Browse
Recent Submissions
Now showing 1 - 10 of 13284
- ItemResilience in the youth mentoring context : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) O'Shea, EliseYouth mentoring is a social intervention tool used throughout the world, as well as within Aotearoa New Zealand. Studying the impacts of youth mentoring is a useful endeavour to better understand how it can be used to improve personal outcomes of the young people. Central to effective youth mentoring is the establishment of a caring relationship between a young person (mentee) and a more mature person (mentor) with the goal of assisting the positive socialisation and development of the young person. Such relationships are established to provide a safe space for young people to receive guidance and support in multiple areas of their life, including those related to school situations, domestic relations, social circles, mental health, and personal development. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how mentors foster resilience in their mentees from the perspective of the mentors. Working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Zealand (BBBSNZ), three case studies were conducted, comprising of material from individual interviews and insights from a focus group. These conversations generated accounts of what it is like to mentor a young person and the various factors and considerations surrounding fostering resilience in them. These cases provided diverse and overlapping perspectives on resilience, what fostering resilience can look like, the other factors that influence mentoring relationships. Three cases offer insights into how these mentors adapt to their mentee’s needs, and how they fostered resilience in their own, unique ways. Key findings from this study relate to how mentoring offers such a personalised service to each child, and how this influences how resilience is fostered by their mentors. I consider the implications of key findings from across the three cases and relevant literature for how BBBSNZ can continue to support the mentoring of young people.
- ItemWomanhood without motherhood : a critical discursive analysis of how older, childfree women navigate stigma through talk : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University of New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Wootton, Jacqueline AnnVoluntary childlessness is relatively common in Westernised contexts but remains stigmatised, especially for women, owing to dominant gendered discourses shaping reproductive norms. In Aotearoa, New Zealand research on voluntary childlessness is scarce, with only several published studies. Globally, research tends to reinforce dominant constructions of voluntary childlessness as abnormal and deviant by focusing on explaining voluntary childlessness (who makes the decision not to parent and why) and the presumed negative consequences, mostly among women of ‘childbearing age’. Research that does consider older women often focuses on potential negative outcomes in later life, echoing common assumptions that childfree women will be sad, lonely, and regretful as they age. Very little research investigates older, voluntarily childless women’s experiences from their own perspectives, and there is no local research to date. Therefore, my research focuses on older, voluntarily childless women living in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Using a feminist poststructuralist lens, under the broad umbrella of reproductive justice, I explore how older women navigate dominant gendered discourses, and how they use discourses to resist stigma associated with their decision not to have children and construct a positive identity. I analysed the interview data generated in interviews with 14 women between the ages of 50 and 71 who identify as childfree from across Aotearoa, New Zealand using critical discursive psychology, applying the principles of reproductive justice and feminist poststructuralism to make sense of my participants’ talk, and what they achieved using the discursive strategies. Four main themes were identified in my analysis, with the first two taking a non-confrontational approach and the final two taking a more critical approach to resisting mandated motherhood, namely: 1. Child-freedom as an equally valid alternative to motherhood, 2. “It’s no big deal”: Minimising and normalising being childfree, 3. Regret-free: Resisting a deficit identity, and 4. “Motherhood is optional, obviously”: Resisting the ‘motherhood mandate’ through liberatory discourses. My research findings show that these women often drew on dominant discourses of essentialism and diversity to construct motherhood and non-motherhood as equally valid options for women. However, they also adopted progressive discourses to problematise motherhood as women’s only source of happiness. While these discursive strategies sometimes contradict each other, the overarching sentiment is that women should be able to occupy the subject position of mother or non-mother without stigma. Accordingly, I argue that by resisting gender essentialist and pronatalist discourse, these women can construct positive, childfree identities and multiple possible subjectivities that constitute womanhood.
