Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Aboriginal Australians Mental health'
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Paradies, Yin Carl. "Race, racism, stress and indigenous health /." Connect to thesis, 2006. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00002514.
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Suggit, Daniel Richard. "A Clever People: Indigenous healing traditions and Australian mental health futures." Thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/12051.
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Indigenous Australians are currently hospitalised for mental health disorders at significantly higher rates than members of the non-Indigenous population. In this context, the development of effective Indigenous mental health service delivery models in remote, rural and urban areas continues to be a national priority.
Traditional forms of healing are fundamental to Indigenous societies across Australia. Anthropologists, linguists, psychiatrists, psychologists, psycho-analysists and Indigenous healers themselves have recorded and discussed many localised traditions of healing over the last 100 years.
This paper presents an overview of this significant Australian heritage and proposes that the challenges which face mental health service delivery within many Indigenous communities may be addressed in part through the recognition of the intellectual, religious and therapeutic bases of Indigenous healing traditions.
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McGough, Shirley-Ann. "Facilitating equity in mental health outcomes for Aboriginal people within mainstream mental health services in Western Australia: A grounded theory study." Thesis, Curtin University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1275.
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This study developed a substantive theory that explores the provision of culturally safe care in a mental health setting and identified factors that inhibit or facilitate the experience. 28 mental health professionals working in mainstream mental health settings in Western Australian were interviewed for this study. The basic social psychological problem shared by participants was the experience of being unprepared. To address this, participants engage in a basic social psychological process of “seeking solutions by navigating the labyrinth”. The findings of this study have implications for service providers, clinical practice, policy and planning, research, education and Aboriginal patients and other key stakeholders.
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Garay, Jasper. "Social and Emotional Wellbeing service experiences of Aboriginal young people in New South Wales, Australia: listening to voices, respecting experiences, improving outcomes." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/24528.
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Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in New South Wales have lived experiences of mental health/social and emotional wellbeing services and systems. These lived experiences and knowledges are of great value to services and systems that are seeking to improve mental health/social and emotional wellbeing health outcomes through systemic reform. The lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are crucial to developing an authentic understanding of why some services and systems work and why some services and systems do not work; they also offer a consumer perspective on how mental health/social and emotional wellbeing services and systems could be improved.
While there is a growing body of research providing evidence suggesting that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience very high burdens of mental health/social and emotional wellbeing challenges, there is minimal research on mental health/social and emotional wellbeing help-seeking, service experiences or on what works (and why or why not). This research fills part of that knowledge gap.
This research forms part of a larger body of work being undertaken by the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH) team in partnership with several Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in New South Wales, Australia. It aims to privilege the voices, experiences, and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who use mental health/social and emotional wellbeing services and systems in New South Wales. Through this data the research aims to establish a consumer perspective on how current mental health/social and emotional wellbeing services and systems can build upon current strengths and successes. It also aims to preview
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suggestions for change by positioning the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people as experts on their own needs.
Aboriginal young people involved in this study did have suggestions for reforms to Social and Emotional Wellbeing services that would improve outcomes across five key themes: access, cultural appropriateness, early intervention, service integration, and effectiveness. Overall, enhanced accessibility to holistic Social and Emotional Wellbeing services that genuinely support clients in their wellbeing journeys was identified as needed. Earlier intervention services were identified as important and requiring further embedment in communities, with services that do exist suggested to better utilise culturally informed and person-centered approaches to care.
This thesis presents a synthesis of related literature, mental health/social and emotional wellbeing data and policies and uses qualitative health research methods to position the voices, experiences, and perspectives of current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people as experts in this research
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Jackson, Pulver Lisa Rae. "An argument on culture safety in health service delivery towards better health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples /." University of Sydney. Public Health and Community Medicine, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/609.
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The bureaucratic measure of health service, health performance indicators, suggest that we are not effective in our legislative responsibility to deliver suitable health care to some of the populations we are meant to serve. Debate has raged over the years as to the reasons for this, with no credible explanation accepted by those considered stakeholders. One thing is clear though, we have gone from being a culture believing that the needs of the many far outweigh those of the few, to one where we are barely serving the needs of the 'any'. This is most evident in the care delivered to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.
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Jackson, Pulver Lisa Rae. "An argument on culture safety in health service delivery: towards better health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/609.
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The bureaucratic measure of health service, health performance indicators, suggest that we are not effective in our legislative responsibility to deliver suitable health care to some of the populations we are meant to serve. Debate has raged over the years as to the reasons for this, with no credible explanation accepted by those considered stakeholders. One thing is clear though, we have gone from being a culture believing that the needs of the many far outweigh those of the few, to one where we are barely serving the needs of the 'any'. This is most evident in the care delivered to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.
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Sevo, Goran. "A multidimensional assessment of health and functional status in older Aboriginal Australians from Katherine and Lajamanu, Northern Territory /." View thesis entry in Australian Digital Theses Program, 2003. http://thesis.anu.edu.au/public/adt-ANU20051021.144853/index.html.
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Parsons, Meg. "Spaces of disease the creation and management of Aboriginal health and disease in Queensland 1900-1970 /." Connect to full text, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/5572.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2009.Degree awarded 2009; thesis submitted 2008. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept.of History, Faculty of Arts. Title from title screen (viewed 3 December, 2009). Includes graphs and tables. List of tables: leaf 9. List of illustrations: leaves 10-12. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.
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Lansingh, Van Charles. "Primary health care approach to trachoma control in Aboriginal communities in Central Australia." Connect to thesis, 2005. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/984.
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This study concerned a primary health care approach to trachoma control in two Central Australian Aboriginal communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated that the best method to control trachoma is the SAFE strategy (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial hygiene, and Environmental improvements), and this approach was adopted.The communities, Pipalyatjara and Mimili, with populations slightly less than 300 each, are located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara (AP) lands of Central Australia, in the northwest corner of the South Australia territory. At Pipalyatjara, a full SAFE-type intervention was undertaken, with the ‘E’ component designed and implemented by the NHC (Nganampa Health Council Inc.). At Mimili, only a SAF-type of intervention was implemented.
Baseline data was gathered for 18 months from March 1999 through September 2000 (five visits to Pipalyatjara and four at Mimili), and included determining trachoma prevalence levels using the WHO system, facial cleanliness, and nasal discharge parameters. A trachoma health program was implemented at the end of this period and a one-time dose of azithromycin was given in September of 2000. The chief focus of the study was children under 15 years of age.
Improvements in road sealing, landscaping, and the creation of mounds were started to improve dust control. Concurrently, efforts were made in the houses of the residents to improve the nine healthy living practices, which were scored in two surveys, in March 1999 and August 2001. Trachoma prevalence, and levels of facial cleanliness and nasal discharge were determined at 3, 6, and 12 months following antibiotic administration.
