title: The adaptation of cognitive behavioural therapy for adult Maori clients with depression: A pilot study

authors: Bennett, Simon T.

subjects: Maori

abstract: A semistructured cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for depression was adapted for use with Maori adult clients with depression. Adaptations were developed in consultation with an advisory group consisting of Maori clinical psychologists and kaumatua with experience working in mental health services. The programme was piloted with 2 participants who were clients of a Maori mental health service. The programme builds on a more traditional CBT treatment programme by integrating concepts such as whakatauki, whanaungatanga, whanau involvement, and whakapapa into the therapeutic context. Despite limitations the results demonstrate considerable promise. Depressive symptoms increased substantially in both cases and both clients reflected positively on the adaptations incorporated into therapy.

text: The adaptation of cognitive behavioural therapy for adult Maori clients with depression: A pilot study A semistructured cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for depression was adapted for use with Maori adult clients with depression. Adaptations were developed in consultation with an advisory group consisting of Maori clinical psychologists and kaumatua with experience working in mental health services. The programme was piloted with 2 participants who were clients of a Maori mental health service. The programme builds on a more traditional CBT treatment programme by integrating concepts such as whakatauki, whanaungatanga, whanau involvement, and whakapapa into the therapeutic context. Despite limitations the results demonstrate considerable promise. Depressive symptoms increased substantially in both cases and both clients reflected positively on the adaptations incorporated into therapy.

year: 2008

title: Risk assessment for family violence aggressors in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Jolliffe Simpson, Apriel D.

subjects: Family violence

abstract: In recent decades Family Violence (FV) researchers have developed risk assessment instruments to enable practitioners to identify the people who are most likely to commit FV in the future, and the families who are most likely to experience ongoing harm. Indeed, risk assessments have become a standard procedure for FV practitioners who are frequently required to make decisions with potential ramifications for families’ safety and wellbeing. Yet, despite considerable developments in risk assessment research and practice, risk assessment instruments have limitations that curb their value to FV practice. In addition, such instruments should be empirically validated, but there is limited evidence for the validity of risk assessment instruments used by agencies that respond to FV in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, in this thesis, we examined the risk assessment procedures that New Zealand Police and the Integrated Safety Response (ISR) used for FV, with the purpose of contributing to the evidence base about risk assessment for FV in New Zealand and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
This thesis contains three manuscripts either published in or submitted to peer-reviewed academic journals; as well as supplementary chapters that support, extend, and integrate the research findings. In the first manuscript, we examined the predictive validity of risk categories from the Dynamic Risk Assessment for family violence (DYRA) and Static Assessment of Family Violence Recidivism (SAFVR)—the two risk assessment instruments that New Zealand Police use when responding to FV cases—for a sample of 2,115 cases with FV episodes reported to police in Waikato and parts of Canterbury between 1 November – 9 December 2018 (1,817 of which had complete risk categories). We examined the instruments’ ability to predict recurrence (i.e., a further FV-related call for police service) at three intervals (3 days, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks), and found both instruments had a poor ability to discriminate between aggressors who had a recurrence and those who did not, with the SAFVR outperforming the DYRA, and the DYRA performing especially poorly for non-intimate partner cases, and aggressors who were Māori or women. 
In the second manuscript, we explored the risk assessments that Integrated Safety Response (ISR) triage team members conducted for a sub-sample of 842 cases with FV episodes reported to police between 1 – 14 November 2018. We examined the relationship between the factors triage teams recorded during their risk assessments and the risk categories the teams assigned, then tested the association of both the factors and categories with recurrence and physical recurrence within 24 weeks. The predictive validity of ISR triage teams’ risk categories was comparable to the results produced for the DYRA and SAFVR in manuscript one. The ISR risk categories again performed poorly for aggressors who were women, Māori, and for non-intimate partner cases; and overall, fewer than half of the factors triage teams recorded were associated with recurrence or physical recurrence. Then, in an additional chapter, we explored the triage teams’ factors’ utility for case management and found the factors could be used to create three sub-groups of cases with potential implications for their treatment and management. 
Finally, in the third manuscript, we modeled the behavioral patterns of 2,115 aggressors with a FV episode reported to police in Waikato and parts of Canterbury between 1 November – 9 December 2018, by collecting reports for further FV episodes involving those aggressors during the two years after the index episode. We used this information to describe three latent states behind the information reported to police and identified four common pathways through the latent states over time. We concluded this manuscript by discussing changes that could contribute to improvements in how risk for FV aggressors is conceptualized, assessed, and communicated in practice.
In each chapter, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, before integrating those findings and implications in a general discussion chapter. Taken together, the results presented herein indicate that the risk assessment instruments used in New Zealand can predict risk for FV recurrence better than chance, but that those assessments should be further developed to improve their value to FV practice and ensure they adequately capture risk for different types of FV cases and groups of people. This thesis advanced our understanding of the limitations of—and opportunities in—risk assessment research and contributed to the evidence base for risk assessment for FV in New Zealand.