- ItemEffects of a 0.8-ratio fructose : lactose blend on exogenous- and endogenous-carbohydrate utilisation and high-intensity endurance performance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 14th March 2026(Massey University, 2024) Murphy, AlexandraBackground: Ingestion of fructose and glucose/maltodextrin at ratios close to unity during high-intensity endurance exercise enhances exogenous-carbohydrate oxidation and endurance metrices, relative to single carbohydrates or fructose-glucose/maltodextrin blends at different ratios. Traditionally, both fructose and lactose have been avoided due to intolerance and gastrointestinal disturbances, but in tolerant individuals these carbohydrates increase fat and spare endogenous-carbohydrate oxidation relative to other carbohydrates suggesting possible synergistic benefits of a fructose-lactose blend. Aim: To determine the metabolic and performance outcomes of an ingested fructose-lactose blend in comparison to a fructose-maltodextrin blend and an isocaloric maltodextrin-only control on high-intensity endurance exercise. Methods: In a three-way crossover design, twelve endurance-trained male cyclists (mean age 49-years SD 11, VO₂ₘₐₓ 57 ml/kg/min SD 5.6) cycled at 57.5% peak power for 2-h, followed by 10-repeated maximal work tasks lasting average 2.4 min SD 47.1 each, whilst drinking every 15-min 200 mL of 11.3% carbohydrate solutions comprising of fructose-lactose (FRUC:LACT), fructose-maltodextrin (FRUC:MALT), or maltodextrin only (MALT). During the 2-h ride, substrate oxidation was determined from indirect calorimetry and naturally-high abundance ¹³C carbohydrate labelling of ingested carbohydrates. Results: There was strong evidence for a moderate-large increase in mean sprint power with FRUC:LACT vs MALT (5.2%; 99% confidence limits 2.0%, 8.5%), but an unclear difference in FRUC:LACT and FRUC:MALT (-1.7%; -4.8%, 1.3%). There was strong evidence for a large-very large increase in exogenous-carbohydrate oxidation rate with FRUC:LACT vs MALT (58%; 90% confidence limits 45%, 72%), and some evidence for a slight to small increase vs FRUC:MALT (6.3%; -1.0%, 13%). There was good evidence for slight to small decreases in endogenous-carbohydrate oxidation rate with FRUC:LACT vs MALT (-11%; - 18%, -3.6%) and vs FRUC:MALT (-10%; -18%, -2.8%), respectively. The two carbohydrate blends lowered fat oxidation rate, relative to MALT, but there was no clear difference between blends. Interestingly, there was some evidence for a slight to small reduction of nausea during the 2-h ride and sprints and a reduction of muscle soreness during the sprints with FRUC:LACT vs FRUC:MALT. Conclusion: A 0.8-ratio fructose-lactose blend is a viable alternative to equivalent fructose maltodextrin blends producing substantial benefits to high-intensity endurance performance, relative to isocaloric maltodextrin. The fructose-lactose blend produced small increases in exogenous-carbohydrate oxidation and endogenous glycogen sparing, vs fructose maltodextrin. Further investigations into ratios and other potential lactose or galactose blends are warranted to explore metabolic responses and alternative carbohydrate sources to support endurance exercise performance.
- ItemCreating an impression : a case study to understand the significance of operational objects through letterpress printing at a science and technology museum in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Elmer, FreyaOperation is a method of object activation commonly applied to science, technology and industrial design objects within museums and heritage institutions. Object operation is recognised as a valuable way to connect objects to communities, applied through visitor programming, object research, and community co-production in the creation of tangible and intangible heritage. However, the value arising from objects’ operation has been found often not to be reflected in the understanding of the significance of the object being operated. This thesis proposes that to understand the full value of object activation through operation, the effect of operation on the object must be understood. There is a paucity of pertinent literature addressing operational objects’ activation within science and technology museums that explores how operation reflects the understanding of objects value. At the heart of this qualitative research is the examination of a single object, a non-accessioned Heidelberg KSD Cylinder letterpress printing press, operated at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). The case study combines Material Culture Studies and Actor Network Theory to reveal a framework that supports a nuanced understanding of the Press’ role and value. The theoretical framework is supported by a diverse range of research methods including in-depth interviews, archival research, and participant observation including video recordings and imagery into the operation of the Press. Research which observes and documents the operation of the Press is conducted during the Press’ utilisation within a significant project lead by artist and MOTAT team member, Makyla Curtis, re-enacting William Colenso’s hand-setting of te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840). This research argues that the Press is a significant object influenced by a complex and fluid web of networks. Given the dissonance between the Press and retention of contexts of meaning, the Press is not understood or valued because its relationships are not recognised. Unless the Press is acknowledged as part of a complex network, it cannot be fully activated.
