Perceived meaningfulness of semantically noncongruent stimuli increases in art context

The media occasionally report instances where people mistake ordinary objects for art. This often happens in art galleries or museums and might suggest that people attribute meaning differently depending on whether the context is artistic or rooted in everyday life. In this manuscript, we investigate how people attribute meaning to seemingly nonsensical sentences and images when they believe they are made by poets or artists. We used a collection of sentences that conclude with semantically congruent and noncongruent words, and a collection of images where the object is either congruent or noncongruent with the background. We randomly assigned participants to the baseline and experimental (art) conditions, telling participants in the art condition that the sentences/images were created by artists. Studies 1 and 2 found that the art context increases the perceived meaningfulness of noncongruent sentences (‘Most cats see well at court’), but not the congruent ones (‘Most cats see well at night’), while Study 3 found a similar effect regarding noncongruent images (a lion in an office) and congruent images (a lion in a field). Additionally, we discuss how individual differences in aberrant salience and religiosity moderate the main effects of the art context on meaning-making. These results advance our theoretical understanding of how art contexts affect the interpretation of meaning and the importance of semantic noncongruency

Persuading the World of Genocide : Locating and Protecting the Foundational Rhetoric of the United Nations Genocide Convention

Raphael Lemkin’s neologism, genocide, coined in 1944 to describe the ‘crime of crimes’, was introduced to the world in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. While the crime is thought to be almost as old as humanity itself, the events of the 20th century have provided too many examples from which the international community cannot turn away. The Convention’s definition of genocide and the elements which constitute the crime are contained within its foundational rhetoric, which—as the adjective suggests—is the layer that supports the entire edifice. The Convention is a source of law in the matter of genocide and its drafters urged that it be adopted into the domestic law of the contracting parties. The definition of genocide has not escaped criticism from numerous quarters, however, and the calls for its radical amendment (or even complete replacement) are always energetic and sometimes strident. To date the definition has remained unamended, despite the calls for change. In part, the Convention’s relative success at international law is attributable to the capacity of courts and tribunals to interpret the foundational rhetoric in such a way as to align fact matrices with the definition and elements and to achieve a just outcome. Not everything decried as ‘genocide’ rises to meet the definition: on occasion, the serious categories of war crimes and crimes against humanity provide the means by which a charge is prosecuted and defended at law. This thesis argues that the Convention possesses a ‘stable instability’ in its foundational rhetoric, especially at Article II. The many calls for amendment—some of which are considered in this study—have thus far failed to persuade the United Nations to amend its own document. Some domestic iterations of the Convention have made their own, sometimes idiosyncratic, amendments, and these have passed into law with curious results. ‘Genocide’ has passed into vernacular usage, a result of which is often-confused application divorced from its source; it becomes a blunt instrument of contempt and abuse. The Convention and its faithful reproductions provide a forensic instrument to be employed with precision and restraint, not a popular label controlled only by outrage. This thesis proposes that the Convention’s foundational rhetoric is robust and resilient, productive of just outcomes in the hands of those who wield it with due care and caution