In children less than 15 years of age, the pre-intervention prevalence level of TF (Trachoma Follicular) was 42% at Pipalyatjara, and 44% at Mimili. For the 1-9 year age group, the TF prevalence was 47% and 54% respectively. For TI (Trachoma Intense), the pre-intervention prevalence was 8% for Pipalyatjara, and 9% for Mimili. The TF prevalence, adjusted for clustering, and using only individuals present at baseline and follow-up (3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention), was 41.5%, 21.2%, 20.0%, and 20.0% at Pipalyatjara respectively. For Mimili, the corresponding prevalence figures were 43.5%, 18.2%, 18.2%, and 30%.
In the 1-9 year age group, a lower TF prevalence existed between the pre-intervention and 12-month post-intervention points at Pipalyatjara compared to Mimili. The TF prevalence after the intervention was also lower for males compared to females, when the cohorts were grouped by gender, rather than community. It is posited that reinfection was much higher at Mimili within this age group, however, in both communities, there appeared to be a core of females whose trachoma status did not change. This is speculated as mainly being caused by prolonged inflammation, though persistent infection C. Trachomatis cannot be ruled out.
Facial cleanliness and nasal discharge continued to improve throughout the intervention at both communities, but at the 3-month post-intervention point no longer became a good predictor of trachoma.
It is not known whether the improvements in the environment at Pipalyatjara were responsible for the reduction in trachoma prevalence 12 months after the intervention, relative to Mimili.
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Bartlett, Ben. "Origins of persisting poor Aboriginal health an historical exploration of poor Aboriginal health and the continuities of the colonial relationship as an explanation of the persistence of poor Aboriginal health /." Connect to full text, 1998. http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/~thesis/adt-NU/public/adt-NU1999.0016/index.html.
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Thesis (M.P.H.)--Dept. of Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, 1999."An historical exploration of poor aboriginal health and the continuities of the colonial relationship as an explanation of the persistence of poor aboriginal health " Includes bibliographical references (leaves 334-349).
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Hamilton, Blake Alexander. "Assessment of at-risk mental states for psychosis in young aboriginal and non-aboriginal people using the CAARMS." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8767.
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Lee, Amanda (Amanda Joan). "Survival tucker : aboriginal dietary intake and a successful community-based nutrition intervention project." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9463.
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Priestly, Jacqueline Rita. "Growing stronger together : cross-cultural nutrition partnerships in the Northern Territory 1974-2000 /." View thesis, 2003. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20031219.105829/index.html.
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McCoy, Brian Francis. "Kanyirninpa : health, masculinity and wellbeing of desert Aboriginal men." Access full text, 2004. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/2416.
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Kanyirninpa, or holding, exists as a deeply embedded value amongst desert Aboriginal peoples (Puntu). It is disclosed as authority with nurturance, where older generations assume the responsibility to care for and look after younger people. Kanyirninpa also holds in balance two other key cultural patterns of desert life, autonomy and relatedness. These values are transmitted across generations where they provide desert society with identity, cohesion and strength. While kanyirninpa can be identified in the nurturance provided a child after birth, its presence and power is particularly disclosed at ceremonial time. Here, the meanings of the ancestral tjukurrpa (dreaming) are celebrated and renewed. Desert society is reproduced as the deeper, social and cosmic meanings around ngurra (land), walytja (family) and tjukurrpa are gathered, ritualised and re-enacted. The older generations of men and women enable this holding to occur. When boys (marnti) become men (wati) the manner of kanyirninpa changes. No longer do young men seek to be held by their mothers and female relations. Instead, they seek to be held by older men: brothers, uncles and other males. By holding them older men induct younger men into the social meanings and behaviours of desert, male adulthood. A generative and generational male praxis is disclosed.
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Peiris, Priyajit David. "Building better primary care systems for indigenous peoples : a multimethods analysis." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/12717.
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Hughes, Ian. "Self-Determination: Aborigines and the State in Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/931.
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This thesis is an inquiry into the possibility of Aboriginal autonomy under the regime of a state policy which commands self determination. Debate about policy has been dominated by Western scientific, political and professional knowledge, which is challenged by indigenous paradigms grounded in the Dreaming. A recognition of the role of paradox leads me to an attempt at reconciliation between the old and the new Australian intellectual traditions. The thesis advances the theory of internal colonialism by identifying self-determination as its current phase. During more than 200 years of colonial history the relationship between Aborigines and the state has been increasingly contradictory. The current policy of self-determination is a political paradox. Aboriginal people must either conform to the policy by disobeying it, or reject the policy in obedience to it. Through the policy of self-determination the state constructs a relationship of dependent autonomy with Aboriginal people. In a two-year (1994-95) action research project Kitya Aboriginal Health Action Group was set up to empower a local community to establish an Aboriginal health service despite opposition from the Government Health Service. In collaboration with local general practitioners and volunteers the action group opened a health centre. After the end of formal field work government funding and support for the health service was granted. The project illustrated the paradox of dependent autonomy. What appeared as successful community development was not development, and what appeared as destructive factionalism was empowering. Strategies for change made use of contradictions and paradoxes within the state. As an innovation in the practice of social change, the thesis begins the construction of a model for indigenous community action for self-determination in health.
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Jaross, Nandor. "Diabetic retinopathy in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2003. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phj376.pdf.
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"January 2003." Bibliography: 10.1-10.11 leaves. This thesis presents results from the Katherine Region Diabetic Retinopathy Study (1993-1996). These results provide the first detailed information on the basic epidemiology of diabetic retinopathy and impaired vision in an Aboriginal diabetic population.
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Priestly, Jacqueline Rita. "Growing stronger together : cross-cultural nutrition partnerships in the Northern Territory 1974-2000." Thesis, View thesis, 2003. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/266.
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This thesis incorporates social history and consultative action research to analyse the development of cross-cultural nutrition services for Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory from 1974-2000 and promote the development of stronger partnerships in 1999-2001.The historical development of nutrition services is analysed against current theory and a model of capacity building for health promotion. Nutrition infrastructure and services have developed systematically, incrementally and substantially. Strengths include the development of enduring and successful inter-cultural partnerships and leadership.Two facilitative narratives which aim to improve inter-cultural knowledge sharing, strengthen capacity and promote participatory action in community based projects were developed, implemented and partially evaluated. Services can be further strengthened by long-term commitments to examining power issues, promoting improved Indigenous control and problem solving and comprehensive bi cultural evaluation that identifies significant indicators to improving outcomes. Participatory action research, facilitative story telling, capacity building, Indigenous education theory and critical social science can inform and guide these efforts in complementary ways.
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Paul, David. "Casting shadows and struggling for control : silence, resistance and negotiation in Australian Aboriginal health." University of Western Australia. School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0015.
