Grandparenting Among Maoris of New Zealand: Reflecting on Meanings.

Regardless of nation and culture, grandparents have been instrumental in the survival of families and communities as well as the preservation of cultures. This study explored the meaning and roles of grandparenting among Maori grandparents in New Zealand as a possible platform for advancing the conversation on the significance of grandparents in the lives of people across cultures. Participants interviewed included 17 Maori grandparents to great, great grandparents in Aotearoa New Zealand, living in intergenerational homes. A phenomenology approach was used to analyze the data. Five themes were extracted that elucidated the meaning of the roles of grandparenting from the perspective of Maori grandparents: Elders' responsibilities from a cultural perspective; support, resources, and assets; sociopolitical and economic challenges; current state of Elders' and role in family, and benefits and rewards. Implications and recommendations are discussed towards a more systemic and culturally responsive support of grandparents.

Taonga: grandchildren the treasures of grandparents.

Terns in a multi-ethnic sample of 125 depressed women seeking treatment for depression. Forty-six African American, 36 Caucasian Americans, and 43 Latina women were recruited and interviewed about their beliefs about their illness and their help-seeking. Results indicated that Latinas were significantly more likely than Caucasian Americans to believe that their illness was caused by traditional reasons (e.g., energy imbalance). African Americans were more likely to use spiritual resources (e.g., prayer, church) to deal with their problems than Caucasian Americans or Latinas. Caucasian Americans were more likely to use lay help (e.g., self care, friends and relatives) than Latinas. No ethnic differences in stigma for depressive illness were found. However, the belief in psychological or magico-religious-supernatural causes was associated with increased stigma, but medical and traditional causes were not. Traditional and magic-religious-supernatural causes of illness were associated with using general health care, while psychological and medicinal causes were associated with seeking spiritual care. Additional research is needed to help us to understand how beliefs about the causes of illness and attitudes towards various sources of care interact to influence help-seeking practices.