Mental health is just as important as physical prowess when it comes to athletes' performances and there are a number of unique challenges faced by Pasifika sportspeople.
Dr Caleb Marsters, has just completed a PhD dedicated to researching the mental health and well-being of young Pacific athletes. Photo: Supplied
Pacific communities love to celebrate the success of their athletes, but there are positives and negatives associated with professional sport.
Top players are reaching the elite levels of sport at a younger age, and there is increasing pressure on youth to perform earlier.
The focus on younger players getting bigger, faster and stronger has often overshadowed discussions around how to cope with the mental challenges of sport.
And as the number of young Pacific men and women striving to reach the elite level increases, there appears to be a parallel climb in the number of Pasifika athletes reporting bouts of depression or suicidal thoughts.
The University of Auckland's Dr Caleb Marsters has just completed a PhD dedicated to researching the mental health and well-being of young Pacific athletes.
Athletes were not immune to the same issues seen in other groups, and some were magnified, he said.
"Depression, addiction, anxiety, it's the same prevalence we see in the community that we see in sport.
"A lot of them face the same challenges that a lot of our people in our community face but it's just heightened. They're what we call hyper visible, they're in the spotlight. We lift our athletes when it comes to successful sportsmen, they're seen as role models in our community, so they have a lot of pressures."
Those pressures came from home, from friends, from the community and from the teams or sports they were playing with, Marsters said.
"To perform and to get those contracts... they have a lot of unique stress that really can take a toll overtime."
Families and communities needed to manage their expectations as sports were often seen as "the golden ticket", he said.
"It's a good platform for life but the pressures on our young men that it will solve all our family problems, our financial problems, it's really unrealistic so we have to manage those expectations.
"A sports career is seen as a golden ticket for a lot of families and for a lot of people in our community... there's a lot of encouragement to chase this career [because] some of the stereotypes around our young men in particular, is that they're seen as natural athletes or built for sports."
It took a toll on many young people, Marsters said.
"When you're seen on TV playing Mitre 10 Cup. The contracts aren't six figures for a lot of these young boys but the families might think so. They might have new pressures to give back, not just here but over in the islands, and it can take a toll.
"As young people we're really not allowed to tell our parents or our elders no, and so it's a big struggle for a lot of these boys to look at what their expectations are and their families expectations are versus the reality of their career. Often it doesn't match and that can cause a lot of anxiety and stress for a lot of those young boys."
Former Kiwi Fern and New Zealand Warriors women's player Annetta Nu'uausala has been off the footy field with concussion issues for the last three years after suffering a delayed concussion in 2017. In 2019 she was medically ruled out following a further three to four concussions.
The 26-year-old said the drastic changes to her everyday lifestyle impacted her mental health.
Annetta Claudia-Nuuausala was medically ruled out in 2019 following further concussions. Photo: Supplied
"It was a slow burn not being able to do what I normally do. Playing for 10 years straight to not being able to play at all, to not even being able to put your boots on or just go hang out with your friends, it has taken a toll on me," Nu'uausala said.
"Mentally, I did go into depression for a year, but with the right support system it makes it easier."
With the support of her family, she was able to get herself out of that mindset.
"I just kept surrounding myself with the right people and just trusting the process."
Marsters said there had been a huge shift in understanding what athletes needed when it came to their mental health, but stigma around asking for help was still a barrier for Pasifika people.
"The awareness is definitely rising, brothers like Akira Ioane, Ardie Savea, these players who a lot of our community look up to are speaking on these issues a bit more, and that has a huge impact," he said.
"There's been a huge shift in awareness of what mental health is, how important it is, not just when you're in your darkest times, but also when you're facing small stresses... but the stigma around asking for help, or wanting to ask someone for support, it can be a huge barrier for a lot of our young men and women to go to their family, or go to their support systems so that is still a challenge. It's getting better, but I think we can still do more like just talking about it a bit more."
Nu'uausala agreed - speaking up was tough.
Nu'uausala with family. Photo: Supplied
"I felt that pressure. Just coming through and I'm here now, my family have seen me as this international representative player, so I didn't want to fall back on them just because I knew what was coming.
"I knew they would say 'take that break, trust the process' but in my head, in my mind, I thought no, I've worked so hard to get here, I didn't want to take a break so it did make me scared to ask for help because I wasn't prepared to hear it."
For those struggling, talking to someone helped, she said.
"You don't want to go through years of thinking you know 'I've taken so many steps, so many sacrifices to get to the point you're at now, just to suffer the consequences in the long run. It's really not worth it, your health really does come first and I learnt it the hard way.
"If you feel like something is not right, get it checked, talk to someone, it's better to be safe than sorry because at the end of the day, you're not just hurting yourself, you're hurting your loved ones."
Through his years of research, Marsters said there were two key messages he'd like people to hear when it came to dealing with mental health.
"These young players and athletes, they have such a strong desire to give back to their family, to serve their family and to make their family proud.
"For our families, family members, [it's important to] make sure our young ones know whether you make the All Blacks, the first XV, or don't even make a rep team, you're still loved, you've still got a place in the family and you're still making your parents proud and so don't be afraid to ask for help.
"Family or mates, when you see your mate acting different, don't be scared to have a conversation, don't be overboard, but at the same time just let them know you love them, support them and you're there for them."
A lot of answers were provided by research, Marsters said, "but at the simplest level our Pacific way of doing things [is] that love, that alofa, that aroha, that's the main thing we need to share".