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Self determination has been recognised as a basic human right both internationally and, to an extent, locally, but it is yet to be fully realised for Aboriginal Peoples in Australia. The assertion of Aboriginal community control in Aboriginal health has been at the forefront of Aboriginal peoples' advocacy for self determination for more than thirty years. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and their representative organisations have been the site of considerable resistance and contestation in the struggles involved in trying to improve Aboriginal health experiences. Drawing on some of these experiences I explore the apparent inability of policy and decision makers to listen to systematic voices calling for change from the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector. It is government inability to act more fully on clear and repeated messages that is a source of much disquiet within representative Aboriginal organisations. Such disquiet is grounded in a belief that colonial notions continue to influence decision making at policy, practice and research levels resulting in a significant impediment to the realisation of self determination and associated human rights in Aboriginal health matters and Aboriginal Affairs more broadly.
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Constable, S. E. "Knowledge-sharing education and training to enhance dog health initiatives in remote and rural indigenous communities in Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9270.
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Smith, Kathryn Elizabeth. "Assessment and prevalence of dementia in indigenous Australians." University of Western Australia. School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0062.
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Until recently, there was no dementia screening tool for Indigenous Australians and a paucity of information on the extent of dementia in Indigenous Australians. This thesis describes the development and validation of a tool to assess cognitive impairment in remote Indigenous Australians with the primary purpose of determining the prevalence of dementia and other associated conditions in this population. The tool was reevaluated with the larger prevalence sample and a short version of the tool was developed and evaluated. The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) tool was validated with Indigenous Australians aged over 45 years from the Kimberley region of Western Australia (n=70). The results were later confirmed in a larger sample from the remote Kimberley (n=363), and an additional sample in rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory (n=47). The KICA results were compared to independent consensus diagnoses using DSM-IV and ICD-10. Interpreters were used whenever participants were not proficient in English. These data led to the determination of a cut-off score of 33/34 out of a possible total score of 39 for the cognitive component of the KICA (KICA-Cog), with a sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.95 and AUC of 0.98. The tool is now widely used within remote areas of Australia. A short version of the KICACog (sKICA-Cog) was developed and found to be a valid brief screening tool for dementia in the Kimberley population, and had a cut-off score of 20/21 out of a possible 25, with a sensitivity of 0.89, specificity of 0.95 and AUC of 0.98. The sKICA-Cog should be used in combination with the KICA cognitive informant questionnaire (KICA-IQ). The KICA-IQ cut-off score of 2/3 out of a possible 16 was determined, with a sensitivity of 0.76 and specificity of 0.84 and AUC of 0.91. Using the validated KICA, the prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND) was determined in a semi-purposive sample consisting of 363 Indigenous Australians aged over 45 years from 6 Aboriginal communities and one town in the Kimberley region. Participants were screened with the full KICA and 165 participants had an independent specialist review with consensus diagnoses. The prevalence of dementia was 12.4%, 5.2 times greater than the Australian prevalence of 2.4%, after age adjustment. The prevalence of CIND was 8.0%. Characteristics associated with dementia included older age, male gender (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.4, 6.8), no formal education (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1, 6.7), smoking (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.1, 18.6), previous stroke (OR 17.9, 95% CI 5.9, 49.7), epilepsy (OR 33.5, 95% CI 4.8, 232.3) and head injury (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.7, 9.4). Other factors associated with dementia included incontinence, falls and poor mobility. The KICA is a valid assessment tool for rural and remote Indigenous Australians. The prevalence of dementia amongst Indigenous Australians is substantially higher than generally found in non - Indigenous Australians and other populations in the developed and developing world.
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Grootjans, John. "Both ways and beyond : in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker education /." View thesis, 1999. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030725.103057/index.html.
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Priestly, Jacqueline Rita, University of Western Sydney, College of Social and Health Sciences, and School of Sociology and Justice Studies. "Growing stronger together : cross-cultural nutrition partnerships in the Northern Territory 1974-2000." THESIS_CSHS_SJS_Priestly_J.xml, 2003. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/266.
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This thesis incorporates social history and consultative action research to analyse the development of cross-cultural nutrition services for Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory from 1974-2000 and promote the development of stronger partnerships in 1999-2001.The historical development of nutrition services is analysed against current theory and a model of capacity building for health promotion. Nutrition infrastructure and services have developed systematically, incrementally and substantially. Strengths include the development of enduring and successful inter-cultural partnerships and leadership.Two facilitative narratives which aim to improve inter-cultural knowledge sharing, strengthen capacity and promote participatory action in community based projects were developed, implemented and partially evaluated. Services can be further strengthened by long-term commitments to examining power issues, promoting improved Indigenous control and problem solving and comprehensive bi cultural evaluation that identifies significant indicators to improving outcomes. Participatory action research, facilitative story telling, capacity building, Indigenous education theory and critical social science can inform and guide these efforts in complementary ways.Master of Arts (Hons) (Critical Social Science)
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Hummelle, Laura. "Exploring the mental health needs of aboriginal people in the Capital Health Region." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ62019.pdf.
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Sevo, Goran, and sevo1984@yubc net. "A multidimensional assessment of health and functional status in older Aboriginal Australians from Katherine and Lajamanu, Northern Territory." The Australian National University. Faculty of Arts, 2003. http://thesis.anu.edu.au./public/adt-ANU20051021.144853.
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Human health is multidimensional: apart from physical, mental, and social aspects, it also
incorporates subjective perceptions of health, and functional status (FS). Given that elderly
persons have very distinctive health and social needs, multidimensional assessment (MA)
of health proves particularly useful in this age group.¶
Aboriginal populations suffer poor health, and there are relatively few studies addressing
the health problems of older Aboriginal Australians, mainly because of their distinctive
demographic structure, and the low proportion of their elderly. Also, there is no prior
information available on MA of health in this Australian population group.¶
This thesis offers a MA of health in older Aboriginal persons from two, urban and
rural/isolated, locations in the NT, Katherine and Lajamanu (the NT survey).¶
This thesis specifically addresses the following questions:
- what is the physical health, FS, subjective perception of health, and social
functioning amongst the NT survey participants?
- what are the possible similarities and differences in various dimensions of health
between the two major survey locations, what age and gender patterns are
observed, and what are the reasons for these patterns, similarities and
differences?
- how do various dimensions of health relate to each other, and why?
- how do current findings relate to broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
populations, and why?
- what can MA add to a better understanding of various aspects of morbidity and
health care use?