- ItemEncounters with time : arrested time in contemporary maternal grief narratives : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Dainty, Gretchen EmmaDespite a ‘boom’ in the publication of grief literature since the late 1990s stories addressing the ongoing impacts of a child’s passing for a mother or maternal figure have been difficult to tell and rare to find. However, in recent times, such narratives have become more prolific, resonating with developments in grief psychology that perceive grief as adaptive and enduring. Additionally, narrative theory has expanded the boundaries of storytelling, allowing for ‘unnatural’ representations of time and temporal progression to express subjective experiences of loss. This thesis examines the representation of maternal grief in three narratives published during the 2010s, focusing on maternal subjective experiences of the passage of time. The selected narratives are: Blue Nights (2011) by Joan Didion, a memoir about the death of her daughter Quintana; Wave (2013) by Sonali Deraniyagala, an autobiographical account of the trauma following the deaths of her sons and family members in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami; and Where Reasons End (2019) by Yiyun Li, a novel expressing an enduring relationship between a mother narrator and her deceased son. These narratives share a sense of disrupted temporality, as the narrators experience a stalling of linear time caused by the loss of their children. The immobilisation of temporal progression challenges Freudian-influenced stage models of grief that prevailed in the twentieth century and marginalised maternal grief stories. The writers analysed create differing impressions of ‘kinds of time’ that undo aspects of ‘real-world’ knowledge of temporality. Didion’s framing metaphor of twilight represents the stalling of time, where the narrator resists the reality of her daughter’s demise and the inevitability of death by dwelling in a liminal site, the ‘blue’ moments between day and night. The rupturing effect of the tsunami plunges Deraniyagala into a suspended state at the site of trauma. Between the wave and the outgoing tide, the present is extended until her loss is eventually claimed. However, Yiyun Li does away with time altogether, resulting in the detemporalisation of its protagonist through a fictional narrative method, where language becomes an ‘invisible landscape’. The ethereal animated conversation between the mother narrator and her deceased son transcends time. This topic holds significance for feminist interests and predicts broader societal incorporation of diverse cultural understandings of grief and perceptions of relationships between the living and the dead. Analysis of selected narrative and linguistic features of the texts will show how absence is felt, and how it is made meaningful in and by language.
- ItemThe nutritional status of long-term Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) patients of Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau : a focus on energy, macronutrients, vitamin D, and selenium : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Soljan, EmmaBackground: Good nutritional status is important for well-being and reduced morbidity and mortality risk and pressure on healthcare systems. Despite being under the care of dietitians, home enteral nutrition (HEN) patients may be at risk of malnutrition and macro- and micronutrient deficiencies. It is important to understand the nutritional status of these patients to recommend appropriate feeding and nutrient monitoring practices. Aim: To investigate the nutritional status (energy, macronutrients, vitamin D, selenium) of long-term home enteral nutrition (HEN) patients in Counties Manukau, New Zealand to determine the prevalence of malnutrition. Methods: Data were collected from 42 long-term (≥4 weeks) HEN patients (18+ years) under the care of Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau. Enteral and oral intake were collected through 5 x 24-hour recalls and compared against patients’ prescriptions and estimated requirements (energy, macronutrients, vitamin D, selenium). Clinical signs of deficiency were assessed with a physical assessment (n=40), and nutritional biomarkers from a blood sample (n=22). Body composition was measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) (n=29). Malnutrition prevalence was determined by the Global Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Data were described by mean ± SD, geometric mean (95% confidence intervals), median (interquartile range), and frequencies. Independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-square tests were used to compare data by feeding route and prescription adherence. Results: Malnutrition prevalence was 62.5% (n=25). Prevalence of low BMI and fat free mass index (FFMI) was 47.5% and 44.8% respectively. Mean body mass index (BMI) (21.1 ± 3.6 kg/m²) was low but normal. Fat and/or muscle wasting occurred in at least 35%. Energy and/or protein intake was inadequate in 20% (n=8). Mean plasma vitamin D (143.55 ± 55.35 nmol/L) and selenium (1.37 ± 0.19 µmol/L) were within range with no evidence of deficiency, serum/plasma concentrations were high in 40% and 38.1% respectively. Mean vitamin D intake (13.2 ± 5.3 µg) was low in 26.2% (n=11) but met requirements for all age groups except ≥70 years. Mean selenium intake (95.0 ± 28.1 µg) was low in 7.1% (n=3) but met requirements for all. There were significant differences in nutritional status measures by feeding route and/or prescription adherence. Conclusions: Many HEN patients had poor energy and protein status but maintained good vitamin D and selenium status. Adjustments to feeding practices regarding energy and protein, and more frequent monitoring of malnutrition may be beneficial for prevention of morbidity and mortality.
