisting frameworks may be relevant andwhere our knowledge and skills can beusefully developed and applied. However,little attention has been paid to thispopulation among community psychologists.No articles were found in communitypsychology journals that mention Micronesiaor its people.The Federated States of Micronesia area group of islands in the West Pacific Oceandivided into the four states of Chuuk (Truk),Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), and Yap.Its land area totals approximately 700 squarekilometres; about four times the size ofWashington D.C. Its estimated population in2008 was 107,665 (U.S. Census Bureau,2008).Although limited, some populationcharacteristics are available from the U.S.Census Bureau and occasional census studieswithin FSM. In 2008, the population wasestimated to be 50.0% male and extremelyyouthful, with 56.6% of the total populationbeing between the ages of 0 and 24 years old(U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). The 2000 FSMCensus of Population and Housing hasestimated that 48.8% identify their ethnicorigin and race to be Chuukese (or its outerislands), 25.5% identify as Pohnpeian (or itsouter islands), 9.3% identify as Yapese (or itsouter islands), 6.7% identify as Kosraean,0.6% identify as Filipino, and less than 0.5%each identify as other Asian, other PacificIslander, U.S. American, or other. Likewise,FSM includes a diverse array of languages,The Australian Community Psychologist Volume 21 No 1 June 2009