- what are its possible implications for health planning?¶
Findings from this work indicate poor physical health amongst participants in almost all
investigated aspects, comparable to information available from other Aboriginal
populations. These are accompanied by low levels of ability for physical functioning. Despite this, subjective perception of health is rather optimistic amongst participants, and
levels of social functioning high. Use of health services is mainly related to available health
infrastructure. Important health differences exist between Katherine and Lajamanu, and
they became particularly visible when all dimensions of health are considered together.¶
The Main conclusions from the current work are that 1) poor physical health is not
necessarily accompanied by similar level of deterioration in other dimensions of health:
even though participants from the isolated community of Lajamanu experience most
chronic diseases, their ability for physical functioning is better, self-perceived health (SPH)
more optimistic and levels of social functioning highest 2) institutionalised participants from
Katherine suffer by far the worst health of all sample segments in this study; at least some
of the poor health outcomes are potentially avoidable, and could be improved by more
appropriate residential choices for Aboriginal elderly 3) better health infrastructure does
not necessarily bring better health in all its dimensions, suggesting that other factors
(primarily socio-economic and cultural) should be addressed in conjunction with this in
solving complex health problems of Aboriginal Australians, and 4) it provides strong
support that MA can become a useful tool in comprehensive health assessment of older
Aboriginals.
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Leon, de la Barra Sophia. "Building research capacity for indigenous health : a case study of the National Health and Medical Research Council : the evolution and impact of policy and capacity building strategies for indigenous health research over a decade from 1996 to 2006." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/3538.
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As Australia’s leading agency for funding health research (expending over $400 million in 2006), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a major responsibility to improve the evidence base for health policy and practice. There is an urgent need for better evidence to guide policy and programs that improve the health of Indigenous peoples. In 2002, NHMRC endorsed a series of landmark policy changes to acknowledge its ongoing role and responsibilities in Indigenous health research—adopting a strategic Road Map for research, improving Indigenous representation across NHMRC Council and Principal Committees, and committing 5% of its annual budget to Indigenous health research. This thesis examines how these policies evolved, the extent to which they have been implemented, and their impact on agency expenditure in relation to People Support. Additionally, this thesis describes the impact of NHMRC policies in reshaping research practices among Indigenous populations.
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Leon, de la Barra Sophia. "Building research capacity for indigenous health : a case study of the National Health and Medical Research Council : the evolution and impact of policy and capacity building strategies for indigenous health research over a decade from 1996 to 2006." University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/3538.
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Master of PhilosophyAs Australia’s leading agency for funding health research (expending over $400 million in 2006), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a major responsibility to improve the evidence base for health policy and practice. There is an urgent need for better evidence to guide policy and programs that improve the health of Indigenous peoples. In 2002, NHMRC endorsed a series of landmark policy changes to acknowledge its ongoing role and responsibilities in Indigenous health research—adopting a strategic Road Map for research, improving Indigenous representation across NHMRC Council and Principal Committees, and committing 5% of its annual budget to Indigenous health research. This thesis examines how these policies evolved, the extent to which they have been implemented, and their impact on agency expenditure in relation to People Support. Additionally, this thesis describes the impact of NHMRC policies in reshaping research practices among Indigenous populations.
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Macdonald, Mary Ellen 1969. "Hearing (unheard) voices : aboriginal experiences of mental health policy in Montreal." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=84525.
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The focus of this dissertation is the mental health experiences of Aboriginal people in Montreal as they interface with health policy, and lack thereof, for this population.Drawing on anthropological fieldwork from Montreal, Eastern Quebec, and Ontario, this thesis endeavours to unravel the jurisdictional tapestry that Aboriginal clients must negotiate when seeking services in Montreal. Using an ethnographic methodology, this project provides an understanding of the ordering of health services for Aboriginal clients from street-level to policy offices.
This thesis draws on three theoretical areas (theories of illness, aboriginality, and public policy) to explicate four themes that emerge from the data. Analysis moves along a continuum between the illness experience and the macro-social determinants of politics and bureaucracy that impact the health of the individual as well as support and organize systems of care.
Discussion of Theme #1 (evolution of mental health and wellness categories in health theory, policy and practice) and Theme #2 ( the culture concept in health policy) demonstrates that despite the progressive evolution of concepts in health theory and policy, Aboriginal people generally do not find services in Montreal that provide culturally-sensitive, holistic care. Discussion of Theme #3 (barriers to wellness created by jurisdiction) argues that jurisdictional barriers prevent clients' access to even the most basic and rudimentary services and that such barriers can actually disable and increase distress. Discussion of Theme #4 ( Aboriginal-specific services) looks at the pros and cons of creating an Aboriginal-specific health centre in Montreal.
Together, these four themes show that understanding Aboriginal people in Montreal requires contextualizing their embodied experience within the colonial history and institutional racism which characterizes many healthcare interactions, and clarifying the bureaucracy that complicates the search for well-being. Montreal's Aboriginal problematic is located in a system characterized by entrenched bureaucracy, jurisdictional complexity and injustice, these elements mapping onto Aboriginal reality with serious repercussions for individual identity and well-being.
Hearing the voices of Aboriginal people in Montreal as they seek out care for mental health problems requires the resolution of jurisdictional and policy clashes that currently silence their suffering. This thesis endeavours to advance this crucial social agenda.
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Aldrich, Rosemary Public Health & Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine UNSW. "Flesh-coloured bandaids: politics, discourse, policy and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 1972-2001." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, 2006. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/27276.
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This thesis concerns the relationship between ideology, values, beliefs, politics, language, discourses, public policy and health outcomes. By examining the origins of federal health policy concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 1972-2001 I have explored the idea that the way a problem is constructed through language determines solutions enacted to solve that problem, and subsequent outcomes. Despite three decades of federal policy activity Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children born at the start of the 21st Century could expect to live almost 20 years less than non-Indigenous Australians. Explanations for the gap include that the colonial legacy of dispossession and disease continues to wreak social havoc and that both health policy and structures for health services have been fundamentally flawed. The research described in this thesis focuses on the role of senior Federal politicians in the health policy process. The research is grounded in theory which suggests that the values and beliefs of decision makers are perpetuated through language. Using critical discourse analysis the following hypotheses were tested: 1. That an examination of the language of Federal politicians responsible for the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples over three decades would reveal their beliefs, values and discourses concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their health 2. That the discourses of the Federal politicians contributed to policy discourses and frames in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy environment, and 3. That there is a relationship between the policy discourses of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy environment and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The hypotheses were proven. I concluded that there was a relationship between the publicly-expressed values and beliefs of politicians responsible for health, subsequent health policy and resulting health outcomes. However, a model in which theories of discourse, social constructions of people and problems, policy development and organisational decision-making were integrated did not adequately explain the findings. I developed the concept of "policy imagination" to explain the discrete mechanism by which ideology, politics, policy and health were related. My research suggests that the ideology and values which drove decision-making by Federal politicians responsible for the health of all Australians contributed to the lack of population-wide improvement in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the late 20th Century.