text: Risk assessment for family violence aggressors in Aotearoa New Zealand In recent decades Family Violence (FV) researchers have developed risk assessment instruments to enable practitioners to identify the people who are most likely to commit FV in the future, and the families who are most likely to experience ongoing harm. Indeed, risk assessments have become a standard procedure for FV practitioners who are frequently required to make decisions with potential ramifications for families’ safety and wellbeing. Yet, despite considerable developments in risk assessment research and practice, risk assessment instruments have limitations that curb their value to FV practice. In addition, such instruments should be empirically validated, but there is limited evidence for the validity of risk assessment instruments used by agencies that respond to FV in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, in this thesis, we examined the risk assessment procedures that New Zealand Police and the Integrated Safety Response (ISR) used for FV, with the purpose of contributing to the evidence base about risk assessment for FV in New Zealand and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
This thesis contains three manuscripts either published in or submitted to peer-reviewed academic journals; as well as supplementary chapters that support, extend, and integrate the research findings. In the first manuscript, we examined the predictive validity of risk categories from the Dynamic Risk Assessment for family violence (DYRA) and Static Assessment of Family Violence Recidivism (SAFVR)—the two risk assessment instruments that New Zealand Police use when responding to FV cases—for a sample of 2,115 cases with FV episodes reported to police in Waikato and parts of Canterbury between 1 November – 9 December 2018 (1,817 of which had complete risk categories). We examined the instruments’ ability to predict recurrence (i.e., a further FV-related call for police service) at three intervals (3 days, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks), and found both instruments had a poor ability to discriminate between aggressors who had a recurrence and those who did not, with the SAFVR outperforming the DYRA, and the DYRA performing especially poorly for non-intimate partner cases, and aggressors who were Māori or women. 
In the second manuscript, we explored the risk assessments that Integrated Safety Response (ISR) triage team members conducted for a sub-sample of 842 cases with FV episodes reported to police between 1 – 14 November 2018. We examined the relationship between the factors triage teams recorded during their risk assessments and the risk categories the teams assigned, then tested the association of both the factors and categories with recurrence and physical recurrence within 24 weeks. The predictive validity of ISR triage teams’ risk categories was comparable to the results produced for the DYRA and SAFVR in manuscript one. The ISR risk categories again performed poorly for aggressors who were women, Māori, and for non-intimate partner cases; and overall, fewer than half of the factors triage teams recorded were associated with recurrence or physical recurrence. Then, in an additional chapter, we explored the triage teams’ factors’ utility for case management and found the factors could be used to create three sub-groups of cases with potential implications for their treatment and management. 
Finally, in the third manuscript, we modeled the behavioral patterns of 2,115 aggressors with a FV episode reported to police in Waikato and parts of Canterbury between 1 November – 9 December 2018, by collecting reports for further FV episodes involving those aggressors during the two years after the index episode. We used this information to describe three latent states behind the information reported to police and identified four common pathways through the latent states over time. We concluded this manuscript by discussing changes that could contribute to improvements in how risk for FV aggressors is conceptualized, assessed, and communicated in practice.
In each chapter, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, before integrating those findings and implications in a general discussion chapter. Taken together, the results presented herein indicate that the risk assessment instruments used in New Zealand can predict risk for FV recurrence better than chance, but that those assessments should be further developed to improve their value to FV practice and ensure they adequately capture risk for different types of FV cases and groups of people. This thesis advanced our understanding of the limitations of—and opportunities in—risk assessment research and contributed to the evidence base for risk assessment for FV in New Zealand.

year: 2023

title: An improved and robust finite element model for simulation of  cold-formed steel built-up beams

authors: Birwadkar, Harsh Hemant

subjects: Cold-formed steel

abstract: Cold-formed steel (CFS) built-up sections are increasingly utilized in structural applications due to their lightweight properties, high strength-to-weight ratio, and enhanced moment capacity, which can be further improved by adding stiffeners to the webs or flanges. Accurately determining the moment capacity of these sections is important for practical use. This can be achieved through experimental testing or finite element analysis (FEA) using a four-point bending setup. However, conducting full-scale experimental tests is both expensive and time-consuming, and developing a full-scale finite element (FE) model to replicate these tests can be computationally intensive. 

