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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Navigating a tunnel without sight: the experiences of children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) in Aotearoa New Zealand
(2023) George, Natasha
Children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) grow up with either episodic or enduring mental illnesses within their parents that shape their childhood and impact their entire family. COPMI research is important to the field of child and family psychology as parental mental illness influences child development, parenting experiences, and family functionality. International research on the felt experience of COPMI and subsequent impacts are well-established in international research with a notable gap on the recent experiences of tertiary students and children in Aotearoa New Zealand who have not engaged with a COPMI service. The aim of the study was to investigate the childhood experiences among COPMI tertiary students in Aotearoa New Zealand. Participants were five female tertiary students who had grown up in Aotearoa New Zealand and had a parent who had received psychiatric care. Each participant completed a semi-structured interview about their childhood which was transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three subsequent themes were inductively generated and held together by the metaphor of navigating a tunnel without sight to illustrate how the participants navigated their parent’s mental illness. Each theme had three subthemes which followed a chronological order of their experiences of going from in the dark, growing eyes that see, to lighting a spark. The theme in the dark captured family secrecy about mental illness, inadequate support, and feeling stuck and alone. Second, the theme of growing eyes that see described their journey towards understanding as they experienced hypervigilance, a desire to understand, and positive outcomes. The final theme lighting a spark illustrated the felt connection between the past and the present as the participants felt the impacts of parental mental illness on the family system, talking and education helped, and they had a desire for change. Ultimately, the childhood experiences of COPMI had a profound and long-term impact, providing motivation and inspiration amongst their ongoing loss, frustration, and difficulties. The implications are relevant for a range of people, such as COPMI and their families, practitioners, and policymakers, with avenues for future research that are outlined for researchers.
Investigating the mental health of autistic trans youth in Aotearoa New Zealand
(2024) Jones, Harry M.
Youth who identify as either transgender or Autistic are part of highly stigmatised minority communities that suffer many inequities in mental health and wellbeing. In the face of marginalisation, Autistic trans communities are resilient, vibrant, and embody solidarity.
International research with Autistic trans youth has observed them to be at greater risk of anxiety, depression, and suicidality than the general youth population, and to have poorer mental health than their allistic trans peers. Previous research has shown that Autistic and trans communities in Aotearoa New Zealand each experience poorer mental health than the general population, however no studies have explored the experiences of Autistic trans communities who are likely to be at increased risk of psychological distress.
The current thesis explored the mental health experiences of Autistic trans youth in Aotearoa New Zealand using mixed methods. In Study 1, quantitative data from Counting Ourselves, a community-led health survey for trans people, was analysed to describe the mental health of Autistic trans youth (n = 432) and compare this to their allistic trans peers (n = 564). In Study 2, qualitative analysis of interviews with Autistic trans youth (N = 13) was undertaken to facilitate a
richer understanding of their mental health and determinants of this. Following a community-based approach to research, the current thesis included community perspectives in the research design, methods, language use, and interpretation of the research.
In Study 1, Autistic trans youth were observed to have poor self-rated mental health and life satisfaction, and high rates of loneliness, psychological distress, and suicidality. Both Autistic and allistic trans youth had poor outcomes across measures. It was found that Autistic trans youth had poorer mental health then their allistic trans peers across some measures including self-rated mental health, psychological distress, and lifetime suicidality. These results suggest that Autistic trans youth comprise a group at increased risk of negative mental health experiences.
In Study 2, reflexive thematic analysis detailed four themes and 19 subthemes related to the mental health experiences of Autistic trans youth, highlighting determinants of mental health including societal stigma, community connection, family acceptance, self-acceptance, and self- authenticity. The first theme was Identity Journeys, which had four subthemes: Conformity is Detrimental, Identity Self-Awareness Allows Understanding and Acceptance, Benefits of Self-
Understanding and Self-Acceptance, and Grief for What Life Could Have Been. This theme described how interviewees underwent a journey through painful conformity experiences toward self-authenticity as they came to awareness and acceptance of being Autistic and trans. The second theme was Finding Acceptance, which had four subthemes: Community Connection is Valuable, Ups and Downs of Acceptance and Rejection, Family Attitudes and Reactions are Important, and Family Should Be a Source of Acceptance. This theme described the importance of acceptance, and how interviewees’ mental health was impacted by others’ reactions toward their identities. The third theme was Societal Stigma, which had eight subthemes: Difficulties Living in Cisgender Neurotypical Society, Harmful Experiences of Hateful Incidents, Continual Expectations of Negativity, Lucky Not to Be Rejected, Masking for Safety and Social Fit, Managing Disclosure of Identities, Societal Misunderstanding of Identities, and Support Systems are Lacking. This theme described the myriad of ways that ableist and transphobic attitudes shaped interviewees’ interactions with society, leading to them feeling unwelcome and expecting to encounter negativity. The last theme was Inner Experiences, which had three subthemes: Identity Links to Mental Health Experiences, Gender Incongruence Distress and Relief, and Communication and Connection Difficulties. This theme described the links interviewees made between their Autistic and trans identities and their internal mental health experiences.
