title: Accounting for selectivity and duration-dependent heterogeneity when estimating the impact of emigration on incomes and poverty in sending areas

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: Internationale Wanderung

abstract: The impacts of international emigration and remittances on incomes and poverty in sending areas are increasingly studied with household survey data. But comparing households with and without emigrants is complicated by a triple-selectivity problem: first, households self-select into emigration; second, in some emigrant households everyone moves while others leave members behind; and third, some emigrants choose to return to the origin country. Allowing for duration-dependent heterogeneity introduces a fourth form of selectivity—we must now worry not just about whether households migrate, but also when they do so. This paper sets out these selectivity issues and their implications for existing migration studies and then addresses them by using survey data designed specifically to take advantage of a randomized lottery that determines which applicants to the oversubscribed Samoan Quota (SQ) may immigrate to New Zealand. We compare incomes and poverty rates among left-behind members in households in Samoa that sent SQ emigrants with those for members of similar households that were unsuccessful in the lottery. Policy rules control who can accompany the principal migrant, providing an instrument to address the second selectivity problem, while differences among migrants in which year their ballot was selected allow us to estimate duration effects. We find that migration reduced poverty among former household members but also find suggestive evidence that this effect may be short-lived as both remittances and agricultural income are negatively related to the duration that the migrant has been abroad.

text: Accounting for selectivity and duration-dependent heterogeneity when estimating the impact of emigration on incomes and poverty in sending areas The impacts of international emigration and remittances on incomes and poverty in sending areas are increasingly studied with household survey data. But comparing households with and without emigrants is complicated by a triple-selectivity problem: first, households self-select into emigration; second, in some emigrant households everyone moves while others leave members behind; and third, some emigrants choose to return to the origin country. Allowing for duration-dependent heterogeneity introduces a fourth form of selectivity—we must now worry not just about whether households migrate, but also when they do so. This paper sets out these selectivity issues and their implications for existing migration studies and then addresses them by using survey data designed specifically to take advantage of a randomized lottery that determines which applicants to the oversubscribed Samoan Quota (SQ) may immigrate to New Zealand. We compare incomes and poverty rates among left-behind members in households in Samoa that sent SQ emigrants with those for members of similar households that were unsuccessful in the lottery. Policy rules control who can accompany the principal migrant, providing an instrument to address the second selectivity problem, while differences among migrants in which year their ballot was selected allow us to estimate duration effects. We find that migration reduced poverty among former household members but also find suggestive evidence that this effect may be short-lived as both remittances and agricultural income are negatively related to the duration that the migrant has been abroad.

year: 2013

title: Fathers' Help Seeking and Support: The Importance of Relationships for Mental Wellbeing

authors: Ghaleiha, Amin

abstract: Becoming a father is a major transition for men, and may be a source of happiness and fulfilment, as well as distress. Perinatal mental health research has traditionally focused on mothers, with paternal mental health receiving limited attention. Men are adopting more caregiving roles and increasing their parental involvement, while maintaining their traditional role as a key provider for the family. Balancing these roles may lead to experiences of psychological distress, and help-seeking can be important in alleviating the impacts of paternal distress. However, research on fathers’ help-seeking and mental health needs remains scarce. Therefore, this thesis sought to better understand fathers’ experiences of help-seeking, and facilitators and challenges of paternal help-seeking to support mental health.
Study 1 involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 fathers about their experiences regarding transition to fatherhood and seeking support and advice in early years of parenthood. Fathers reported experiencing distress and uncertainty during the transition to parenthood; however, most did not believe their distress required seeking professional help. Fathers also used a variety of individual and interpersonal coping strategies. Partners were the most important source of emotional support for fathers, but some fathers felt it was inappropriate to seek their partner’s support while she was coping with the stress of pregnancy and new parenting. This study revealed that fathers viewed themselves in a rather traditional role of provider and as a source of emotional and financial stability for their family. This led to work-life balance stress and, for some, created a dilemma where they felt unable to seek emotional support from their most trusted person—their partner.
In study 2 the role of social support, particularly partner support, was explored in relation to paternal mental health and parenting. Data from fathers participating in Growing Up in New Zealand (N = 2601) were used, focusing on data waves during pregnancy and at child ages 9 months and 2 years. Concurrent partner support, and to a lesser degree, other informal support (friends and family) was related to lower paternal distress during pregnancy and at child age 9 months. Although significant, the magnitude of the association was small. There was no evidence of social support in infancy buffering a negative association between distress and parenting outcomes at child age 2 years.
Study 1 found that most fathers did not feel that their distress warranted a professional intervention. Following from this, study 3 investigated the relationships among mental health literacy (MHL), emotional distress, and fathers’ perceptions of barriers and modes of mental health help-seeking. Data were collected from a community sample of New Zealand and Australian fathers (N = 129). The study involved completing an online vignette survey, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 Items (DASS-21), and two open ended questions. Those with a high DASS-21 stress score were more likely to report the individual in the vignette as needing help or having a mental health problem. regardless of the accuracy of this choice. Additionally, more fathers were able to correctly recognise clear symptoms of depression (typical depression) compared to masked depression. Fathers described several informal and formal sources for support and internal and external barriers (e.g., stigma and time/cost) to help-seeking.
This thesis adds to the growing knowledge on fathers’ mental wellbeing by examining paternal help-seeking and distress as well the role of social support. Overall, the findings of this research are consistent with the limited amount of existing research suggesting that partner support has a unique role in paternal mental health. The findings also suggest greater emphasis on the role of relationships and social support in fathers’ mental health and help-seeking. The main implications of this thesis for health professionals who interact with young families are that paternal mental health requires greater clinical and social attention, and fathers with low levels of social support, poor work-life balance and mental health literacy, and traditional masculine beliefs on help-seeking may be at high risk of experiencing mental health difficulties.

