Social Networks and Psychiatric Morbidity in New Zealand Women

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Romans ◽  
V. A. Walton ◽  
G. P. Herbison ◽  
P. E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Demographic Subgroup ◽  
Demographic Subgroups

A random community survey of urban and rural New Zealand women revealed higher rates of psychiatric morbidity in subjects who reported poorer social support. Substantial differences in social networks were found between demographic subgroups. Rural women described better than expected social relationships, giving some support to the pastoral ideal of well integrated rural communities. Women in part-time employment also described better social networks. Elderly, low socio-economic, and widowed, separated and divorced women had poorer social relationships. It is suggested that normative values for social network measures for each demographic subgroup will need to be established before the clinical significance of deviations from the norm can be meaningfully evaluated. Also, the mechanisms linking social networks to health may vary in different subgroups.

scholarly journals Narratives of Incorporation:  An Anthropological Analysis of Same-Sex Civil Unions  in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dionne Steven
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Civil Unions ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Civil Union ◽  
Mainstream Society ◽  
Symbolic Content

<p>In this thesis I examine civil unions from the perspective of New Zealand-based same-sex couples who have chosen to formalise their relationship. My approach is qualitative and in-depth and focuses on interpreting participants' own meanings and beliefs while also recognising the need for broader contextual knowledge. Through participants’ narratives, I explore why it was important for couples to have a civil union, how they chose to mark or enact the occasion, and the meanings they attribute to their choices and actions. Rather than treating the civil union as an isolated event, my analysis situates the civil union within four longer processual trajectories: individual biographical narratives, partner interactions, close social relationships, and trajectories of a socio-political nature. I then explore the contours of participants’ civil union ceremonies in terms of scale, style, and symbolic content. Throughout the thesis, I argue that civil unions facilitate incorporation for same-sex couples on a number of levels: incorporation in terms of inclusion in an important ‘meaning-constitutive’ practice; familial incorporation; and incorporation into mainstream society more generally. The incorporating effects of civil unions owe much to the symbolic capacities of law, the meaning inscribed in the socially dominant cultural model of marriage, and the characteristics of ritual. The importance of ritual to the anthropological enterprise is reaffirmed through this study; not only do rituals provide an important lens through which to examine the normative values of society but also the origins of social revitalization.</p>

Rural midwifery practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Strengths, vulnerabilities, opportunities and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Rea Daellenbach ◽  
Lorna Davies ◽  
Mary Kensington ◽  
Susan Crowther ◽  
Andrea Gilkison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Rural Practice ◽  
Midwifery Practice ◽  
Adverse Weather

Background: The sustainability of rural maternity services is threatened by underfunding, insufficient resourcing and challenges with recruitment and retention of midwives. Aims: The broader aim of this study was to gain knowledge to inform the optimisation of equitable and sustainable maternity care for rural communities within New Zealand and Scotland, through eliciting the views of rural midwives about their working conditions and practice. This article focuses on the New Zealand midwives’ responses. Method: Invitations to participate in an online questionnaire were sent out to midwives working in rural areas. Subsequently, themes from the survey results were followed up for more in-depth discussion in confidential, online group forums. 145 New Zealand midwives responded to the survey and 12 took part in the forums. Findings: The New Zealand rural midwives who participated in this study outlined that they are attracted to, and sustained in, rural practice by their sense of connectedness to the countryside and rural communities, and that they need to be uniquely skilled for rural practice. Rural midwives, and the women they provide care to, frequently experience long travel times and distances which are economically costly. Adverse weather conditions, occasional lack of cell phone coverage and variable access to emergency transport are other factors that need to be taken into account in rural midwifery practice. Additionally, many participants noted challenges at the rural/urban interface in relation to referral or transfer of care of a woman and/or a baby. Strategies identified that support rural midwives in New Zealand include: locum and mentoring services, networking with other health professionals, support from social services and community service providers, developing supportive relationships with other rural midwives and providing rural placements for student midwives. Conclusion: Midwives face economic, topographic, meteorological and workforce challenges in providing a service for rural women. However, midwives draw strength through their respect of the women, and the support of their midwifery colleagues and other health professionals in their community.

scholarly journals Narratives of Incorporation:  An Anthropological Analysis of Same-Sex Civil Unions  in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dionne Steven
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Civil Unions ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Civil Union ◽  
Mainstream Society ◽  
Symbolic Content

