Land, Spirit, Family: Exploring Determinants of Indigenous Wellbeing (original) (raw)
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Mäori wellbeing is the foundation of Mäori development, yet Indigenous peoples (including Mäori) are often invisible in universal measures of wellbeing. In 2006 Mason Durie outlined Mäorispecifi c measures of wellbeing, built upon Mäori understandings of what constitutes a “good life”. Following Durie this paper describes developments in the culturally responsive measurement of Mäori wellbeing. These have culminated in Te Kupenga, the 2013 survey of Mäori wellbeing by New Zealand Statistics, and two Mäori mental wellbeing assessment tools, Hua Oranga and the Meihana Model. Gaps remain in the measurement of collective Mäori wellbeing, or whänau ora, with individual reporting on whänau wellbeing currently being used as a proxy. More information is also needed about Mäori subjective wellbeing in order for this to be fully captured in measurement tools. The close involvement of Mäori in the development of any wellbeing measure is essential for that measure to be culturally responsive an...
Placing Well-Being: A Maori Case Study of Cultural and Environmental Specificity
EcoHealth, 2007
Studies of well-being have been dominated by perspectives that stem from Western, health-science notions of individual's health and psychological development. In recent times, however, there has been a developing sensitivity to the cultural and place-specific contexts affecting the health and well-being of contrasting populations in different environments. Drawing on these advances, this article explores the potential in conceptualizing a place-based notion of well-being that recognizes the cultural and environmental specificity of well-being for specific populations in a given setting. We argue that a geographical approach to well-being enables the linking of culture and environment for future indigenous research into both ecosystems and human health. Taking the case of an indigenous population, we identify the contexts that affect Maori well-being and we argue that key sociocultural and environmental dimensions need to be integrated for a culturally appropriate approach to Maori well-being.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 2008
Psychological research and practice in New Zealand has a long history of a positivist inspired epistemology and a pragmatic evidence-based approach to therapeutic treatment. There is a growing realization that a more meaningful interface between research and practice is required to accommodate indigenous Maori knowledge of wellbeing and living. The dominant Western psychological view in New Zealand of world, time, illness and wellbeing results in practices that do not make sense in cultural terms. The medicalisation and classification of psychological disorders cannot account for the degree to which cultural and spiritual factors are associated with problems of living. Heidegger's analysis of Being and his phenomenological method of understanding these matters ontologically reflect a persuasion not dissimilar to the worldview of the Maori and their notion of wellbeing. It offers some direction to the question of how to better integrate psychological research and practice in New Zealand.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Despite the health improvements afforded to non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the United States, the Indigenous peoples in these countries continue to endure disproportionately high rates of mortality and morbidity. Indigenous peoples’ concepts and understanding of health and wellbeing are holistic; however, due to their diverse social, political, cultural, environmental and economic contexts within and across countries, wellbeing is not experienced uniformly across all Indigenous populations. We aim to identify aspects of wellbeing important to the Indigenous people in Canada, Aotearoa and the United States. We searched CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and PubMed databases for papers that included key Indigenous and wellbeing search terms from database inception to April 2020. Papers that included a focus on Indigenous adults residing in Canada, Aotearoa and the United States, and that included empirical qualitative data that described at least one aspect of well...
Māori Cultural Efficacy and Subjective Wellbeing: A Psychological Model and Research Agenda
Social Indicators Research, 2011
Māori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, experience a range of negative outcomes. Psychological models and interventions aiming to improve outcomes for Māori tend to be founded on a 'culture-as-cure' model. This view promotes cultural efficacy as a critical resilience factor that should improve outcomes for Māori. This is a founding premise of initiatives for Indigenous peoples in many nations. However, research modeling the outcomes of increased cultural efficacy for Indigenous peoples, such as Māori, remains limited. We present cross-sectional data modeling the links, and possible causal direction, between Māori cultural efficacy and active identity engagement and levels of (1) satisfaction with personal circumstances and life versus (2) satisfaction with government and the state of the nation more generally (N = 93 Māori). Our data support an opposing outcomes model in which Māori cultural efficacy predicts satisfaction with personal aspects of life, but may simultaneously decrease satisfaction with the nation and methods of governance for Māori peoples. Possible mechanisms governing these opposing effects are discussed.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry , 2010
The aim of the present study was to develop and validate an appropriate tool to assess the social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of Indigenous adolescents participating in the longitudinal Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC) Study. Method: A range of tools was assessed as to the suitability of each for use in the ABC Study. Two existing tools and a newly developed one called 'Strong Souls' were piloted in a representative group (n = 67). Strong Souls was selected as the most appropriate for use in the ABC Study, and was completed by 361 participants. Exploratory factor analysis was used to explore construct validity. Cronbach alpha was used to assess the reliability of the latent constructs and the tool overall. Results: Factor analysis produced a 25-item, four-factor model accounting for 34.5% of the variance. This model demonstrated sound construct validity and reliability. Factor structure was consistent with the epidemiological literature, identifying constructs of anxiety, resilience, depression and suicide risk. While these align with observations in mainstream populations, different relationships between distinct factors, and differences in symptomatology were found in this population. For example, two key fi ndings were: feelings of sadness and low mood were linked with anxiety and not depression; and the expression of anger was verifi ed as a unique symptom of depression for Indigenous people. Conclusions: Strong Souls demonstrated validity, reliability and cultural appropriateness as a tool for screening for SEWB among Indigenous young people in the Northern Territory.
Psychological research and practice in New Zealand has a long history of a positivist inspired epistemology and a pragmatic evidence-based approach to therapeutic treatment. There is a growing realization that a more meaningful interface between research and practice is required to accommodate indigenous Maori knowledge of wellbeing and living. The dominant Western psychological view in New Zealand of world, time, illness and wellbeing results in practices that do not make sense in cultural terms. The medicalisation and classification of psychological disorders cannot account for the degree to which cultural and spiritual factors are associated with problems of living. Heidegger's analysis of Being and his phenomenological method of understanding these matters ontologically reflect a persuasion not dissimilar to the worldview of the Maori and their notion of wellbeing. It offers some direction to the question of how to better integrate psychological research and practice in New Zealand.
Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 2008
The International Wellbeing Index (IWI), a global measure for investigating subjective wellbeing, consists of a Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and a National Wellbeing Index (NWI). The index is applied to the two largest ethnic populations in New Zealand-New Zealanders with European heritage and New Zealanders with Maori heritage. Psychometric characteristics of the IWI for both subsamples compare favourably to those found in other countries. However, for both subsamples, the absolute value of reported subjective wellbeing is lower than expected. Consistent with other social indicators, New Zealanders with Maori heritage show even lower values of PWI and NWI than New Zealanders with European heritage.