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Jacobs, Kahá:wi Joslyn. "Mental health issues in an urban Aboriginal population, focus on substance abuse." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape4/PQDD_0029/MQ64375.pdf.
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Walton, Shelley Faye. "Sarcoptes scabiei : a molecular approach to immunological and epidemiological aspects." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1999. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27676.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this project was to account for and characterise the extent of genetic variation within and between sympatfic host-associated populations of dog-derived and human-derived Sarcoptes scabiei.
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Lea, Teresa Sue. "Between the pen and the paperwork : a native ethnography of learning to govern indigenous health in the Northern Territory." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1891.
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Grootjans, John. "Both ways and beyond : in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker education." Thesis, View thesis, 1999. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/445.
Full textAbstract:
During 1987 my essential beliefs about the nature of the world were challenged by a chance event which led to my arrival in Arnhemland. Working with Aboriginal people allowed me to see first hand the failings of Western ideas in Aboriginal education and health. This is how a 12 year collaboration with Aboriginal people began. The aim was to search for answers to the question, 'Why so many ideas that had been successfully used in the Western world, fail to meet the needs of aboriginal people? My experiences prior to 1995 had led me to believe that Both Ways, an education pedagogy developed in teacher education, was the best approach for empowering Aboriginal Health Workers. I believed Both Ways gave Aboriginal Health Workers a means to develop solutions to aboriginal health issues which valued and respected their aboriginal knowledge. I needed to describe and evaluate the practice of both ways with Aboriginal Health workers for the purpose of proving the benefit of this pedagogy for other educators in this field. This thesis describes how I came to think Both Ways was a good idea; how I defined Both ways; and how I put it into practice. It also provides a description of the issues raised in my critique of Both Ways and in my attempts to provide answers to these issues. Several years of collecting data, including records from action research group discussions, participant observation, interviews with peers and students, and formal evaluations left me with many concerns about Both Ways. As educators follow my journey of discovery I hope that they will recognise experiences and insights that they themselves have shared. The descriptions and discussions in this thesis will add significantly to the overall discourse about health worker education. Similarly, the exploration of ideas beyond Both Ways will add significantly to the overall body knowledge about the power relationships involved in teaching in a cross cultural setting
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Young, Christian Ronald Phillip. "The resilience of urban Aboriginal children and their caregivers." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/20120.
Full textAbstract:
The current health and social disparities between Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people pose significant challenges for Aboriginal communities. These disparities are widely attributed to the historical and ongoing trauma associated with European colonisation, including catastrophic population loss, institutionalised discrimination, dispossession of land, loss of culture and language, and the removal of children. In the face of these challenges Aboriginal people have shown remarkable resilience. Resilience is commonly described as ‘positive adaption in the context of adversity’. Despite a rich history of resilience research, the scientific literature describing Aboriginal resilience is sparse. The aim of this research is to investigate resilience within an urban Aboriginal context and identify factors that promote it. This thesis includes a systematic review of the psychosocial correlates of mental health and resilience among Indigenous children from high-income countries, a mixed methods investigation of the resilience of children from four urban Australian communities, a cross-sectional assessment of the resilience of caregivers of Aboriginal children, and a systematic review of peer reviewed studies that evaluated social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) programs for Aboriginal young people. For children, the presence of stable home environments, supportive social networks, connection to culture, regular exercise and the opportunity to set and attain positive goals were all seen to be associated with resilience. Caregivers who lived in stable home environments were more likely to be resilient; however, the poor physical health of caregivers and their families posed a significant threat to resilience. The number of evaluated SEWB programs was small, and the quality of evidence was predominantly low, reflecting the nascent stage of Aboriginal SEWB and resilience research. For Aboriginal families, this thesis highlights risks that are associated with higher order determinants of poor health. Greater provision of initiatives that can promote stable, strong, cohesive and physically healthy Aboriginal families are needed to build resilience. More rigorous program evaluations that have the power to inform large-scale strategies to enhance resilience are warranted.
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Best, Odette Michel, and n/a. "Community Control Theory and Practice: a Case Study of the Brisbane Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service." Griffith University. School of Arts, Media and Culture, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060529.144246.
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It is accepted protocol among Indigenous communities to identify one's link to land. I was born and raised in Brisbane. My birth grandmother is a Goreng Goreng woman, my birth grandfather is a Punthamara man. However, I was adopted by a Koombumberri man and an anglo-celtic mother after being removed at birth under the Queensland government policy of the day. The action of my removal and placement has had profound effects upon my growing and my place within my community today. For the last 15 years I have worked in the health sector. My current position is as a Lecturer within the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. My areas of expertise are Indigenous Health and Primary Health Care. I have been employed in this capacity since January 2000. Prior to my full time employment as a nursing academic I have primarily been located within three areas of health which have directly impacted upon my current research. I was first positioned within health by undertaking my General Nurse Certificate through hospital-based training commenced in the late 1980s. For me this training meant being immersed within whiteness and specifically the white medical model. This meant learning a set of skills in a large institutionalised health care service with the provision of doctors, nurses, and allied medical staff through a hospital. Within this training there was no Indigenous health curriculum. The lectures provided on 'differing cultures' and health were on Muslim and Hindu beliefs about death. At that point I was painfully aware of the glaring omission of any representation of Indigenous health and of acknowledgment of the current outstanding health differentials between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. I knew that the colonisation process inflicted upon Indigenous Australians was one of devastation. The decline in our health status at the time of colonisation had been felt immediately. Since this time our health has been in decline. While in the 1980s it was now no longer acceptable to shoot us, poison our waterholes, and incarcerate us on missions, we were still experiencing the influence of the colonisation process, which had strong repercussions for our current health status. Our communities were and remain rife with substance abuse, violence, unemployment, and much more. For Indigenous Australians these factors cannot be separated from our initial experience of the colonisation process but are seen as the continuation of it. However, there was no representation of this and I received my first health qualification.
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Best, Odette Michel. "Community Control Theory and Practice: a Case Study of the Brisbane Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service." Thesis, Griffith University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366110.
