title: Challenges of a Pregnancy Gone Wrong: Pregnancy Complications, Illness Perceptions and Distress

authors: Currie, Jane Christina Helen

subjects: Illness perceptions

abstract: Women with pregnancy complications need to cope with a pregnancy that can have life changing consequences. The objective of this research project was to understand the experience of women who had been diagnosed with a pregnancy complication. The research involved an exploratory investigation into illness perceptions of pregnant women with complications and how these relate to depression and anxiety. First a literature review was divided into two parts. The first part dealt with anxiety specific to pregnancy complications. The second part dealt with illness perceptions. Since no published literature on illness perceptions in pregnancy complications was found, a literature review was conducted into illness perceptions in hypertension, diabetes and pain which are all closely associated to pregnancy complications.
 The research was divided into two studies. The first was a mixed method study in which six women were interviewed regarding their experience in dealing with a pregnancy complication and a pilot was conducted using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Revised). The second study consisted of an online survey further exploring the relationship between illness perceptions and distress in this population. Recruitment for participation proved very difficult and there were only thirty-six participants who complete the full online study. This survey comprised of a battery of self-report questionnaires including background information, rating of health scale, the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and State Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (State).


Results from both studies indicated that women in experienced significantly higher degrees of distress and anxiety than those in normal populations. They perceived their pregnancy complications as being outside of their personal control and they don’t see treatment as likely to be effective in controlling their medical condition. They also perceived their pregnancy complication as having high consequences in their lives and they are concerned about the impact of the pregnancy complication has on themselves and on their child. The women who did not have detectable symptoms (asymptomatic) and who could not directly experience cues to their illness were significantly more depressed.
This research adds to the international findings on illness perceptions in general and is a starting point for understanding illness perceptions for women with pregnancy complications. The psychological needs of women with pregnancy complications are significant, and are often under-rated and under-evaluated by treatment providers. Understanding illness perceptions of this population can provide a framework for the development of further interventions for this vulnerable population.

text: Challenges of a Pregnancy Gone Wrong: Pregnancy Complications, Illness Perceptions and Distress Women with pregnancy complications need to cope with a pregnancy that can have life changing consequences. The objective of this research project was to understand the experience of women who had been diagnosed with a pregnancy complication. The research involved an exploratory investigation into illness perceptions of pregnant women with complications and how these relate to depression and anxiety. First a literature review was divided into two parts. The first part dealt with anxiety specific to pregnancy complications. The second part dealt with illness perceptions. Since no published literature on illness perceptions in pregnancy complications was found, a literature review was conducted into illness perceptions in hypertension, diabetes and pain which are all closely associated to pregnancy complications.
 The research was divided into two studies. The first was a mixed method study in which six women were interviewed regarding their experience in dealing with a pregnancy complication and a pilot was conducted using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Revised). The second study consisted of an online survey further exploring the relationship between illness perceptions and distress in this population. Recruitment for participation proved very difficult and there were only thirty-six participants who complete the full online study. This survey comprised of a battery of self-report questionnaires including background information, rating of health scale, the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and State Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (State).


Results from both studies indicated that women in experienced significantly higher degrees of distress and anxiety than those in normal populations. They perceived their pregnancy complications as being outside of their personal control and they don’t see treatment as likely to be effective in controlling their medical condition. They also perceived their pregnancy complication as having high consequences in their lives and they are concerned about the impact of the pregnancy complication has on themselves and on their child. The women who did not have detectable symptoms (asymptomatic) and who could not directly experience cues to their illness were significantly more depressed.
This research adds to the international findings on illness perceptions in general and is a starting point for understanding illness perceptions for women with pregnancy complications. The psychological needs of women with pregnancy complications are significant, and are often under-rated and under-evaluated by treatment providers. Understanding illness perceptions of this population can provide a framework for the development of further interventions for this vulnerable population.

year: 2014

title: Using agent-based modelling for small area household projections: a New Zealand case study

