Giving voice to those silenced: insights from mental health practitioners on Sāmoan women's disclosures of child sexual abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This article examines how mental health practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand understand the ways historical trauma, particularly child sexual abuse (CSA), surfaces in their work with young Sāmoan women who present with depression. Drawing on talanoa with 16 mental health practitioners supporting Sāmoan women aged 18-24, the study identifies a consistent pattern: depression often masks long-silenced experiences of CSA. Disclosures typically emerge after several years of silence, shaped by cultural and familial norms that restrict conversations about sexual harm within Sāmoan communities. Practitioners described recognising trauma through relational and culturally attuned engagement rather than direct disclosure. Their accounts echo international evidence on delayed CSA disclosure among minoritised populations, while highlighting the cultural factors shaping help-seeking for Sāmoan women. By centring practitioners' interpretations, the study underscores the need for trauma-informed, culturally grounded mental health responses that acknowledge both shared and culturally specific dimensions of silence, disclosure and healing. Strengthening practitioners' capacity to recognise and respond to hidden trauma is critical for supporting young Sāmoan women whose experiences often remain unrecognised within mental health systems. The findings also emphasise the importance of locally grounded approaches, recognising that while patterns may echo across Pacific communities, pathways to healing must remain culturally specific.