The effects of exercise during pregnancy on haemodynamics

During pregnancy the maternal body undergoes significant physiological changes, with some of the most profound changes occurring within the cardiovascular system. Many of the cardiovascular changes occur within the first month or two of pregnancy including an increase in blood volume, cardiac output, heart rate and stroke volume, which are all associated with a decrease in vascular resistance and systemic vascular tone. Maladaptive changes to these maternal haemodynamic processes can occur during gestation, increasing the risk of gestational hypertensive conditions. Regular exercise performed during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the risk of developing perinatal gestational hypertensive conditions. Further evidence on the exact parameters of exercise needed to explain these beneficial responses is required, within both uncomplicated and at-risk pregnancies. Chapter 1 provides a general review of the literature on exercise in pregnancy, and introduces the thesis aims. The topics covered in the general literature review include: gestational hypertensive conditions of pregnancy and the short to long term maternal and foetal consequences; exercise guidelines in pregnancy; arterial function in pregnancy and the effects of exercise on arterial function in non-pregnant populations. The detailed methods for Studies 2, 3, 4 and 5 are outlined in Chapter 2. Further methods applicable to each of the specific studies are reported in the relevant chapters. Chapter 3 comprises a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on blood pressure in uncomplicated and at-risk pregnancies. The findings showed that compared to usual care, aerobic and/or resistance exercise performed throughout uncomplicated pregnancy had no influence on blood pressure. In women who are at risk of, or diagnosed, with gestational hypertensive conditions during pregnancy, moderate to vigorous exercise during pregnancy improves blood pressure outcomes. Higher risk pregnancies may reduce their risk of future cardiovascular complications through regular exercise training during pregnancy. Chapter 4 includes a case study which aimed to observe the acute effects of a submaximal graded exercise test on arterial stiffness and blood pressure longitudinally throughout pregnancy. A healthy pregnant woman was recruited from five weeks of gestation to perform weekly submaximal graded exercise tests on the treadmill until 35 weeks of pregnancy. An aged matched non-pregnant control was recruited to perform weekly – fortnightly sessions over 30 weeks. The primary outcome measures included: arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse wave analysis (PWA), blood pressure (BP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The findings showed a gradual decrease in resting arterial stiffness throughout pregnancy, with the greatest response in PWV following exercise seen in the first trimester. Resting systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and MAP all followed similar trends decreasing from trimester 1 (T1) to trimester 2 (T2), before increasing again in trimester 3 (T3). The findings lead us to speculate that the ability of the maternal cardiovascular system to adapt to submaximal exercise may decrease as gestation progresses, which led to the design of Chapter 5. A cross-sectional analysis of 34 pregnant participants is included in Chapter 5, in which the immediate effects of vigorous intensity exercise at various gestational weeks on vascular function is assessed. Baseline submaximal testing data from the participants in Chapters 6 and 7 were analysed. Based on the findings from this study, it is suggested that the maternal body is able to adapt to stressful stimuli, with the cardiovascular system recovering quickly (within 10 minutes) following vigorous intensity exercise. Further research in pregnancy is warranted on the acute effects of vigorous exercise on arterial stiffness given the varied responses seen in this study. Chapter 6 was designed to assess the feasibility of vigorous intensity interval training (VIIT), along with resistance training (RT) and reformer Pilates (PIL) in pregnancy. Most of the available research to date on the acute effects of exercise in pregnancy has focused on one type or intensity of exercise (e.g. walking/cycling at moderate intensity). Given the varied benefits derived from a balanced exercise program incorporating aerobic and resistance exercise, it is important to understand the acute physiological effects of these different modes. Pilates was identified as a low to moderate intensity mode of exercise which has a paucity of evidence in pregnancy despite its increase in popularity over the past decade. The three modes of exercise in this study proved feasible in the second and third trimesters of uncomplicated pregnancies. All participants were able to achieve the prescribed intensities for VIIT, RT and PIL, with VIIT perceived as more difficult later in gestation despite similar cardiovascular responses between modes. This could be due to an increase in fatigue and discomfort associated with progressing gestation rather than an increased cardiovascular response. A longitudinal crossover trial was employed in Chapter 7 which aimed to observe the effects of VIIT, RT and PIL on arterial stiffness and BP completed weekly throughout pregnancy. We specifically wanted to observe whether the acute response to these three modes of exercise changed as pregnancy progressed. Resting measures of arterial stiffness, BP and HR followed trends previously outlined in longitudinal studies of pregnancy. PWV was significantly higher immediately and 10 minutes following VIIT and RT, but only immediately post Pilates, indicating a greater response with more intense exercise. Similarly, significant increases in MAP and BP were seen following VIIT and RT but not Pilates. Despite these differences in arterial pressure, along with a greater increase in MHR with more intense exercise, foetal heart rate (FHR) responses remained similar and within normal clinical limits regardless of type of exercise or exercise intensity. The findings in Chapter 7 support VIIT as an apparently safe mode of exercise throughout gestation, with 229 VIIT sessions in 20 participants closely monitored across the course of the study. A summary of the outcomes from all studies is provided in Chapter 8. This chapter discusses the practical implications of the thesis findings and makes recommendations for future research in this area. The thesis findings indicate that acute cardiovascular responses to exercise change as gestation increases. Further longitudinal research is imperative throughout pregnancy to facilitate the development of trimester-specific guidelines for exercise. While vigorous exercise seems to be safe and achievable during gestation, incorporating shorter bouts of higher intensities may enhance enjoyment and therefore adherence in pregnancy. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that it is hypothesised that engaging in higher intensity exercise during the later stages of pregnancy may not yield significantly greater benefits compared to moderate intensity workouts, due to alterations in resting cardiovascular measures