- ItemThe temporal association of caffeine and sleep in young adults : a thesis completed in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Suckling, SarahBackground: Young adults commonly experience poor sleep health due to various factors such as screen use, delaying bedtime, and high consumption of caffeine. Caffeine, a widely used psychostimulant, is known to negatively affect sleep quality by making it harder to fall asleep and reducing the time spent in REM sleep. Good sleep health is crucial for optimal mental and physical well-being and daytime performance. Despite young adults being one of the largest consumers of caffeinated products, particularly energy drinks, there's limited research on how this affects the sleep health of young adults, especially in New Zealand. Studies have revealed a bidirectional relationship between caffeine and sleep health, where reliance on caffeine during waking hours can lead to poorer sleep quality, creating a cycle of dependence. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the temporal associations between caffeine intake and sleep outcomes in young adults (18-25 years). This was investigated by assessing whether caffeine intake (dosage and timing) affected the subsequent nights sleep outcomes (duration, quality and timing), and whether sleep outcomes (duration, quality and timing) could affect the following days caffeine intake. Method: This study used GTX actigraphy and diary data to assess 7-days of sleep and caffeine intake information from 52 young adults (mean age: 22.06 + 2.043 years, 87% female). Diary data reported subjective sleep outcomes and caffeine intake and timing and actigraphy data was scored and analysed on computer software (Actilife, Version 6.1.2) then merged and aligned with diary data. Mixed linear regression models were used to analyse whether caffeine dosage and timing could predict sleep outcomes for the subsequent night’s sleep. Lagged effects were used to assess whether sleep duration, quality and timing could predict the following days caffeine intake. Both within person and between person variables were assessed. Results: Our results found as people consumed more than their personal average caffeine intake across the 7-days they slept longer, but, as people consumed more than the group average, their sleep was shorter. We also found that when someone slept longer than their personal average across the 7-days, they consumed more caffeine the next day, and when people slept longer than the group average they consumed more caffeine the following day. No association was found between caffeine timing and sleep outcomes, or caffeine intake on sleep efficiency and mid-point of sleep. Nor was any association found between sleep efficiency or mid-point of sleep on caffeine intake the following day. Conclusion: We found that caffeine consumption can adversely affect sleep duration, and sleep duration can predict the following days caffeine intake, creating a cyclic effect. Further research is required to determine how caffeine dosage and timing can impact other sleep variables such as quality and sleep timing. Due to the adverse effects that inadequate sleep duration can have on health and wellbeing and the extensive research on how caffeine intake can lead to shorter sleep duration, it would be valuable for remedies to be put in place to reduce caffeine intake in young adults.
- ItemPatients’ perspectives on delayed diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease : a qualitative analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Dyson, HannahAotearoa has increasingly high levels of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but low rates of timely diagnosis. Despite this, the impacts of a diagnostic delay (DD) for a patient with IBD are poorly understood. It is necessary to investigate the IBD patient’s perspectives on the barriers and impacts of their DD. Previous quantitative research has been conducted to assess the implications of a DD, but qualitative research investigating patient’s perceptions is in its infancy. This study aimed to identify what diagnosed IBD patients consider the main barriers to diagnosis and the relevant impacts of DD. Understanding how a DD can contribute to various negative psychosocial impacts is essential. Ten participants with diagnosed IBD who felt they experienced a DD were interviewed to discuss their experience. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were identified. A lack of IBD awareness and quality of care were considered significant contributors to delay. Psychosocial impacts of ‘Alive, but not living’ and ‘Why so stressed?’ were identified as participants’ perceived emotional impacts of delay, including connecting feelings of helplessness, frustration and resentment towards the health system. The findings produce an incentive to raise IBD awareness and diagnostic procedures to reduce delay time, with recommendations to introduce a holistic model of care for individuals with IBD symptoms. Further research is required to understand how subjective, retrospective recall can influence participant responses, and understanding general practitioners’ perspectives of delay is warranted.
- ItemCock rings, masturbation sleeves, and pulsating vibrators : contesting and reproducing heteronormativity via sex toy parties in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Smith, JanellePure Romance is a US-based sex product retailer that operates commercial sex toy parties in four countries, including my hometown and research site, Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand. This thesis critically examines and analyses Pure Romance’s female-only parties, product catalogue and website-based promotions, and female party attendees’ narrative responses to these. This was done to address the question of whether female-only sex toy parties reproduce or contest heteronormative and androcentric sexual scripts and discourses. My thesis analyses the company's promotion of lotions, potions, and sex toys using a theoretical framework comprising critical discourse analysis, sexual script theory, and vital materialism. Based on the promotional framing and agentic capacities of these products, a spectrum of conflicting and sometimes complementary sexual scripts and discourses is discovered. These overtly, and most prominently, reproduce the hegemony of heteronormative and androcentric sexual discourses through the equally conservative sexual scripts of the company promotions, facilitator narratives, and the narrative responses of party participants. However, this conservative reproduction was also significantly ameliorated by other, albeit less prominent, sexual scripts, which overtly promoted female masturbatory self-pleasure. Indeed, some female-centric scripts directly contested the phallocentric and/or penetrative ideals of heteronormative and androcentric sex by promoting clitoral-focused sexual activities. Furthermore, other scripts latently promoted homosexuality, both female and male, through the omission of any articulated rejection or contestation of such sexual practices. Overt contestation of hetero-and androcentric discursive values would involve the promotion of female solo masturbation/same-sex relationships as the preferred or idealised alternative, or indeed the primary and most celebrated goal of heterosexual encounters. However, evidence of this was lacking.
