Introducing 'Ngaruroro', a New Model for Understanding Maori Wellbeing.

Indigenous peoples around the world are revitalising their ancestral beliefs, practices, and languages, including traditional understandings of health and wellbeing. In the Aotearoa (New Zealand) context, a number of ground-breaking Maori health- and wellbeing-related models have emerged, each with their own scope and applications. We sought in our qualitative studies to explore and identify several key sources of wellbeing for Maori individuals. Nine interviews were conducted with members of Maori communities to identify key themes of Maori wellbeing. We performed a Reflexive Thematic Analysis on these data and then conducted a further fifteen interviews to revise, refine, and reposition the previously generated themes. The Ngaruroro model describes wellbeing as the embodied and active process of being well in relation with one's (1) here tangata (social and familial ties), (2) te taiao (the environment), and (3) taonga tuku iho (cultural treasures) while doing what one can to make lifestyle choices that are conducive to the health of one's (4) tinana (body) and (5) wairua (spirit) while cultivating a balanced (6) ngakau (inner-system), fulfilling (7) matea (core needs) and exercising your (8) mana (authority). These themes illustrate that Maori wellbeing is dynamic, interconnected, and holistic.

The role of whanau (New Zealand Maori families) for Maori children's early learning.

The home-learning environment (HLE) is critical for young children's early learning skills, yet little research has focused on HLEs in indigenous communities. This study examined the role of the HLE of 41 whanau (New Zealand Maori families and community) in relation to their young children's (M = 4 years, 4 months) early learning skills. Parents were observed reading a picture book and reminiscing about past events with their children and reported on their cultural affiliation, literacy, and numeracy practices. Children completed vocabulary, narrative, early literacy, early numeracy, and self-regulation tasks. Principal components analyses revealed an early academic skills factor (story comprehension, story memory, phonological awareness, letter recognition, number recognition, counting, and self-regulation) and an oral language skills factor (receptive and expressive vocabulary and story comprehension). Parents' observed book reading and reminiscing correlated with children's early academic skills, and their observed book reading correlated with children's oral language skills. Parent-child reminiscing was a unique, positive predictor of children's early academic skills. Oral narratives such as reminiscing may be a less visible cultural practice that supports children's early learning. Yet reminiscing is a recognized skill within indigenous communities that have a strong emphasis of intergenerational oral transmission of culturally relevant information. Reminiscing is a source of resilience for whanau, and perhaps for other communities around the world, that needs to be highlighted and taken into account for theory and policy about children's early learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Aging in New Zealand: Ka haere ki te ao pakeketanga.

Aotearoa-New Zealand is expecting the number of older adults to double in the next 20 years. Despite publicly funded health and welfare support for older citizens, the aging experience differs across ethnic groups. This creates opportunities and challenges for health and social services to deliver culturally safe and equitable care for all older New Zealanders. Longitudinal and large data sets are pivotal for characterizing the aging experience from birth to advanced age. The New Zealand research funding system responded to predicted demographic changes by increasing funding in order to inform and address key health and well-being issues for older people. In addition, government strategies and policies increasingly focus on social aspects of aging and health inequities and require researchers and organizations to be better connected to end-users. New Zealand needs to continue to fund research that identifies unique and courageous service delivery solutions that result in positive social, financial, psychological, and physical aging for older New Zealanders.

Keeping cultural in cultural evolutionary psychology: Culture shapes indigenous psychologies in specific ecologies.

In Cognitive Gadgets, Heyes seeks to unite evolutionary psychology with cultural evolutionary theory. Although we applaud this unifying effort, we find it falls short of considering how culture itself evolves to produce indigenous psychologies fitted to particular environments. We focus on mentalizing and autobiographical memory as examples of how socialization practices embedded within culture build cognitive adaptations.

Promoting resilience in adolescents: A new social identity benefits those who need it most.

The Social Identity Approach to Health holds that groups provide us with a sense of meaning and belonging, and that these identity processes have a significant positive impact on our health and wellbeing. Typically, research drawing from the social identity approach with adolescents has focused on the benefits of existing group memberships. Here, using a sail-training intervention, we investigated the impact of providing adolescents with a new group (i.e., a new social identity) on psychological resilience. Across two studies, we demonstrate the benefits of a new social identity, in terms of increases in psychological resilience, flow predominantly to those adolescents who report the lowest levels of resilience at the start of the voyage. We discuss our findings in relation to the social identity approach and adolescent identity development more generally.

Maori Men's Experiences of Rehabilitation in the Moana House Therapeutic Community in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Qualitative Enquiry.

In Aotearoa/New Zealand, culturally embedded rehabilitation programmes have been developed to reduce criminal offending among the indigenous Maori population. Currently, there is a lack of research investigating the experiences of these programmes from clients' perspectives. This study aimed to enhance understandings of the lived experiences of Maori men who were participating in a residential therapeutic community (TC) programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Semistructured interviews were conducted one-on-one by a psychology master's student who was a staff member at the TC and also of Maori descent. Seven Maori TC residents aged 22 to 48 were interviewed about life in a TC. Thematic analysis of the interview data yielded three themes: (a) "The importance of healing family relationships"; (b) "The relevance of Maori culture in rehabilitation"; (c) "Increased self-awareness." The findings highlight the significance of holistic approaches that emphasize culturally relevant approaches and the involvement of family members in the treatment of substance-use disorders and offending behaviour among indigenous populations.