Leaving Town? Differential Effects of Geography on Youths’ Higher Education Aspirations

Researchers and theorists have long documented a link between social capital and educational outcomes, a relationship that may be of particular importance in rural areas where geographic isolation and smaller community sizes can foster distinct social structures. This PhD thesis investigates the relationship between geography, social capital, and higher education aspirations, in addressing the critical issue of persistent disparities in higher education outcomes between youth in rural and urban Australia. Aspirations play a pivotal role in shaping education outcomes. Additionally, there is increasing focus on social capital as a key explanatory factor for educational outcome disparities, including those in higher education outcomes between rural and urban areas. While many factors shape higher education aspirations, this thesis focuses on social capital. Therefore, the overarching aim is to further understand the role and importance of social capital in the relationship between geography and higher education aspirations for youth in rural Australia. Using a mixed methods research approach, I attempted to bring quantitative and qualitative data together to examine this relationship. The research comprises three studies; two empirical quantitative studies which apply multilevel modelling techniques on data collected from 10, 370 students nationally across rural and urban Australia, and a qualitative synthesis of 108 studies. Furthermore, I used differences in higher education aspirations as a proxy for whether youth in rural Australia perceive higher education as a real choice for them. My findings in Study 1 indicate that youth in rural Australia experience differences in both quantity and type of social capital compared to their urban counterparts, with geography serving as a significant predictor of social capital. Youth in rural Australia were found to experience more social capital overall than their urban counterparts, including across four out of the six social capital measures examined. Further, my findings revealed an important disparity; youth in rural Australia experienced less of the forms of social capital positively associated with higher education aspirations, and more of the forms of social capital negatively associated with higher education aspirations, compared to their urban counterparts. Thus, the disparity in likelihood of aspiring to higher education for youth in rural Australia may reflect the type of social capital they experience rather than simply the amount. In Study 2, my analysis found that social capital is a practically and statistically significant mediator in the relationship between geography and higher education aspirations. However, this mediating relationship was weaker than expected. A strong relationship between geography and higher education aspirations was revealed even accounting for social capital, underscoring the significance of geography and the structure of rural, in shaping youths’ higher education aspirations. While much of the relationship between rural status and higher education aspirations remains unexplained, social capital was a meaningful mediator that should be considered. Critically, my study found a significant disparity in the likelihood to aspire to higher education between youth in rural and urban Australia, with youth in rural Australia significantly less likely to aspire. Thus, indicating that they do not perceive higher education to be a real choice. My findings in Study 1 and 2 complicate simplistic assumptions that policy and interventions merely need to increase social capital to improve higher education aspirations for youth in rural areas, and yet reinforce the continued need to consider social capital as part of a well-rounded intervention and policy approach. In Study 3, I sought to enrich the picture of the role of social capital through a mixed methods approach. I undertook a meta-synthesis of 108 qualitative studies on the relationship between rural status and higher education aspirations. Social capital emerged as a significant but not sufficient explanation of the link between geography and higher education aspirations. Hence, it is suggested that consideration be given to other likely important factors in the relationship between geography and higher education aspirations. Such as, the structures of rural and urban, which in turn shape policies, resource distribution, and consequently, choices available to youth in rural Australia. The goal being to inform the development of equitable policies that provide youth in rural Australia with a real choice to aspire to and access higher education

Satellite cell molecular clock regulation on muscle mitochondria, contractile function, and muscle repair