- ItemDiplomacy reloaded : exploring new frontiers for sustainable development goals through diplomacies required by United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) Heads : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand (via distance). EMBARGOED until 18th February 2025.(Massey University, 2024) Diallo, Kine MelindaThrough the advent of United Nations (UN) Human Development Goals, the 21st century has witnessed an uptick in the importance of multilateral diplomacy. However, research has not yet explored the everyday multilateral diplomacy challenges faced, and relatedly skills required, by senior UN workers at work. In theory, these could be Machiavellian (Old), Psychological (Mass Persuasion and Political skills), or New Diplomacies (from Humanitarian Work Psychology). Employing an inductive qualitative social constructionist approach, alongside Flannigan’s Critical Incident Technique (CIT), a total of nine resident Coordinator Office (RCO) Heads were interviewed about the diplomacies they needed to have in their daily high-level UN work. Qualitative analysis was carried out through MAXQDA2022 software, with built in tabulation processes, aided in reliable and valid critical incident content analysis. MAXQDA2022 allowed a systematic and structured approach for identifying and creating clearly defined code categories based on the research objectives, theoretical frameworks and emergent themes across the data. CIT facilitated through an inductive qualitative (social constructionist) descriptive phenomenological approach. The lens from the chosen approach being, ‘transcendental reflexivity,’ wherein researchers acknowledged themselves as an additional instrument within the research, in order to account for and consider how their own pre-conceived biases and ideas may influence the research. This will, in turn, allow for improved assurances of the reliability and validity of the data. As a result, four prominent critical diplomacy meta-challenges emerged (discussed, further within introduction): 1. Countermanding in-country resource constraints, 2. Maintaining RCO work-life balance, 3. Misalignment with United Nations itself: Structurally (i.e., bureaucratic), Historically (i.e., country has negative collective memory of UN intervention) or politically (i.e., country has non-democratic governance, misaligned to the UN’s democratic governance).. 4. Navigating unfamiliar environmental: adaption difficulties or hostile work dynamic difficulties in a development partners country placement. The findings revealed instances of diplomacy-solutions from all scopes investigated (separate from the amalgamation of old and psychological)and one never before considered ‘emerging diplomacy’ old and psychological. The discussion revealed in the summary of each meta-theme solutions, that depending on the specific challenges, associated with each meta-theme and resulting sub-themes, different diplomacy-solutional scopes were more or less effective than the other. The ideological mapping of interviewees diplomacy scope placements revealed that there was a link between interviewees ideological diplomacy scope placement and diplomacy scope action that they chose. As seven out of the 10 interviewees were fully within the new diplomacies scope (with three additional in-scope new diplomacies areas of conflict), in instances where solely psychological or solely old diplomacies was actioned (and not already amalgamated) they typically followed or were preceded by a new diplomacy solution, revealing a process that amalgamated the solutions. Emphasizing the pro-social impact of new diplomacies, as was the intention of the diplomat. Furthermore the only instance where a solution from a diplomatic scope’s intention wasn’t entirely for new diplomacies goals, was where “psychological” and “new” were conducted by the two interviewees within that scope, or in the case of the singular diplomat from “emerging.” 7 out of the 10 interviewees were placed fully within the new diplomacies scope. Two interviewees were within the psychological and new scope, while one was within the never before considered scope of emerging diplomacies (i.e emerging from new). As there is evidence of a link between the diplomacy ideology and diplomacy action of a diplomat, and some diplomacy-solutions are only able to be actioned by diplomats from certain ideological scope placements, there reveals a need for multiple perspectives and placements from the varying scopes with some link to new diplomacies (due to its pro social nature, to handle different difficulties). The limitations of this study consisted of the following; (a) hand-picked interviewees (b) missed opportunities (c)lost transcripts and (d)gender. Therefore improvements to minimise similar limitations in future research could be as follows: follow up interviews, practice and upskill of interviewing style prior to conducting interviews, and to face mistakes as the researcher, with accountability and reflection in line with transcendental reflexivity.