text: Fathers' Help Seeking and Support: The Importance of Relationships for Mental Wellbeing Becoming a father is a major transition for men, and may be a source of happiness and fulfilment, as well as distress. Perinatal mental health research has traditionally focused on mothers, with paternal mental health receiving limited attention. Men are adopting more caregiving roles and increasing their parental involvement, while maintaining their traditional role as a key provider for the family. Balancing these roles may lead to experiences of psychological distress, and help-seeking can be important in alleviating the impacts of paternal distress. However, research on fathers’ help-seeking and mental health needs remains scarce. Therefore, this thesis sought to better understand fathers’ experiences of help-seeking, and facilitators and challenges of paternal help-seeking to support mental health.
Study 1 involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 fathers about their experiences regarding transition to fatherhood and seeking support and advice in early years of parenthood. Fathers reported experiencing distress and uncertainty during the transition to parenthood; however, most did not believe their distress required seeking professional help. Fathers also used a variety of individual and interpersonal coping strategies. Partners were the most important source of emotional support for fathers, but some fathers felt it was inappropriate to seek their partner’s support while she was coping with the stress of pregnancy and new parenting. This study revealed that fathers viewed themselves in a rather traditional role of provider and as a source of emotional and financial stability for their family. This led to work-life balance stress and, for some, created a dilemma where they felt unable to seek emotional support from their most trusted person—their partner.
In study 2 the role of social support, particularly partner support, was explored in relation to paternal mental health and parenting. Data from fathers participating in Growing Up in New Zealand (N = 2601) were used, focusing on data waves during pregnancy and at child ages 9 months and 2 years. Concurrent partner support, and to a lesser degree, other informal support (friends and family) was related to lower paternal distress during pregnancy and at child age 9 months. Although significant, the magnitude of the association was small. There was no evidence of social support in infancy buffering a negative association between distress and parenting outcomes at child age 2 years.
Study 1 found that most fathers did not feel that their distress warranted a professional intervention. Following from this, study 3 investigated the relationships among mental health literacy (MHL), emotional distress, and fathers’ perceptions of barriers and modes of mental health help-seeking. Data were collected from a community sample of New Zealand and Australian fathers (N = 129). The study involved completing an online vignette survey, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 Items (DASS-21), and two open ended questions. Those with a high DASS-21 stress score were more likely to report the individual in the vignette as needing help or having a mental health problem. regardless of the accuracy of this choice. Additionally, more fathers were able to correctly recognise clear symptoms of depression (typical depression) compared to masked depression. Fathers described several informal and formal sources for support and internal and external barriers (e.g., stigma and time/cost) to help-seeking.
This thesis adds to the growing knowledge on fathers’ mental wellbeing by examining paternal help-seeking and distress as well the role of social support. Overall, the findings of this research are consistent with the limited amount of existing research suggesting that partner support has a unique role in paternal mental health. The findings also suggest greater emphasis on the role of relationships and social support in fathers’ mental health and help-seeking. The main implications of this thesis for health professionals who interact with young families are that paternal mental health requires greater clinical and social attention, and fathers with low levels of social support, poor work-life balance and mental health literacy, and traditional masculine beliefs on help-seeking may be at high risk of experiencing mental health difficulties.

year: 2024

title: Taking quality work to a new brilliance: Tama Ma on tour [Review]

authors: Crawford, Terri Ripeka

subjects: Tama Ma

abstract: Choreographers: Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete; Douglas Wright; Michael Parmenter  Okareka Dance Company at Telecom Playhouse Theatre, WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton
From 17 Jun 2009 to 20 Jun 2009 

Reviewed by Terri Ripeka Crawford, 22 Jun 2009.

text: Taking quality work to a new brilliance: Tama Ma on tour [Review] Choreographers: Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete; Douglas Wright; Michael Parmenter  Okareka Dance Company at Telecom Playhouse Theatre, WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton
From 17 Jun 2009 to 20 Jun 2009 

Reviewed by Terri Ripeka Crawford, 22 Jun 2009.

year: 2009