title: Strong Dispersal Limitation of Microbial Communities at Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica

authors: Lemoine, Nathan P.

abstract: Microbial communities can be structured by both deterministic and stochastic processes, but the relative importance of these processes remains unknown. The ambiguity partly arises from an inability to disentangle soil microbial processes from confounding factors, such as aboveground plant communities or anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, we characterized the relative contributions of determinism and stochasticity to assembly processes of soil bacterial communities across a large environmental gradient of undisturbed Antarctic soils. We hypothesized that harsh soils would impose a strong environmental selection on microbial communities, whereas communities in benign soils would be structured largely by dispersal. Contrary to our expectations, dispersal was the dominant assembly mechanism across the entire soil environmental gradient, including benign environments. The microbial community composition reflects slowly changing soil conditions and dispersal limitation of isolated sites. Thus, stochastic processes, as opposed to deterministic, are primary drivers of soil ecosystem assembly across space at our study site. This is especially surprising given the strong environmental constraints on soil microorganisms in one of the harshest environments on the planet, suggesting that dispersal could be a driving force in microbial community assembly in soils worldwide.

text: Strong Dispersal Limitation of Microbial Communities at Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica Microbial communities can be structured by both deterministic and stochastic processes, but the relative importance of these processes remains unknown. The ambiguity partly arises from an inability to disentangle soil microbial processes from confounding factors, such as aboveground plant communities or anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, we characterized the relative contributions of determinism and stochasticity to assembly processes of soil bacterial communities across a large environmental gradient of undisturbed Antarctic soils. We hypothesized that harsh soils would impose a strong environmental selection on microbial communities, whereas communities in benign soils would be structured largely by dispersal. Contrary to our expectations, dispersal was the dominant assembly mechanism across the entire soil environmental gradient, including benign environments. The microbial community composition reflects slowly changing soil conditions and dispersal limitation of isolated sites. Thus, stochastic processes, as opposed to deterministic, are primary drivers of soil ecosystem assembly across space at our study site. This is especially surprising given the strong environmental constraints on soil microorganisms in one of the harshest environments on the planet, suggesting that dispersal could be a driving force in microbial community assembly in soils worldwide.

year: 2023-01-01

title: Shame and Resilience among Pākehā New Zealanders

authors: Brennan, Samantha

subjects: shame

abstract: Shame can be a powerful and evocative experience. Shame can contribute to the development of mental illnesses, such as depressive, anxiety, and eating disorders. Shame can also contribute to social problems, such as violent crime. However, shame is experienced by almost everyone. While shame causes serious psychological and social problems for some people, others experience shame with no lasting negative effects. Research is needed to discover why and how some people are devastated by shame while others become resilient in the face of shame. This study fills a necessary gap by linking the study of shame and resilience, and providing a comprehensive qualitative understanding of these important constructs.

An in-depth study of shame has never before been undertaken in a New Zealand social context. As New Zealand is a multi-cultural nation and the experience of shame is culture specific, it was necessary to narrow the investigation to one particular sub-culture. Pākehā New Zealanders were chosen as the target population for the research. Developing understandings of shame and resilience, and their expression in Pākehā culture, can benefit all New Zealanders, as the cultural practices of the dominant culture can profoundly influence other sub-cultures. However, it is important to note that while the study is located in Pākehā culture, it is not specifically a cultural study. Therefore, the findings do not provide a definitive and exhaustive account of the cultural experiences of shame and resilience among Pākehā New Zealanders.

The study blended social constructionist and phenomenological epistemological influences. This allowed for participants’ lived experiences of shame and resilience to be investigated, while recognising the power of social and cultural discourses to affect participants’ experiences and their interpretations. Seventeen participants were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Participants experienced shame as being: invariably negative, powerful, hidden, enduring, often debilitating, sometimes unremarkable, physical, and social. While most participants constructed shame as unhelpful and useless, some participants, and I as the researcher, remained open to the possibility that shame can have social benefits. Shame may be useful for bringing attention to a threatened social bond, which can then be attended to and restored. While countless situational triggers for shame were identified, the more significant source of shame was identified as being judgement. Specifically, shame was linked with judgements targeted at one’s identity, or that threatened the security of one’s relationships.

Resilience is complex and significantly influenced by cultural values. Participants contrasted a false cultural ideal of resilience, as rugged, individualistic toughness, with true resilience, which is developed in supportive relationships, over time, through struggle.

Responses to shame were divided into two broad categories. Participants’ natural responses to shame were to avoid, escape, or succumb. These responses are understandable, and sometimes protective in the short term. However, when these responses occur without awareness and conscious choice, long-term psychological and social problems can occur. The more resilient responses to shame are to be vulnerable, be present, and be willing to change. Acknowledging shame and actively engaging in the struggle with shame can ultimately promote resilience.

text: Shame and Resilience among Pākehā New Zealanders Shame can be a powerful and evocative experience. Shame can contribute to the development of mental illnesses, such as depressive, anxiety, and eating disorders. Shame can also contribute to social problems, such as violent crime. However, shame is experienced by almost everyone. While shame causes serious psychological and social problems for some people, others experience shame with no lasting negative effects. Research is needed to discover why and how some people are devastated by shame while others become resilient in the face of shame. This study fills a necessary gap by linking the study of shame and resilience, and providing a comprehensive qualitative understanding of these important constructs.