To address these challenges, this study introduces an accurate, efficient, and robust numerical method that replicates the behaviour of CFS built-up sections, applicable to both back-to-back and face-to-face configurations. The proposed numerical methodology demonstrates excellent agreement with available test results in terms of moment capacity and failure modes, highlighting its potential for determining the moment capacity of built-up sections. The study further investigates two cross-sectional types—stiffened nested and unstiffened nested—to evaluate their behaviour and moment capacity. 

The proposed simplified model was subsequently used in an extensive parametric study to determine the moment capacity of stiffened and unstiffened nested sections. Parameters considered in the study include varying section thicknesses (0.75 mm to 3.00 mm), web depths (150 mm to 600 mm), section configurations (nested and stiffened nested), and screw spacings (75 mm, 150 mm, and 300 mm). Given that existing design standards, such as those from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI 2016) and the Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS 2018), lack specific guidelines for calculating the moment capacity of these sections, this research aims to fill that gap. Furthermore, to simulate practical scenarios, models incorporating screws in the webs (screw-web model) were developed and compared against the simplified model. The results of the parametric study revealed that the moment capacity of the built-up sections is significantly influenced by section thickness, web depth, and section configuration. Screw spacing, however, had a less significant impact. Notably, the moment capacity of the screw-web model was lower than that of the simplified model, emphasizing the importance of bimoment and warping deformation in connection design. 

The study concludes that the developed simplified model provides a computationally efficient tool for predicting the moment capacity of built-up beams, offering valuable insights for designers and engineers. Additionally, the nested section configuration is recommended for achieving higher moment capacity compared to the stiffened nested section.

text: An improved and robust finite element model for simulation of  cold-formed steel built-up beams Cold-formed steel (CFS) built-up sections are increasingly utilized in structural applications due to their lightweight properties, high strength-to-weight ratio, and enhanced moment capacity, which can be further improved by adding stiffeners to the webs or flanges. Accurately determining the moment capacity of these sections is important for practical use. This can be achieved through experimental testing or finite element analysis (FEA) using a four-point bending setup. However, conducting full-scale experimental tests is both expensive and time-consuming, and developing a full-scale finite element (FE) model to replicate these tests can be computationally intensive. 

To address these challenges, this study introduces an accurate, efficient, and robust numerical method that replicates the behaviour of CFS built-up sections, applicable to both back-to-back and face-to-face configurations. The proposed numerical methodology demonstrates excellent agreement with available test results in terms of moment capacity and failure modes, highlighting its potential for determining the moment capacity of built-up sections. The study further investigates two cross-sectional types—stiffened nested and unstiffened nested—to evaluate their behaviour and moment capacity. 

The proposed simplified model was subsequently used in an extensive parametric study to determine the moment capacity of stiffened and unstiffened nested sections. Parameters considered in the study include varying section thicknesses (0.75 mm to 3.00 mm), web depths (150 mm to 600 mm), section configurations (nested and stiffened nested), and screw spacings (75 mm, 150 mm, and 300 mm). Given that existing design standards, such as those from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI 2016) and the Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS 2018), lack specific guidelines for calculating the moment capacity of these sections, this research aims to fill that gap. Furthermore, to simulate practical scenarios, models incorporating screws in the webs (screw-web model) were developed and compared against the simplified model. The results of the parametric study revealed that the moment capacity of the built-up sections is significantly influenced by section thickness, web depth, and section configuration. Screw spacing, however, had a less significant impact. Notably, the moment capacity of the screw-web model was lower than that of the simplified model, emphasizing the importance of bimoment and warping deformation in connection design. 

The study concludes that the developed simplified model provides a computationally efficient tool for predicting the moment capacity of built-up beams, offering valuable insights for designers and engineers. Additionally, the nested section configuration is recommended for achieving higher moment capacity compared to the stiffened nested section.

year: 2024