Full textAbstract:
It is accepted protocol among Indigenous communities to identify one's link to land. I was born and raised in Brisbane. My birth grandmother is a Goreng Goreng woman, my birth grandfather is a Punthamara man. However, I was adopted by a Koombumberri man and an anglo-celtic mother after being removed at birth under the Queensland government policy of the day. The action of my removal and placement has had profound effects upon my growing and my place within my community today. For the last 15 years I have worked in the health sector. My current position is as a Lecturer within the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. My areas of expertise are Indigenous Health and Primary Health Care. I have been employed in this capacity since January 2000. Prior to my full time employment as a nursing academic I have primarily been located within three areas of health which have directly impacted upon my current research. I was first positioned within health by undertaking my General Nurse Certificate through hospital-based training commenced in the late 1980s. For me this training meant being immersed within whiteness and specifically the white medical model. This meant learning a set of skills in a large institutionalised health care service with the provision of doctors, nurses, and allied medical staff through a hospital. Within this training there was no Indigenous health curriculum. The lectures provided on 'differing cultures' and health were on Muslim and Hindu beliefs about death. At that point I was painfully aware of the glaring omission of any representation of Indigenous health and of acknowledgment of the current outstanding health differentials between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. I knew that the colonisation process inflicted upon Indigenous Australians was one of devastation. The decline in our health status at the time of colonisation had been felt immediately. Since this time our health has been in decline. While in the 1980s it was now no longer acceptable to shoot us, poison our waterholes, and incarcerate us on missions, we were still experiencing the influence of the colonisation process, which had strong repercussions for our current health status. Our communities were and remain rife with substance abuse, violence, unemployment, and much more. For Indigenous Australians these factors cannot be separated from our initial experience of the colonisation process but are seen as the continuation of it. However, there was no representation of this and I received my first health qualification.Thesis (Masters)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
School of Arts, Media and Culture
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Wright, Heathcote R. "Trachoma in Australia : an evaluation of the SAFE strategy and the barriers to its implementation /." Connect to thesis, 2007. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00003844.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Dept. of Opthalmology, 2007.Typescript. SAFE Strategy refers to Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics for active infection, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvements. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-253). Also available electronically: http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00003844.
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Mills, David. "The role of goal setting in the diabetes case management of aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations in rural South Australia /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 2005. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09MD/09mdm6571.pdf.
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Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of General Practice, 2005.Includes publications published as a result of ideas developed in this thesis, inserted at end. "April 2005" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-242).
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Wilks, Kathryn. "Canine zoonoses in Aboriginal communities : the effects of a canine breeding program in the Kimberley Region, Western Australia." Murdoch University, 1999. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20060829.145909.
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The hypothesis central to this study is that the implementation of a canine breeding and parasite
control program in Aboriginal communities results in a reduction in the reservoir of zoonotic
parasites within communities. The effect of the parasite and breeding control program on the
health status of dogs as well as the population characteristics of dogs in communities was also
investigated.
The study was conducted in 17 Aboriginal communities of the Kimberley region of Western
Australia, divided into three regions according to cultural and geographical attributes. All dogs
from each community were permanently identified using a microchip system. Owners of dogs
were asked the usual location of their animals, the origins of their dogs and the whereabouts of
any missing animals at subsequent visits. Every three months dogs were treated with 200ygikg
iverrnectin (a potent endo- and ecto-parasiticide) subcutaneously and adult female dogs were
treated with an injectable contraceptive (10-30mgkg proligestone) at the request of their
owners. At the time of treatment, dogs were assessed for ecto-parasites and photographs taken
for later comparison and diagnosis of alopecic skin conditions. Faecal and blood samples were
collected every three to six months and skin scrapings were collected from dogs that were
refractory to treatment. The samples were used to determine internal parasite prevalence (using
formal ethyl acetate sedimentation), blood parameters (for anaemia status) and evidence of
scabies or Demodex infestation.
A pilot study at one group of communities, involving weekly assessment of dogs after one
iverrnectin treatment, showed that the treatment was effective in reducing the prevalence of
scabies (as determined by clinical evaluation), hookworm and ticks. The treatment resulted in
improvement in animal health as evidenced by a reduction in the number of dogs with anaemia.
The long-term use of the ivermectin treatments at the other communities showed that over a
period of three years, the prevalence of scabies and hookworm had reduced at most areas. The
initial scabies prevalence varied from 17 to 52% and reduced to below 10% for all communities.
The hookworm infection rates were affected by seasonal factors, as was evidenced by a seasonal
variance in prevalence. Animals that were treated with ivermectin, though, had lower
prevalences of hookworm than those that were not.
There was a reasonable compliance rate for contraceptive treatments for female dogs (greater
than 60% at each visit) and fewer puppies were born within communities when compared with
rates before and after the establishment of the treatment program. High rates of acquisition of
puppies from other communities continued to maintain the dog population numbers despite the
reduction in breeding within communities.
The dog population was young, biased towards male dogs, and very unstable (almost 50% of
dogs died or went missing in a one year period). The rate of dog ownership across the
Kimberley varied according to the region investigated and always remained higher or equal to
ownership rates at the town centres of the Kimberley Region (as determined by a survey
conducted during the study).
Overall the canine parasite and breeding control program resulted in a reduction in scabies and
hookworm prevalence in dogs (and hence a reduction in the potential zoonotic transmission), a
reduction in dog breeding within communities, an improvement in dog health, and an
understanding in the dynamics and health status of dogs within communities.
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Morandini, James. "Sexual orientation beliefs, sexual identity outcomes, and psychological wellbeing in LGB Australians." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/15437.
