Developing a Measure of Living Standards for Elders in New Zealand

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Applying transformative learning theory to the process of parenting programmes. Parenting programmes: A piece in the education jigsaw?

This thesis seeks to gain insight into the nature of parent education outcomes, as evidenced through the experiences of the participants in the Incredible Years Parenting Programme. The parenting programmes are delivered within the realms of a home/school/community model and the study investigates the potential of the parenting programmes to build relationships between parents and mainstream education. It explores the relevance of transformative learning theory to the process of the learning experienced by the participants and finds that the theory can be applied. The research comprises a narrative inquiry of the experiences of parents who had completed the twelve week parenting programme locating the inquiry in the home (personal), school (educational) and the community (where all primary education comes under the Department of Education, DEIS initiative). It finds that the programme produces positive changes through learning key parenting skills and that the positive personal development experience can be attributed primarily to the community education delivery process. In conclusion this thesis recommends greater dialogue between the ideologies and practices of community education, parenting programmes and mainstream education

Knowledge of, and attitude to, hormone replacement therapy and menopause among mid-aged New Zealand women : thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

The use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) by women at menopause is increasing in New Zealand, although there are controversies and confusion surrounding its prescription and efficacy. There has been very little research carried out in New Zealand regarding the variables that impact on HRT use by women, and the attitudes and knowledge of women regarding HRT use. To address this, a survey of 495 mid-aged women, randomly selected from the electoral roll was carried out. The survey measured demographic variables, knowledge of HRT, attitudes to HRT and menopause, and health variables.This study found that knowledge of HRT was high, however, many New Zealand women reported reasons for HRT use that are not empirically supported. This study also found that attitudes to HRT and menopause are important predictors of HRT use, possibly more important than health variables. The importance of attitudes in predicting HRT use needs further clarification to allow the promotion of appropriate information to inform mid-aged women's HRT decision making

Applying transformative learning theory to the process of parenting programmes. Parenting programmes: A piece in the education jigsaw?

This thesis seeks to gain insight into the nature of parent education outcomes, as evidenced through the experiences of the participants in the Incredible Years Parenting Programme. The parenting programmes are delivered within the realms of a home/school/community model and the study investigates the potential of the parenting programmes to build relationships between parents and mainstream education. It explores the relevance of transformative learning theory to the process of the learning experienced by the participants and finds that the theory can be applied. The research comprises a narrative inquiry of the experiences of parents who had completed the twelve week parenting programme locating the inquiry in the home (personal), school (educational) and the community (where all primary education comes under the Department of Education, DEIS initiative). It finds that the programme produces positive changes through learning key parenting skills and that the positive personal development experience can be attributed primarily to the community education delivery process. In conclusion this thesis recommends greater dialogue between the ideologies and practices of community education, parenting programmes and mainstream education

Motives for running a marathon: The contribution of achievement motivation

The growing popularity of marathon running has lead many to speculate about the motives of these athletes. Many runners train for years, devoting substantial time and effort to this pursuit. The sports psychology literature has proffered two models that attempt to account for this level of devotion. The addiction model and the eating disorder analogue model suggest that some runners are compelled to run by either a dependence syndrome or by an underlying psychopathology. However, neither of these theories has received substantial support in the literature. In contrast, the vast majority of exploratory studies on running motivation indicate that achievement constructs are primary. The purpose of this study was to examine the motives of marathon runners from the frameworks of need for achievement (nAch), intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, and goal perspective theory. Two hundred and ninety-two individuals, recruited from clubs and organizations in the state of Virginia, participated in the study by completing a demographic questionnaire and three achievement motivation measures. Respondents who met specific criteria were assigned to one of four comparison groups: Sedentary Individuals, Fitness Level Runners (≤15 mi./wk.), High Volume Recreational Runners (≥25 mi./wk., non-competitive), and High Volume Marathon Runners (≥25 mi./wk., training for a marathon). Comparisons among these groups enabled consideration of two key elements of the race: endurance and competition. Results showed that runners, regardless of level of involvement in the sport, demonstrated greater mastery and competitiveness needs than sedentary individuals. In addition, high volume runners reported greater intrinsic motivation for running than fitness level runners. Furthermore, several dimensions of intrinsic motivation were positively correlated with length of involvement in the sport of running. Finally, greater task orientation was also positively associated with two aspects of intrinsic motivation. In sum, the results of this study demonstrate the relevance of achievement motivation for marathon running. They suggest that the level of commitment demonstrated by the majority of these athletes should not be viewed as pathological. Rather, it is hoped that a greater understanding of their motives will eventually generate novel strategies for promoting regular exercise

Applying transformative learning theory to the process of parenting programmes. Parenting programmes: A piece in the education jigsaw?