Education Preferences of People With Gout: Exploring Differences Between Indigenous and Nonindigenous Peoples from Rural and Urban Locations.

OBJECTIVE: Gout typically responds well to medications, but adherence might be improved by education that meets individuals' needs in a way that is inclusive of their ethnicity and rurality. The aim of this study was to compare education preferences of Maori and New Zealand European (NZEuropean) individuals with gout, and of those living in rural or urban areas. METHODS: People with gout managed in primary care were recruited from 2 rural regions and 1 city within Aotearoa/New Zealand. Focus groups were held with 26 Maori and 42 NZEuropean participants (44 rural, 24 urban). Participants discussed education preferences for diet, medication, and ways of communicating. The nominal group technique was employed, whereby the group compiled a list of ideas and then participants individually ranked the 3 most important ideas for each topic. RESULTS: The most frequently prioritized ideas for the 3 topics were knowing one's own food triggers, knowing side effects of medications, and communicating via a general practitioner (GP) or specialist. More Maori participants prioritized natural remedies, easy to understand information, and communicating via television. More NZEuropean participants prioritized knowing the kinds of alcohol that trigger gout, communicating via GP/specialist, and receiving written information. More urban participants prioritized knowing to stay hydrated and medication doses as important information. CONCLUSION: Maori and NZEuropean individuals with gout report different understandings and education preferences around personal triggers of gout, treatment options, and ways of receiving information about gout. Further research is required to develop ethnicity-specific gout education resources internationally.

Improving gout education from patients' perspectives: a focus group study of Maori and Pakeha people with gout.

INTRODUCTION Gout is a common form of arthritis that is typically managed in primary care. Gout management guidelines emphasise patient education for successful treatment outcomes, but there is limited literature about the educational experiences of people living with gout in New Zealand, particularly for Maori, who have higher gout prevalence and worse gout outcomes than Pakeha. AIM To explore gout patient education in primary care from the perspectives of Maori and Pakeha people with gout. METHODS In total, 69 people with gout were recruited through primary care providers in three locations across New Zealand. Nine semi-structured focus groups were run with Maori and Pakeha participants in separate groups. RESULTS Thematic analysis yielded two themes in relation to gout education: (i) 'Multiple sources of gout education'; and (ii) 'Gaps in gout knowledge'. Participants received education from general practitioners, educational resources, family and friends, and their own experiences. Maori participants preferred information to be kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) and with significant others present where necessary. Participants disclosed gaps in gout's epidemiology and management. Pakeha and Maori participants reported limited understanding of the genetic basis of gout or the biological underpinnings of the condition and its treatments, but learned treatment adherence through experience. DISCUSSION Despite improved gout patient education, knowledge gaps remain and may contribute to poor medication adherence. Gout patient education interventions need to be tailored to culture and incorporate suitable methods of disseminating information about gout management.

Telling the Tale and Living Well: Adolescent Narrative Identity, Personality Traits, and Well-Being Across Cultures.

This study explored links between narrative identity, personality traits, and well-being for 263 adolescents (age 12-21) from three New Zealand cultures: Maori, Chinese, and European. Turning-point narratives were assessed for autobiographical reasoning (causal coherence), local thematic coherence, emotional expressivity, and topic. Across cultures, older adolescents with higher causal coherence reported better well-being. Younger adolescents with higher causal coherence instead reported poorer well-being. Personal development topics were positively linked to well-being for New Zealand European adolescents only, and thematic coherence was positively linked to well-being for Maori adolescents only. Negative expressivity, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness were also linked to well-being. Implications of these cultural similarities and differences are considered for theories of narrative identity, personality, and adolescent well-being.

Let's korero (talk): the practice and functions of reminiscing among mothers and children in Maori families.

Maori adults recall earlier memories than New Zealand European or Chinese adults, highlighting the importance of memory in Maori culture. In this study, Maori preschool children and their mothers (N = 41) reminisced about a diverse range of past events, including everyday events, the child's birth, cultural rituals and the child's misbehaviour. Mothers also reported how frequently they discussed past events with their children, as well as their level of affiliation with Maori culture. Mothers who reported higher levels of cultural affiliation also reported reminiscing more frequently about a diverse range of past events. Mothers reminisced in more elaborative ways about everyday events with their children compared to birth stories, cultural rituals and misbehaviours. Maternal reminiscing about cultural rituals and misbehaviours, however, along with maternal reminiscing about everyday events and birth stories, were significantly correlated with children's memory across conversations. These results underscore the continued importance of reminiscing about culturally relevant events in Maori culture, and the newfound importance for Maori families of reminiscing about everyday events.

Narratives and traits in personality development among New Zealand Maori, Chinese, and European adolescents.

Narrative and trait levels of personality were assessed in a sample of 268 adolescents from age 12 to 21 from New Zealand Maori, Chinese, and European cultures. Adolescents narrated three critical events and completed a Big Five personality inventory. Each narrative was coded for causal and thematic coherence. NZ Chinese adolescents reported lower levels of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, and higher levels of neuroticism, than NZ Maori or European adolescents. Cultural differences were also evident in narrative coherence. Adolescents in all three groups demonstrated age-related increases in thematic coherence, but only NZ European adolescents demonstrated the expected age-related increases in causal coherence. Narrative identity and traits were distinct aspects of personality for younger adolescents, but were linked for middle and older adolescents. These findings support the importance of both narrative identity and traits in understanding personality development in adolescents across cultures.