Overall, this research indicates that Autistic trans youth in Aotearoa New Zealand face high levels of societal stigma and challenges to their mental health, which contribute to their position as a group at increased risk of negative mental health experiences. The data from this research can be used to inform pathways to better support Autistic trans youth and work toward improving mental health inequities.
The relationship between shame and voice hearing in dissociative identity disorder: a phenomenological exploration
(2024) Ball, Rebecca Jane
Through a qualitative phenomenological approach, this study aimed to explore how people with dissociative identity disorder (DID) made sense of their lived experiences of shame in relation to hearing voices (auditory verbal hallucinations). Six participants in treatment for DID at a specialist trauma unit in a psychiatric hospital were interviewed using a semi- structured proforma designed to assess experiences of hearing voices, experiences of the emotion shame, and the relationship between these two variables. Four superordinate themes emerged from the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: complex relationship with voices, evolution of shame and voices, voices shame and are shameful, and internal and external retreat. The results of this study were compared with current literature on shame and voice hearing, with many points of similarity found, including with McCarthy-Jones’ (2017) theoretical model of voice hearing. Overall findings suggest that voice hearers have a dynamic relationship with their voices, experience various forms of shame in relation to their voices and in the content of their voices, and respond primarily through avoidance strategies. Aspects of the role of shame in an etiological pathway to voice hearing require further investigation.
Literacy lead teachers’ experiences of a transition to a structured approach to literacy in primary schools across New Zealand
(2024) Collier, Lisa Anne
This qualitative research investigated the transition to a structured approach to literacy at primary schools in New Zealand. Six participants took part in semi-structured interviews answering questions around the process, barriers, facilitators and outcomes. The interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were established, with sub themes also detailed. The themes were: Systems failure in literacy | “I’ve ditched the guilt and I’ve handed it over to the government”; Educator driven transformation | “...I’ve gone in, and really gone down the rabbit hole…”; Supporting the transition | “... it’s about influencing”; Workload issues | ‘Juggling all of the plates’ is challenging; Collegial support | “...we’ve fed off each other.”; and Learner success | ‘Empowering’. Participants overwhelmingly spoke about the benefits of implementing this approach, despite experiencing a journey that was challenging at times. The themes were discussed in relation to implementation science frameworks. Practical implications were then listed, to support schools in their journey of transitioning to a structured approach to literacy.
The impact and management of visitor noise on zoo-housed black-capped capuchins (Cebus apella)
(2024) Herrmann, Kelly
Zoos provide an opportunity to educate visitors about species and conservation, raise awareness and funding for animals, and facilitate research opportunities. However, the constant presence of visitors at zoos can have a wide range of effects on animal behaviour, which may be used to assess individual welfare. Specifically, zoo visitor noise and activity have been shown to alter animal behaviour negatively. However, few options have been explored to mitigate these effects.
Here, I investigated the efficacy of quiet signs at zoos on reducing visitor sound and activity levels at four primate enclosures at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, New Zealand. I found that visitor sound was significantly reduced at three of the four enclosures, and visitor activity level was only reduced at one enclosure.
I then measured black-capped capuchin (Cebus apella) behaviour and enclosure use in relation to visitor variables such as noise and activity over time. Ōur results suggest that black-capped capuchin behaviour is highly variable, with alertness, allogrooming, and feeding/foraging/drinking being affected most strongly by visitor characteristics (p-values < 0.05). Autogrooming, locomotion, playing, and resting were not significantly affected by visitors or ecological variables such as weather. We also found variation in behavioural changes between individuals. Although it was not significant, our data showed that the capuchins reduced their distance from the visitor viewing area when there were more visitors (Chapter 3). We found no effect of visitor sound or activity levels on capuchin space use.
These findings suggest that visitor sound and activity levels can be reduced using signs to minimise the effect of visitors on capuchin behaviour. When assessing the impact of visitors on zoo-housed animals in the future, more detailed visitor characteristics, such as sound and activity, should be included. More research is needed on the efficacy of quiet signs in zoos and how to maximise their effectiveness.