Background: Circadian rhythms are an evolutionary conserved mechanism that underpin diurnal variance in biological and physiological processes. These rhythms are produced by a central molecular clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and are communicated to “peripheral” clocks located in peripheral tissues and organs. Of the peripheral clocks, several studies have demonstrated skeletal muscle houses some of the most robust rhythmicity in molecular clock oscillations throughout a 24 h day. A wide range of muscle biological/physiological processes are under molecular clock control including exercise-capacity, mitochondrial metabolism, contractile-function, and muscle repair/regeneration. However, there are two myogenic molecular clock sources within muscle: myonuclei and satellite cells (SC). Recent evidence has demonstrated that SCs house a functioning molecular clock with the transcription of several genes related to mitochondrial metabolism, muscle contractile function, and myogenesis exhibiting circadian expression patterns. Additionally, as other works have demonstrated that mitochondrial function, contractility, and muscle repair are all molecular clock regulated aspects of muscle physiology, this suggests the SC molecular clock may also play a role in such regulations. Systematic evaluation of mitochondrial function, contractile function, and muscle repair across different times of the day and in the presence/absence of SC-molecular clocks will provide novel information on the role that SC-molecular clocks may have in these processes. Methods: Using the Pax7DTA (Pax7CRE-ERT2/+; Rosa26DTA/+) mouse model capable of inducible depletion of SC’s, muscle mitochondrial function was assessed in the tibialis anterior (TA) (glycolytic muscle) and soleus (oxidative muscle) in the morning, afternoon, and evening (0700h, 1500h, 1900h). Mitochondrial citrate synthase activity, ETC-I activity, copy number, mitochondrial and molecular clock gene expression were undertaken at the same timepoints/SC-conditions in the TA and quadriceps. At time points demonstrating oscillatory clock gene expression, ex vivo submaximal muscle fatigue in the EDL was assessed to determine if fatiguing contractions reliant on mitochondrial-energy also demonstrate time-dependent variance. Next, utilizing the Pax7DTA mouse model, ex vivo maximal contractile function and eccentric injury of the EDL were assessed in the morning and afternoon (0700h and 1500h) in the presence and absence of SCs. Immunohistochemical methods were used to quantify dystrophinnegative fibers, cross sectional area, and SC abundance in these muscles. Gene expression was performed in contralateral, uninjured TA muscle. Finally, utilizing a mouse model capable of inducible depletion of molecular clock gene, Bmal1, in SCs (SC-Bmal1iKO) muscle damage, SC progression, and muscle repair following in vivo eccentric contractile injury were compared to control animals (SC- Bmal1Cntrl). Baseline in vivo torque and ex vivo specific force were quantified in both groups who underwent in vivo contractile injury consisting of 200 eccentric contractions. All mechanical experiments were performed at the same time of day (1000 h). Following injury, animals were sacrificed at 24 h, 72 h, and 7 days. Muscles were frozen, sectioned, and histologically and/or immunohistologically labeled for markers of muscle damage, neutrophil content, muscle repair, and satellite cell myogenic progression. Results/Discussion: The results from these studies demonstrate that SC presence/absence does not affect time-of-day mitochondrial respiration. In line with peak, trough Bmal1 and CLOCK gene expression, mitochondrial-dependent submaximal fatigue showed ~35% greater fatigue-resistance in the morning versus afternoon. Collectively, SCs are not a factor that influence time-of-day mitochondrial function and therefore time-of-day differences in submaximal fatigue I (and others) observe may not be due to time-of-day regulations (SC, muscle, or otherwise) on mitochondrial respiration. With notable diurnal differences observed in submaximal contractile-fatigue, maximal contractile function with respect to time-of-day and SC presence/absence was evaluated in a separate study at the same timepoints. Morning-SC+ animals demonstrated reduced maximal tetanic and eccentric specific forces compared to SC- counterparts. However, no such differences were observed between Afternoon-SC+/SC- groups. Consequently, Morning-SC+ animals experienced reduced extents of contractile injury (less force-loss and dystrophinnegataive fibers) compared to SC- counterparts, whereas no differences were noted between afternoon groups. These findings demonstrate that the regulatory role of SCs over contractility is time-of-day specific. Evaluations of ex vivo caffeine-contracture force, a surrogate for maximal Ca++ availability to contractile units, revealed similar patterns of lower force in Morning-SC+ versus SC- counterparts indicating lower volumes of Ca++ may be underpinning the lower forces observed in these animals. These observations suggest SCs influence maximal force-production in the morning but, not in the afternoon and thus the extent of injury is concordant with the level of maximal force produced at specific times of day and the prevailing status of SCs. To further unravel SC-molecular clock regulation on contractile injury and how that may impact repair, a mouse model allowing for inducible depletion of SC-specific clock gene, Bmal1, was utilized for the last experiments. Following in vivo contractile injury, these animals demonstrated lesser extents of fiber-necrosis (24 h, 72 h), neutrophil content (24 h, 72 h), eMHC+ fibers (7 dpi), and centralized nuclei (7 dpi) compared to control animals. Of note, as SC-Bmal1iKO animals produced lower torque and specific forces, these animals may have sustained less damage/repair in-line with the established notion that higher forces lead to higher damage. As necrosis delays SC kinetics, the lesser necrosis noted in SC-Bmal1iKO animals may have led to the earlier peaks in SC activation/proliferation (24 h versus 72 h in control animals). The extent of SC activation (Pax7+/MyoD+) was approximately two-fold higher in SC-Bmal1iKO animals, suggesting that SC-Bmal1 has an additional role on the temporal and volumetric regulation of MyoD during SC-mediated repair. Conclusion: The results of the experiments performed provide evidence that SC-molecular clocks play a regulatory role in contractile function and muscle repair. While past works have shown muscle molecular clocks regulate these events, the results from the experiments undertaken for this thesis provide novel insights to demonstrate that satellite cell specific molecular clocks also regulate these processes. Collectively, the results from these studies provide preliminary insight suggesting that SC-molecular clocks, in part, regulate maximal force-production, contractile injury-induced muscle damage/repair, and SC-mediated myogenic progression. Future work will be able to use these initial studies as foundational knowledge to further explore the mechanisms of how SC-molecular clocks regulate muscle physiology according to time-of-day

