Rangatahi oranga : family functioning, cultural orientation and depression among New Zealand adolescents : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2011
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Massey University
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Abstract
Mental health disparities between Maori and NZ European adolescents are well
documented. Cultural-vulnerability theory posits that cultural dimensions may
explain some of the difference in distress levels between different ethnic groups.
The aim of this research was to explore the relationships between family
functioning, cultural orientation and depression among NZ Maori and NZ
European adolescents and examine whether cultural orientation - individualism
and collectivism - would moderate the relationship between perceived family
functioning and depression scores. Self-report data assessing individualism,
collectivism, family functioning and depression were collected from 299 Maori
and NZ European high school adolescents. Family dysfunction was found to
positively correlate with depression scores for adolescents in both groups,
however the relationship was stronger for adolescent males than females, and
for NZ Europeans than Maori adolescents, and the relationship was strongest
for Maori male adolescents specifically. The study's major findings were that
collectivism had a moderating effect on the relationship between family
functioning and depression for NZ European females only, and that for Maori
male adolescents who were highly individualistic, family functioning accounted
for 20% of the variance in depression scores. A further finding was that Maori
adolescents displayed both highly individualistic and highly collectivistic
tendencies, which indicates that there may be multiple culture-related pathways
to depression for Maori youths. The findings suggest that Maori male
adolescents may be more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of family
dysfunction than Maori females, especially if they display tendencies towards
individualism. The implications for these and other findings are discussed.
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Keywords
Teenagers, Youth, Maori, Pakeha, Adolescents, Adolescence, Family, Culture, New Zealand