Full textAbstract:
Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals are found that be at a greater risk of a range of psychopathologies compared to their heterosexual counterparts (King et al., 2008). This disparity has been attributed to increased social adversity faced by sexual minorities, including exposure to sexuality based discrimination, as well as negative attitudes and beliefs that sexual minority individuals may develop about their stigmatised identities (Meyer, 2003). The aim of this thesis was twofold. The first aim was to examine how beliefs about the nature and aetiology of sexual orientation are linked to a range of sexual identity outcomes relevant to psychological wellbeing, including self-acceptance and certainty in one’s sexual orientation, and, whether these associations differ between sexual minority subgroups (i.e., gay vs. lesbian vs. bisexual men and women). The second aim was to examine a macro-level factor, geographical locality, to examine how the experience of sexual minority stress, LGB community connectedness, and social isolation differ for LGB Australians residing in rural vs. metropolitan localities. In the first chapter of this thesis (Chapter 1), I review literature relevant to mental health disparities in LGB populations and sexual minority stress, before going on to examine the structure and implications of heterosexuals’ beliefs about sexual orientation, and the limited literature examining the sexual orientation beliefs of sexual minority individuals. I then propose a theoretical model linking certain facets of sexual orientation essentialism with sexual orientation outcomes and psychological wellbeing in LGB individuals. Three studies (Chapters 2 through 4) sequentially examine the implications of sexual orientation beliefs for sexual identity outcomes in sexual minority subgroups. Two correlational studies examine the proposed theoretical model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in a large sample of gay men (Study 1) and lesbian vs. bisexual women (Study 2). Study 1 found that gay men endorse a mixture of essentialist and social constructionist beliefs about sexual orientation, and that these beliefs hold divergent relationships for internalised homonegativity and sexual orientation uncertainty. Most notably, those perceiving sexual orientation as biologically based and immutable (natural) reported increased certainty in their sexual orientation, whilst those viewing sexuality as existing in discrete categories (discrete) reported increased internalised homonegativity, and in turn poorer psychological wellbeing. In Study 2, a slightly modified theoretical model was tested among lesbian and bisexual women. Similar to the case in gay men, biological-immutability beliefs were linked to less sexual orientation uncertainty in lesbian and bisexual women. Notably however, discreteness beliefs were associated with increased internalised stigma and poorer psychological wellbeing in bisexual women only; presumably, as such beliefs imply that bisexual identity is unstable or illegitimate. Finally, inclusion of sexual attraction patterns in this model revealed that 1) lesbian women reporting more exclusive same-sex attraction are more likely to embrace biological-immutability and discreteness beliefs, and 2) a-prototypical attraction patterns (non-exclusive same-sex attraction among lesbian women and same or opposite-sex preference among bisexual women) predicts poorer wellbeing via increased sexual orientation uncertainty. As such, sexual orientation beliefs appear to predict sexual identity outcomes among LGB individuals, with unique patterns of associations observed across sexual minority subgroups. Study 3 examined how sexual orientation was conceptualised across sexual minority subgroups, focusing in particular on the emerging sexual identities of “pansexual” and “queer”. This study found that gay men were most likely to conceive of sexual orientation as biologically based/immutable and categorical in nature, followed by lesbian women, and that bisexual men and women, and those adopting pansexual and queer identities, were least likely to adopt these beliefs. Demographics and sexual orientation indicators revealed that pansexual participants were most reminiscent of bisexual, whilst queer participants were most reminiscent of gay/lesbian populations. Chapter 5 (Study 4) addressed the second aim of this thesis, examining whether rural vs. metropolitan locality independently predicted exposure to sexual minority stress, connectedness with the LGB community and social isolation among sexual minority Australians. Residing in rural-remote localities was linked to increased concealment of sexuality from friends, more concern regarding disclosure of sexuality, fewer friendships with other LGB people and, among men, higher levels of internalised homonegativity. Unexpectedly, those residing in outer-metropolitan areas of major cities demonstrated comparable disadvantages, as those in rural-remote localities. In the final chapter (Chapter 7) the contribution of these findings to understanding the implications of sexual orientation beliefs among distinct sexual minority communities, as well the role of geographical locality in conferring risk for psychopathology among LGB populations, are interpreted in light of previous findings. Finally, I examine implications of these findings for the ethics of scientific research into sexual orientation, LGB advocacy, and counselling psychology, before discussing limitations and future directions for research.
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Rheault, Haunnah. "Examining the chronic disease health literacy of First Nations Australians: A mixed methods study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2022. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228618/8/Haunnah%20Rheault%20Thesis.pdf.
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Chronic disease is the most significant contributor to the mortality gap between Australia’s First Nations people and the overall Australian population. This study explored chronic disease self-management and health literacy in First Nations adults living in remote Queensland. Key findings were poor communication by healthcare providers coupled with limited health literacy abilities of individuals were the major barriers to active engagement with managing chronic disease. Providing a supportive health literacy environment and the provision of appropriate health information delivered in a cultural safe way using clinical yarning, may assist with closing the gap in First Nations people.
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Rice, Brian. ""Using a Jungian model of the psyche to explain traditional Aboriginal approaches to mental health"." School of Native Human Services, 2003. http://142.51.24.159/dspace/handle/10219/405.
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When we use the term "psychology," we are using a Euro
westem term about how the mind works that has no equivalency in Aboriginal understandings
concerning healing. However, there are areas in both Aboriginal and Euro-western practices of
healing where we may draw some parallels concerning mental health. This paper will attempt
to address some of the similarities and differences between the two with an emphasis on Aboriginal
understandings of healing in mental health using a model of the psyche developed by Dr. Carl
Jung.
According to Jungian psychology as espoused by Dr. Carl Jung, there are three levels to the
psyche; in other words, there are three levels on which the mind works. These are the ego
conscious, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Jung (1989) believed that a
person's ancestral past was locked up in the collective unconscious. Like Jung, Dr. A.C. Ross, a
Lacota educator and psychologist, in his book Mitakuye Oyasin: "We are all related,"
relates his understanding of Jungian psychology.
Dr. Jung declared that the mind could be divided into three levels... The top part of the
psyche, or the mind, Dr. Jung called the conscious, also known as the ego. This is the active
thinking part of the mind, the part you use when you are awake. Below that level he called the
personal unconscious where all the memories since birth are...This area of the mind is repressed
or suppressed. The lower level of the mind Dr. Jung called the collective unconscious. He felt
that latent memory traces from your ancestral past are stored in this area (Ross 1989, p.12)
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Beale, B. L. "Maternity services for urban Aboriginal women : experiences of six women in Western Sydney /." View thesis, 1996. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030613.161127/index.html.
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Owen, Julie. "Development of a culturally sensitive program delivering cardiovascular health education to indigenous Australians, in South-West towns of Western Australia with lay educators as community role models." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0061.
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[Truncated abstract] Indigenous Australians suffer cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a rate six times greater than the general population in Australia and while the incidence of CVD has been reduced dramatically amongst the majority of non-indigenous Australians and amongst Indigenous populations in other countries in the last 30 years, there has been little change in the figures for Aboriginal Australians, showing that heart health campaigns have little impact, for this group of people. Aims : The principal aims of this study were firstly, to determine and record the barriers to the development and delivery of CVD prevention programs amongst Indigenous Australians and secondly, to develop an alternative, effective and culturally sensitive method of delivering heart health messages. Methods and results : The study was qualitative research undertaken in three South-West towns of Western Australia where the incidence of CVD was high amongst the Aboriginal community members. The use of semi-formal interviews, informal individual consultation, observation, and focus groups were methods implemented to obtain information. The first phase of the research was to identify the barriers which affected the Aboriginal Health Workers’ ability to deliver specialist educational programs. Questionnaires and interviews with the Aboriginal Health Workers and other health professionals in the towns, and community focus groups were undertaken in this phase of the study. The second phase of the research was aimed at developing an alternative strategy for delivering heart health messages. The focus changed to adopt more traditional ways of passing on information in Indigenous communities. The idea of small gatherings of friends or family with a trusted community member presenting the health message was developed. The third phase of the research was to implement this new approach. Lay educators who had been identified within focus groups and by Aboriginal Health Workers were trained in each of the towns and a protocol involving discussions of health issues, viewing a video on CVD, produced by the National Heart Foundation, sharing in a ‘heart healthy’ lunch and partaking in a ‘heart health’ knowledge game which was developed specifically for the gatherings. Several of these gatherings were held in each of the towns and they became known as ‘HeartAware parties’.