How valuable is an implementation toolkit for midwives? An exploratory study

Background Incorporating evidence-based approaches in maternity care throughout the entire trajectory from pregnancy through to the postnatal phase is integral to good public health. Yet, despite developing theories, frameworks, and models to guide midwives’ implementation efforts, implementing new evidence-based practices in midwifery practice settings remains challenging. Methods An exploratory study design was used to conduct an initial assessment of the appeal and suitability of an implementation ‘how to’ Toolkit for Australian change-leader midwives. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention by evaluating midwives’ experience of using the Toolkit, and report on the usability of the Toolkit in maternity care. We also sought to establish the degree to which the intervention could reach a broad cross-section of midwives, confirming the usability of the Toolkit across a range of public and private maternity services. Results Twenty-four midwives participated in our study. Participants provided practical Toolkit evaluation data, contextual information related to Toolkit content, their understanding of what implementation in a healthcare context is, and factors that hindered midwives' implementation efforts in clinical settings. The importance of co-design research and involving end-users in product development were also highlighted as crucial factors underpinning the effectiveness of resources like ours, particularly those designed to support specialist disciplines and the implementation challenges experienced by health practitioners in clinical environments. Conclusions It is crucial to progress health care practitioners understanding of how to accelerate the implementation and sustainment of new evidence-based practices in clinical settings, including strategies to support organisational readiness, local barriers or challenges, and partnerships between researchers and end-users. Evaluation of our midwifery-specific implementation Toolkit indicates health professionals require tailored materials and information specific to their disciplines and clinical work environments; ideally, packaged in a centalised, open-access format. Future research is required to evaluate the mid-to-longterm impact of our Toolkit on implementation initiatives in midwifery contexts, and to establish the adaptability of our Toolkit in other settings, and with other disciplines

'From the viewpoint of their native element' : Diving in the colonial undersea

In 1952, The Australian Journal published two reports from the author Jean Devanny’s visit to Green Island (Wunyami) on the Great Barrier Reef. Diving underwater precipitated for Devanny an aesthetic and existential epiphany, as well as a minor but meaningful feminist achievement: ‘very few women,’ she wrote, had ‘actually descended in’ a diving bell previously. But most compelling – because most discomfiting – about Devanny’s articles is a moment when their watery reveries are interrupted by persons whose presences the scenario cannot seem to assimilate. Surveying her fascinating surroundings from the seabed, Devanny receives some unexpected ‘visitors’, men ‘brown’ and ‘strange’ whose arrival – and whose observations of the author herself – are framed as disturbances of the solo diver’s marinal communion. In this chapter, I approach these disruptions along three strands: the submarine erasure of Indo-Pacific labours, lives, and cultures; a solitary aesthetics of dreamlike submergence; and the strangely depoliticised construal, by The Australian Journal and others, of Devanny’s own authorship. I ask, ultimately, what these reefy reports might tell us about who and what is taken to belong beneath the waves – and how these things might matter for all our attempts to make knowledge in, of, and with the sea

Access to cardiac imaging after ischaemic stroke in Australia : a national survey