<p>In this thesis I examine civil unions from the perspective of New Zealand-based same-sex couples who have chosen to formalise their relationship. My approach is qualitative and in-depth and focuses on interpreting participants' own meanings and beliefs while also recognising the need for broader contextual knowledge. Through participants’ narratives, I explore why it was important for couples to have a civil union, how they chose to mark or enact the occasion, and the meanings they attribute to their choices and actions. Rather than treating the civil union as an isolated event, my analysis situates the civil union within four longer processual trajectories: individual biographical narratives, partner interactions, close social relationships, and trajectories of a socio-political nature. I then explore the contours of participants’ civil union ceremonies in terms of scale, style, and symbolic content. Throughout the thesis, I argue that civil unions facilitate incorporation for same-sex couples on a number of levels: incorporation in terms of inclusion in an important ‘meaning-constitutive’ practice; familial incorporation; and incorporation into mainstream society more generally. The incorporating effects of civil unions owe much to the symbolic capacities of law, the meaning inscribed in the socially dominant cultural model of marriage, and the characteristics of ritual. The importance of ritual to the anthropological enterprise is reaffirmed through this study; not only do rituals provide an important lens through which to examine the normative values of society but also the origins of social revitalization.</p>

Alcohol-Related Problems in New Zealand Women

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Romans-Clarkson ◽  
Valerie A. Walton ◽  
G. Peter Herbison ◽  
Paul E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Roles ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Total Alcohol ◽  
Alcohol Related Problems

As total alcohol consumption has increased this half century in most developed countries, alcohol-related problems have become more frequent. Most research has either studied only men or failed to mention gender. This study examined the prevalence of alcohol problems and their socio-demographic associations in a random sample of New Zealand women. Women of younger age, who were unmarried, well educated, in employment, with child care support and who lived in rural communities saw themselves as having more problems with alcohol. Women who had experienced physical or sexual abuse as adults had increased rates of alcohol problems as did those with more psychiatric morbidity as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire and the short Present State Examination. However, women with multiple social roles, particularly caring responsibilities, were less likely than women with one or two social roles to view themselves as having alcohol problems. The data provided no support for the role strain hypothesis of alcohol abuse. It is argued that the findings support a social explanation for alcohol problems based on varying social sanctions on drinking and alcohol availability rather than a psychoanalytic one of unconscious conflicts over femininity, sexuality or female social roles.

Otago Women's Health Survey 30-Month Follow-Up

1993 ◽  
Vol 163 (6) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Romans ◽  
V. A. Walton ◽  
B. McNoe ◽  
G. P. Herbison ◽  
P. E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Large Family ◽  
Cross Sectional

Women who showed new psychiatric morbidity after a 30-month follow-up of a random community sample of New Zealand women were compared with those who were free of psychiatric disorder at follow-up. There were 25 new cases among the 215 women who were originally not psychiatric cases and who were re-interviewed. Using the weighted back population data to obtain prevalence figures for the general population, 6.9% became new cases over the two and a half years. Those who developed psychiatric disorder initially showed more psychiatric symptoms at a subdiagnostic level. Baseline factors that preceded the onset of psychiatric disorder were being separated or divorced, coming from a large family, having poor social networks, living alone, having few social role responsibilities such as paid employment or motherhood, and having poor physical health. An additional cross-sectional association at follow-up was poor financial security. Good social networks were closely linked with the number of a woman's social roles and appeared to protect her against the onset of psychiatric disorder. Consistent with the initial cross-sectional study, the follow-up data provide no support for marriage and child-care being risk factors for female psychiatric disorder. However, in New Zealand, these factors indicate social integration and are associated with superior mental health.

Rural Hassles and Coping Strategies among Pregnant and Parenting African American Women

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany D. Baffour ◽  
Ruby M. Gourdine ◽  
Carlo Domingo ◽  
Katrina Boone
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
African American ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Barriers To Service ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Poor Rural Women

Maternal stress has been identified as a significant factor in increased risk for prematurity and low birth weight among African American women in general. Further, there exists very little literature on stressors experienced by poor rural women or the strengths inherent in these individuals, their families, and communities. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to (a) examine stressors for African American women who are pregnant and parenting young children, (b) ascertain strengths identified by participants, and (c) discuss formal and informal resources present in rural communities. Implications for enhancing social networks and reducing barriers to service delivery for rural communities are discussed.