This thesis seeks to gain insight into the nature of parent education outcomes, as evidenced through the experiences of the participants in the Incredible Years Parenting Programme. The parenting programmes are delivered within the realms of a home/school/community model and the study investigates the potential of the parenting programmes to build relationships between parents and mainstream education. It explores the relevance of transformative learning theory to the process of the learning experienced by the participants and finds that the theory can be applied. The research comprises a narrative inquiry of the experiences of parents who had completed the twelve week parenting programme locating the inquiry in the home (personal), school (educational) and the community (where all primary education comes under the Department of Education, DEIS initiative). It finds that the programme produces positive changes through learning key parenting skills and that the positive personal development experience can be attributed primarily to the community education delivery process. In conclusion this thesis recommends greater dialogue between the ideologies and practices of community education, parenting programmes and mainstream education

Constructions of adolescent motherhood : discourse analysis of the health professional literature and health professionals' talk about young mothers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Adolescent motherhood has been linked with disadvantage and has been framed as a social problem. Research has also drawn attention to individual and socioeconomic deficit to explain poor outcomes, and proposed individual interventions to address the problems of adolescent motherhood. This ignores the social context of adolescent motherhood. Health professionals are an important aspect of this social context, as they represent authoritative social voices in strong positions of warrant that powerfully shape the experience of mothering in adolescence. Social constructionism draws attention to the variable and constructed nature of health professionals' understandings of adolescent motherhood. Discourse analysis is based on the assumptions of social constructionism, and is used to identify 'discourses' which construct objects, and make available subject positions that have material effects on those constructed. Using discourse analysis, literature for health professionals and interviews with health professionals were analysed to describe the discourses available to construct adolescent motherhood. Four scientific discourses were identified in the professional literature: a 'Naturalist' discourse that constructs parenting as a biological matter and draws upon eugenic arguments; a 'Public Health' discourse which constructs adolescent motherhood as a disease requiring surveillance; an 'Economic' discourse which understands adolescent motherhood as a drain on society and a cost to the adolescent mothers; and an 'Ethnicity' discourse that separates people into categories to determine who will reflect or resist dominant social structures. These discourses were drawn upon to construct a 'cycle of disadvantage', in which adolescent motherhood is the result of individual choice or family deviance, which can be solved by intervening with disadvantaged individuals or families. In the interviews with health professionals, adolescent mothers were constructed primarily as 'adolescents' within a 'Developmental' discourse. This adolescent positioning precluded them from being positioned as a 'good' mother within a 'Motherhood' discourse. Health professionals also constructed adolescent mothers as having individual differences in mothering ability, but these constructions supported generalisations made about the category 'adolescent mother'. An 'Ethnicity' discourse was drawn upon primarily to construct Māori as the 'other', while mainstream European cultural practices and values remained unexamined. These discourses highlight the role of the individual, the family, and social class in transmitting disadvantage, and were used to identify deviant individuals and families, rather than as a way to address the social context of disadvantage. The association of adolescent motherhood with deficiency and lack has implications for health care provision, as it is likely to impact negatively on adolescent mothers' experience of health care. In particular, advice for health professionals to be non-judgemental when providing care for adolescent mothers is unlikely to be effective, as this advice does not address the wider discursive location that produces these 'judgmental' attitudes

The Bonds and Burdens of Family Life: Using Narrative Analysis to Understand Difficult Relationships

Attempts to understand difficult family relationships have ignored the inextricable links between positive and negative relationships. Narrative analysis provides insight into complex relationships within social context. We analysed interviews with older people in New Zealand using levels of narrativity to reveal the negotiations required to manage personal identity at the intersection of competing public narratives. Participants and interviewers used public narratives of family life that reinforce family roles while simultaneously drawing upon alternative narratives of identity and morality. Investigating narratives of difficult family relationships reveals the influence of dominant social norms on the negotiation of social identities through personal stories

Irreconcilable differences: Health professionals' constructions of adolescence and motherhood

Adolescent motherhood has been associated with negative health outcomes for both adolescent mothers and their children in many studies. Although the link between early motherhood and disadvantage has more recently been questioned, professional understandings continue to focus on hardship and social exclusion. Social constructionism provides a critical approach to the professional constructions of adolescent motherhood. Using discourse analysis, transcripts of individual interviews with 17 New Zealand health professionals working in a variety of settings were analysed to examine the discourses used to construct adolescent motherhood. During the interviews, doctors, midwives, and nurses drew upon 'Developmental' and 'Motherhood' discourses to position adolescent mothers as problematic. The 'Developmental' discourse positions young mothers as 'adolescents' who are naive, distracted, and self-centred, and hence unable to mother correctly. The health professionals also employed a 'Motherhood' discourse that attributes certain behaviours to 'good' mothers. These discourses were drawn upon to illustrate how the characteristics of an 'adolescent' cannot be reconciled with the attributes of a 'good' mother. These constructions have implications for health care provision for adolescent mothers in New Zealand.New Zealand Adolescent mothers Motherhood Adolescence Health professionals Discourse analysis