Around 30% of ischaemic strokes are secondary to a cardioembolic source. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography (TTE and TEE respectively) are the cornerstone for cardiac assessment after stroke. Due to logistical issues, cardiac imaging tests are increasingly performed in an outpatient setting, which leads to a proportion of patients lost to follow-up and not imaged at all. Almost 30% of the Australian population lives in regional, rural and remote areas, where health resources are very limited and access to stroke specialists and complementary tests is almost non-existent

Children, adults, and online sociodramatic play in the family home

This thesis addresses the contemporary dilemma that children and adults have different lived experiences and perspectives of online play. Specifically, it identifies notable points of commonality and tension occurring between 8- to 12-year-old children and their caregivers (e.g., parents, grandparents) in relation to online sociodramatic play within the blended ecology of family homes in a digitised society. Online sociodramatic play sees children creating and enacting imaginary play situations with each other in a virtual world environment via video chat whilst they are physically located in their separate homes (Caughey et al., 2024). Research indicates that online sociodramatic play provides opportunities for the current generation of children to reap a range of cognitive benefits such as development of imagination and memory (Caughey, 2021). Identifying the complex nature of the commonalities and tensions under investigation was achieved by conceptualising online sociodramatic play as “institution” using Hedegaard’s (2009) model of child learning and development through participation in institutionalised practice. The upper tier of Hedegaard’s (2009) cultural-historical model was informed by Vygotsky’s (1930/1978) concept of mediation and practice theory (Kemmis et al., 2014; Schatzki, 2012) to gain insight into the specific types of caregiver practices guiding 8- to 12-year-old children’s participation in online sociodramatic play in the family home and cultural artifacts mediating these practices. The lower tier of Hedegaard’s (2009) model was informed by Vygotsky’s (1933–1934/1998a) periodisation of child development, with a particular focus on the crises of age theory, to better understand children’s motives for engaging in online sociodramatic play and their perspectives of caregiver practices guiding participation in such play in the family home. Philosophically underpinned by the qualitative research tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology and guided by a co-design research approach, this investigation employed a case study design to identify commonalities and tensions constituting the institution of online sociodramatic play. The study was conducted with 8- to 12-year-old children who regularly engage in online sociodramatic play, and their caregivers, from four different families. These families participated in a range of creative, collaborative data gathering activities that were specifically designed to gain insight into their lived experiences, understandings, and perspectives of online sociodramatic play. Findings indicated five predominant caregiver practices (e.g., scheduling online play, allocating household spaces for online play) guiding 8- to 12-year-old children’s participation in online sociodramatic play in the blended ecology of the family home. Such practices were described as being simultaneously mediated by long-established cultural artifacts (e.g., child-centred philosophies, family norms) and recently established cultural artifacts (e.g., parenting websites advising screen time limits, digital learning policies in schools). Children in the 8- to 12-year-old age group were found to be highly cognitively and socially motivated to engage in online sociodramatic play. They also agreed with some mediated caregiver practices whilst strongly disagreeing with others. Jointly, these findings informed the identification of six notable points of commonality, such as using timed reminders to end online play, and six notable points of tension, such as limiting or disallowing time for online play after school, occurring between 8- to 12-year-old children and their caregivers to constitute the institution of online sociodramatic play. The six tensions suggested that some mediated practices in the home potentially restrict the cognitive developmental needs of 8- to 12-year-old children and the social developmental needs of 10- to 12-year-old children in relation to online sociodramatic play. In response to these findings, two theoretically based propositions were developed to guide the creation of new cultural artifacts that could better inform the current (and future) generation of caregivers about supporting the unique developmental needs of 8- to 12-year-old children who enjoy engaging in online sociodramatic play

“Is this the family path?” : Understanding the lived experience of motherhood for women who have lost their own mother to suicide

For daughters who have lost their mother to suicide, resurgences of grief may occur, triggered by anniversaries, family occasions, and by entering motherhood. When these women become mothers, they must adjust to the joys and stressors of motherhood, without the emotional and practical support that a maternal grandmother would often provide. This study provides an in-depth qualitative exploration of the experiences of women who have experienced their own mother suicide. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of five mothers who have experienced their mother suicide. Data were collected and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Analysis revealed five group experiential themes: lacking a guiding maternal figure, navigating identity and expectations, carrying the legacy of maternal suicide, motherhood as healing, and the trajectory:is this the family path?. This study identifies key challenges and specific needs of mothers who have experienced their mother suicide