Pathways ahead for New Zealand hill country farming

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.G. Scrimgeour
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Hill Farming ◽  
The Hill

This paper provides a stocktake of the status of hill country farming in New Zealand and addresses the challenges which will determine its future state and performance. It arises out of the Hill Country Symposium, held in Rotorua, New Zealand, 12-13 April 2016. This paper surveys people, policy, business and change, farming systems for hill country, soil nutrients and the environment, plants for hill country, animals, animal feeding and productivity, and strategies for achieving sustainable outcomes in the hill country. This paper concludes by identifying approaches to: support current and future hill country farmers and service providers, to effectively and efficiently deal with change; link hill farming businesses to effective value chains and new markets to achieve sufficient and stable profitability; reward farmers for the careful management of natural resources on their farm; ensure that new technologies which improve the efficient use of input resources are developed; and strategies to achieve vibrant rural communities which strengthen hill country farming businesses and their service providers. Keywords: farming systems, hill country, people, policy, productivity, profitability, sustainability

scholarly journals Intimate Partner Violence and Structural Violence in the Lives of Incarcerated Women: A Mixed-Method Study in Rural New Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6185
Author(s):  
Shilo St. Cyr ◽  
Elise Trott Jaramillo ◽  
Laura Garrison ◽  
Lorraine Halinka Malcoe ◽  
Stephen R. Shamblen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
New Mexico ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Incarcerated Women ◽  
Intimate Partner

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common feature in the lives of incarcerated women returning to rural communities, enhancing their risk of mental ill-health, substance use, and recidivism. Women’s experiences of IPV intersect with challenges across multiple social–ecological levels, including risky or criminalizing interpersonal relationships, geographic isolation, and persistent gender, racial, and economic inequities. We conducted quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with 99 incarcerated women in New Mexico who were scheduled to return to micropolitan or non-core areas within 6 months. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately and then triangulated to identify convergences and divergences in data. The findings underscore how individual and interpersonal experiences of IPV, substance use, and psychological distress intersect with broad social inequities, such as poverty, lack of supportive resources, and reluctance to seek help due to experiences of discrimination. These results point to the need for a more proactive response to the mutually constitutive cycle of IPV, mental distress, incarceration, and structures of violence to improve reentry for women returning to rural communities. Policy and treatment must prioritize socioeconomic marginalization and expand community resources with attention to the needs of rural women of color.

scholarly journals Plot Structure Decomposition in Narrative Multimedia by Analyzing Personalities of Fictional Characters

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1645
Author(s):  
O-Joun Lee ◽  
Eun-Soon You ◽  
Jin-Taek Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Fictional Characters ◽  
Story Line ◽  
Popular Narrative ◽  
Personality Changes ◽  
Structure Decomposition ◽  
Plot Structure

This study aims to decompose plot structures of stories in narrative multimedia (i.e., creative works that contain stories and are distributed through multimedia). Since a story is interwoven with main plots and subplots (i.e., primary and ancillary story lines), decomposing a story into multiple story lines enables us to analyze how events in the story are allocated and logically connected. For the decomposition, the existing studies employed character networks (i.e., social networks of characters that appeared in a story) and assumed that characters’ social relationships are consistent in a story line. However, these studies overlooked that social relationships significantly change around major events. To solve this problem, we attempt to use the changes for distinguishing story lines rather than suffer from the changes. We concentrate on the changes in characters’ social relationships being the result of changes in their personalities. Moreover, these changes gradually proceed within a story line. Therefore, we first propose features for measuring changes in personalities of characters: (i) Degrees of characters in character networks, (ii) lengths of dialogues spoken by characters, and (iii) ratios of out-degrees for in-degrees of characters in character networks. We supposed these features reflect importance, inner/outer conflicts, and activeness of characters, respectively. Since characters’ personalities gradually change in a story line, we can suppose that the features also show gradual story developments in a story line. Therefore, we conduct regression for each feature to discover dominant tendencies of the features. By filtering scenes that do not follow the tendencies, we extract a story line that exhibits the most dominant personality changes. We can decompose stories into multiple story lines by iterating the regression and filtering. Besides, personalities of characters change more significantly in major story lines. Based on this assumption, we also propose methods for discriminating main plots. Finally, we evaluated the accuracy of the proposed methods by applying them to the movies, which is one of the most popular narrative multimedia.

Airbnb and the paradox of the body: The biopolitical management of hosts in four tourist towns in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 144078332110001
Author(s):  
Stella Pennell
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Individual Freedom ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Part Time Work ◽  
Low Wages

Airbnb is emblematic of a set of business practices commonly known as ‘the sharing economy’. It is a disruptive business model of homestay accommodation that has exploited conditions of growing precarity of work since 2008. Work precarity is particularly evident in regional tourist areas in New Zealand, which historically experience seasonal, part-time work and low wages. Airbnb draws specifically on the rhetoric of micro-entrepreneurism, with focus on individual freedom and choice: appealing concepts for those experiencing precarity. This article challenges the rhetoric of Airbnb and investigates notions of home, authenticity and hospitality that are reconceptualized under a specific regime of digital biopolitics. Drawing on research conducted in four regional tourist towns in New Zealand this article analyses the biopolitical interpellations that impact hosts’ subjectivities as entities in motion and considers the ways that the rationalities of Airbnb’s algorithms modulate the embodied behaviours of its hosts.

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