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Wright, Michael R. "Out of the Blue: Giving and receiving care: Aboriginal experiences of care-giving in the context of mental illness." Thesis, Curtin University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/656.
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This thesis is an exploration of the experiences of care-giving for Indigenous people living with a serious mental illness. The research included the experiences of those being cared for and those providing care. Due to past negative research experienced by Indigenous people, the study was conducted as a critical ethnography using multiple culturally appropriate methodologies and under the direction of a Study Reference Group. Participants were recruited through a person known to them, a culturally safe method of introduction. Thirteen in-depth case studies were conducted over 18 months, and participants' stories were constructed through multiple interviews, feedback and workshop sessions. Findings included the identification of a serious disconnection between mental health providers and Indigenous Australian families living with serious mental health issues. This disconnection was due to mental health providers lacking understanding of Indigenous needs and of the complexity and concepts of Indigenous care-giving. One outcome from this study was the proposal of an Indigenous care-giving model. The key elements of an Indigenous model of care-giving are the importance of relationships and reciprocity in holding and sustaining culture, and the significance of cultural responsibility. When mental health providers lack understanding of these attributes it has serious implications for their interactions with Indigenous people. This thesis offers recommendations for future research and for improved standards for mental health care provision.
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Thornton, Melissa L. "Implementation of Traditional Knowledge in Mental Health Policy: Learning from the Cases of the Inuit, the Haida and the Maori." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23373.
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This paper considers the Aboriginal population in Canada (composed of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples) and explores the hypothesis that the degree to which traditional knowledge concepts, specifically in the area of mental health, is impacted by the extent to which a given population has achieved self-government. Additionally, from a public policy standpoint, this study – using a single case comparison methodology – examines the gap between intentions outlined in policy formulation stage guidance documents, indicating that the Canadian federal government intends to incorporate traditional knowledge to a greater degree, and evidence present at the policy implementation and budgeting stage, where it is clear that the application of the guidance does not always result in the stated outcome. By looking at similarities and differences between the case populations, this study will highlight some successes in the field of mental health policy, assess the challenges that policymakers face in the area of Aboriginal health, and offer suggestions to arrive at a place in the future where fundamental mental health disparities have been reduced for Aboriginal people in Canada.
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McPhail-Bell, Karen. ""We don't tell people what to do": An ethnography of health promotion with Indigenous Australians in South East Queensland." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2016. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/91587/1/Karen%20McPhail-Bell%20Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis contributes to the decolonisation of health promotion by examining Indigenous-led health promotion practice in an urban setting. Using critical ethnography, the study revealed dialogical, identity-based approaches that centred relationship, community control and choice. Based on the findings, the thesis proposes four interrelated principles for decolonising health promotion and argues that Indigenous-led health promotion presents a way to bridge the rhetoric and practice of empowerment in Australian mainstream health promotion practice.
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Coffin, Juli. "Conceptualising bullying in an Aboriginal context as reported by the Yamaji community, to inform the development of a bullying prevention program that is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal students." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/396.
Full textAbstract:
The Solid Kids Solid Schools project aimed to capture the unheard voices of Aboriginal children and community members on the issues surrounding ‘bullying’. In an Aboriginal context bullying is different and the outcomes are different, yet mainstream programs are utilized to combat the issue. We need to know how bullying is different for Aboriginal children and young people, why it is different and what does this difference mean in terms of addressing this issue in a school and community setting? A community based steering group guided the direction of this study and the larger Solid Kids Solid Schools project. Snowball sampling and volunteer recruitment (Sarantakos 1993) were used to secure consent and interviews with over 190 Aboriginal respondents in the Yamaji (Midwest) region of Western Australia. Respondents included children, youth, Elders and parent/caregivers. Face to face interviews were conducted and transcribed by Aboriginal researchers to ensure cultural validity. Interviews were used to understand Aboriginal respondents’ experiences with bullying, its effects and what was needed to reduce its prevalence and harm to those who are targeted. While bullying was found to be an issue for all children, bullying perpetration and victimisation among Aboriginal children and youth appears to be different. Further, Aboriginal children and youth seem to be affected differently to non-Aboriginal children and youth. Bullying is not thought to be cultural or acceptable and the long term effects were not widely recognised among community members. Bullying appears to have a pattern of acceptance among young people and intra-racial bullying was found to be the most hurtful to Aboriginal children and youth. Long-term violence and community acceptance of bullying allows other anti-social behaviours to manifest and the belief in the need for young people to ‘fight all the way up’ is expected by the community. Intra-racial bullying and other forms of aggression need to be dealt with by both the school and the wider community setting and recognized as a serious issue facing many Aboriginal children and families. Without fully understanding this very personal, emotive and critical issue in an Aboriginal context we cannot take action to reduce its negative impact. This shared understanding must be developed with sensitivity whilst maintaining cultural integrity for Aboriginal people. While the effects of bullying are widely known for mainstream children and communities, this study provides the first major insight into how this harmful behaviour is perceived and experienced by Aboriginal people. Only with this understanding can we begin to develop community-based interventions to help young people to deal with this problem behaviour.
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Helen, Maureen. "Other people's country: A memoir; and, Developing a trustworthy narrator: An essay." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1796.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis comprises two interrelated sections. The first section is a substantial piece of creative writing, which l have cailed 'Other People's Country: A Memoir, in the genre of travel memoir, and an essay. The memoir borrows techniques from fiction, drama and poetry to tell a story of a middle-aged, middle-class city nurse, who travels to a remote settlement at the edge of the Western Desert of Western Australia to provide health care for a fluctuating population of around 400 people, for whom English is a third or fourth language.
Writing that includes stories about vulnerable people from another culture, whose lives have touched those of the writer, demands sensitivity to differences, as well as an ethical approach. Writing about Aboriginal people also demands an awareness of what is appropriate when writing about cultural material. To achieve the voice of a trustworthy narrator is a challenge that faces all writers of narrative non-fiction, including memoir. The truth is subjective; perception is unreliable; memory can be distorted; error slips in unwittingly; deliberate falsification is possible. In spite of all this, a writer of memoir makes a contract with the reader that the story is significant, and that it is the writer's truth, told as honestly as possible. The pivotal concern of this thesis is the question, 'What are some of the important considerations for a memoirist who is attempting to develop the voice of an ethical and trustworthy narrator writing about experiences encountered when living and working within an unfamiliar culture?
The second part of the thesis is an essay which develops a theoretical framework in response to some of the major dilemmas I encountered in this undertaking. It embraces memory, aspects of Aboriginal vulnerability, and ethics through which to explore the concepts of truth and honesty in memoir-writing.
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Stocks, Nigel. "Trachoma and visual impairment in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara of South Australia /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1992. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09MD/09mds865.pdf.
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