An in-depth study of shame has never before been undertaken in a New Zealand social context. As New Zealand is a multi-cultural nation and the experience of shame is culture specific, it was necessary to narrow the investigation to one particular sub-culture. Pākehā New Zealanders were chosen as the target population for the research. Developing understandings of shame and resilience, and their expression in Pākehā culture, can benefit all New Zealanders, as the cultural practices of the dominant culture can profoundly influence other sub-cultures. However, it is important to note that while the study is located in Pākehā culture, it is not specifically a cultural study. Therefore, the findings do not provide a definitive and exhaustive account of the cultural experiences of shame and resilience among Pākehā New Zealanders.

The study blended social constructionist and phenomenological epistemological influences. This allowed for participants’ lived experiences of shame and resilience to be investigated, while recognising the power of social and cultural discourses to affect participants’ experiences and their interpretations. Seventeen participants were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Participants experienced shame as being: invariably negative, powerful, hidden, enduring, often debilitating, sometimes unremarkable, physical, and social. While most participants constructed shame as unhelpful and useless, some participants, and I as the researcher, remained open to the possibility that shame can have social benefits. Shame may be useful for bringing attention to a threatened social bond, which can then be attended to and restored. While countless situational triggers for shame were identified, the more significant source of shame was identified as being judgement. Specifically, shame was linked with judgements targeted at one’s identity, or that threatened the security of one’s relationships.

Resilience is complex and significantly influenced by cultural values. Participants contrasted a false cultural ideal of resilience, as rugged, individualistic toughness, with true resilience, which is developed in supportive relationships, over time, through struggle.

Responses to shame were divided into two broad categories. Participants’ natural responses to shame were to avoid, escape, or succumb. These responses are understandable, and sometimes protective in the short term. However, when these responses occur without awareness and conscious choice, long-term psychological and social problems can occur. The more resilient responses to shame are to be vulnerable, be present, and be willing to change. Acknowledging shame and actively engaging in the struggle with shame can ultimately promote resilience.

year: 2014

title: Hei oranga mo ngā wāhine hapū (o Hauraki) i roto i te whare ora

authors: Palmer, Stephanie

subjects: Psychological wellbeing

abstract: This thesis had four-main objectives. In the first instance, it aimed to improve understanding of psychosocial variables which may mediate the quality of Māori childbirth experience, namely: social support, coping strategies, cognitive appraisal, ethnic identity and psychological wellbeing. Secondly, it aimed to examine the relationship between these variables and the quality of childbirth experience. Thirdly, this thesis aimed to develop and pilot-test an instrument for the measurement of waiora among Māori. And fourthly, this thesis aimed to test whether waiora was a predictor of participants' childbirth experience. 
Thirty-one self-identified Māori women took part in the research. All participants gave birth at Thames Hospital in Hauraki during 1994. Attention is drawn to various ethical and methodological issues which have importance in the development of kaupapa Māori and Māori centred health research paradigms, such as, the role of koha, the validity of kanohi-ki-te-kanohi recruitment strategies and the need for collaborative decision-making processes. 
Prenatal waiora, ethnic identity, cognitive appraisal, coping strategies and social support predicted both quantitative and qualitative indicators of perinatal outcome. Obstetric technology was a very strong predictor of maternal postpartum perceptions and feelings of satisfaction or wellbeing. A preliminary model of the relationship between prenatal and perinatal predictors of Māori childbirth experience is presented. 
This research identifies the need to develop knowledge on psychosocial mediators of Māori childbirth experience. It is likely, however, that the quality of Māori childbirth experience will benefit from strategies which foster feelings of waiora and ethnic identity. The likelihood of a relationship between waiora and te ao Māori childbirth resources may hold particular interest for Māori. A range of strategies to improve the reliability and validity of Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau as a tool for the measurement of waiora have been identified. As an outcome measure, this tool may have value in a range of contexts.

text: Hei oranga mo ngā wāhine hapū (o Hauraki) i roto i te whare ora This thesis had four-main objectives. In the first instance, it aimed to improve understanding of psychosocial variables which may mediate the quality of Māori childbirth experience, namely: social support, coping strategies, cognitive appraisal, ethnic identity and psychological wellbeing. Secondly, it aimed to examine the relationship between these variables and the quality of childbirth experience. Thirdly, this thesis aimed to develop and pilot-test an instrument for the measurement of waiora among Māori. And fourthly, this thesis aimed to test whether waiora was a predictor of participants' childbirth experience. 
Thirty-one self-identified Māori women took part in the research. All participants gave birth at Thames Hospital in Hauraki during 1994. Attention is drawn to various ethical and methodological issues which have importance in the development of kaupapa Māori and Māori centred health research paradigms, such as, the role of koha, the validity of kanohi-ki-te-kanohi recruitment strategies and the need for collaborative decision-making processes. 
Prenatal waiora, ethnic identity, cognitive appraisal, coping strategies and social support predicted both quantitative and qualitative indicators of perinatal outcome. Obstetric technology was a very strong predictor of maternal postpartum perceptions and feelings of satisfaction or wellbeing. A preliminary model of the relationship between prenatal and perinatal predictors of Māori childbirth experience is presented. 
This research identifies the need to develop knowledge on psychosocial mediators of Māori childbirth experience. It is likely, however, that the quality of Māori childbirth experience will benefit from strategies which foster feelings of waiora and ethnic identity. The likelihood of a relationship between waiora and te ao Māori childbirth resources may hold particular interest for Māori. A range of strategies to improve the reliability and validity of Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau as a tool for the measurement of waiora have been identified. As an outcome measure, this tool may have value in a range of contexts.

year: 2002