authors: Marais, Anton Louis

subjects: Household distribution

abstract: In New Zealand, the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) is the guiding legislation that sets out how the environment is managed. The territorial authorities are charged with regulating how the environment is managed in their jurisdiction. In order to effectively manage any resource, good and robust planning processes are required. Population change is the factor that has the greatest impact on the environment, and is one of the most challenging to regulate, thus for the territorial authority planners, knowing where and when infrastructure investment is most likely required is key to fulfilling their statutory requirement.
This line of investigation has been driven by an ever increasing need for more spatially detailed projections of where and when changes are most likely to take place. The investigation and subsequent development of spatially detailed household projections transcends three territorial authorities in the lower Waikato river catchment situated in New Zealand.
An agent-based model was developed in which the individual agents were households. The aim of the model was to produce a simplified simulation of the location choices made by the members of a household in a housing market that is governed by councils’ infrastructure provision, household rents, transport costs and the benefit derived from the neighbourhood amenities and the environment. This model simulates the distribution of households over a twelve year period from 2013 to 2025. In the model the households were programmed to move to vacant properties in order to minimise their residential costs. Each time an agent moves this provides new potential options for all other households; thus the simulation runs and the households move until all households settle in their least cost locations, representing the distribution of households in 2025. The incorporation of multiple territorial authorities provides a more holistic approach than the prevailing approach which is based on disaggregating top level projection with the no further account of population movement outside the top-level migration assumption.
The results of the model calibration indicate the model performs well with a 16.6% RMSE at the smallest spatial unit. The projected results produce growth patterns that fall within the expectations of planning staff of the councils. These staff members have affirmed the model’s and input assumptions, and indicate the outcomes to be both useful and plausible. 
The results demonstrate the relationship between the councils and their respective growth plan strategies. The scenarios were developed to, demonstrate the relationship between the availability of vacant land and the cost to occupy a property, which ultimately impacts the flux of residents to or away from the city. 
With some broad assumptions and limitations, this model is distinctive in its approach as it is developed with the intention of being an applied tool to be used by the three councils. It has the further distinction as modelling the behaviours of individual households rather than the behaviours of an entire population, which is the unique in New Zealand and amongst a few applied models of this nature wide (Triantakonstantis & Mountrakis, 2012).

text: Using agent-based modelling for small area household projections: a New Zealand case study In New Zealand, the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) is the guiding legislation that sets out how the environment is managed. The territorial authorities are charged with regulating how the environment is managed in their jurisdiction. In order to effectively manage any resource, good and robust planning processes are required. Population change is the factor that has the greatest impact on the environment, and is one of the most challenging to regulate, thus for the territorial authority planners, knowing where and when infrastructure investment is most likely required is key to fulfilling their statutory requirement.
This line of investigation has been driven by an ever increasing need for more spatially detailed projections of where and when changes are most likely to take place. The investigation and subsequent development of spatially detailed household projections transcends three territorial authorities in the lower Waikato river catchment situated in New Zealand.
An agent-based model was developed in which the individual agents were households. The aim of the model was to produce a simplified simulation of the location choices made by the members of a household in a housing market that is governed by councils’ infrastructure provision, household rents, transport costs and the benefit derived from the neighbourhood amenities and the environment. This model simulates the distribution of households over a twelve year period from 2013 to 2025. In the model the households were programmed to move to vacant properties in order to minimise their residential costs. Each time an agent moves this provides new potential options for all other households; thus the simulation runs and the households move until all households settle in their least cost locations, representing the distribution of households in 2025. The incorporation of multiple territorial authorities provides a more holistic approach than the prevailing approach which is based on disaggregating top level projection with the no further account of population movement outside the top-level migration assumption.
The results of the model calibration indicate the model performs well with a 16.6% RMSE at the smallest spatial unit. The projected results produce growth patterns that fall within the expectations of planning staff of the councils. These staff members have affirmed the model’s and input assumptions, and indicate the outcomes to be both useful and plausible. 
The results demonstrate the relationship between the councils and their respective growth plan strategies. The scenarios were developed to, demonstrate the relationship between the availability of vacant land and the cost to occupy a property, which ultimately impacts the flux of residents to or away from the city. 
With some broad assumptions and limitations, this model is distinctive in its approach as it is developed with the intention of being an applied tool to be used by the three councils. It has the further distinction as modelling the behaviours of individual households rather than the behaviours of an entire population, which is the unique in New Zealand and amongst a few applied models of this nature wide (Triantakonstantis & Mountrakis, 2012).

year: 2016

title: Book review: Beyond the scene: Landscape and identity in Aotearoa New Zealand – Edited by Janet Stephenson, Mick Abbott and Jacinta Ruru

authors: Beattie, James John

subjects: book review

abstract: This article reviews the book: “Beyond the scene: Landscape and identity in Aotearoa New Zealand”, edited by Janet Stephenson, Mick Abbott and Jacinta Ruru.

text: Book review: Beyond the scene: Landscape and identity in Aotearoa New Zealand – Edited by Janet Stephenson, Mick Abbott and Jacinta Ruru This article reviews the book: “Beyond the scene: Landscape and identity in Aotearoa New Zealand”, edited by Janet Stephenson, Mick Abbott and Jacinta Ruru.

year: 2010-12