For thousands of years Pacific Islanders have explored the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean due to population pressures, the need for resources, and in the pursuit of new opportunities. In recent history, Pacific Island migration has also been influenced by colonial expansion and ambition. Contemporary migration patterns continue to reflect traditional political alignments with larger colonial powers.

The migration history of Pacific Islanders is reflected in their distribution across many island nations and Western colonial territories. Pacific Islanders have become a heterogeneous mix of people with differences and similarities in cultural, social, and political structures. The effects of migration have thus often been beneficial and many Pacific Islanders continue to gain employment and academic opportunities abroad.

However, the process of migration can also result in acculturation stress and adversely affect an individual’s health and well being. The following...