title: Worry Domains, Perceived Stress and Social Anxiety Among Tertiary-Level Students in New Zealand

authors: Richards, James Desmond

subjects: worry

abstract: Contemporary research into the health concerns of students is sparse, particularly in New Zealand. Overseas literature indicates that students in tertiary education institutions may be at increased risks for physical health problems, stress-related syndromes and emotional dysfunctions. Of particular concern are anxiety disorders as, in addition to their negative impact on quality of life, they are associated with impaired academic performance and poorer educational outcomes.
     Skilled, educated individuals are a social asset and it is therefore surprising that so little interest has been paid to the ways in which involvement with the tertiary education impacts on student welfare and anxiety levels. As a first step towards redressing the lack of health data for tertiary populations, this thesis investigates aspects of anxiety among students at a New Zealand university. The primary research aims were to establish an estimate of the levels of anxiety experienced by students and to outline the requirements of tertiary study that students perceive to be the most anxiety-inducing. To achieve the former, students (n = 1,082) were invited by e-mail to participate in an online psychometric survey; to explore the latter, discussion groups were arranged wherein students (n = 18) were asked to talk about their anxiety-related experiences.
     Anxiety has many forms and can be conceptualised in a number of different ways. In recognition of the diverse nature of tertiary study, it was decided that a broad framework would be needed to thoroughly investigate the ways in which it might manifest in tertiary student populations. Thus, a tripartite conceptualisation was constructed, viewing anxiety in cognitive, physiological and interpersonal terms. Specifically, the study assessed worry, stress and social anxiety among tertiary students and invited participants to comment on personal experiences in each of these areas.
     Comparing study data to norms for student populations in America revealed that New Zealand tertiary students report greater levels of worry, stress and social anxiety than their American counterparts. Within-group comparisons were made as a function of student gender, age, school of study, ethnicity and birth status. Significant differences on at least one survey measure were noted within each of these categories, with the exception of school of study. The possible implications of and explanations for these findings are discussed.

text: Worry Domains, Perceived Stress and Social Anxiety Among Tertiary-Level Students in New Zealand Contemporary research into the health concerns of students is sparse, particularly in New Zealand. Overseas literature indicates that students in tertiary education institutions may be at increased risks for physical health problems, stress-related syndromes and emotional dysfunctions. Of particular concern are anxiety disorders as, in addition to their negative impact on quality of life, they are associated with impaired academic performance and poorer educational outcomes.
     Skilled, educated individuals are a social asset and it is therefore surprising that so little interest has been paid to the ways in which involvement with the tertiary education impacts on student welfare and anxiety levels. As a first step towards redressing the lack of health data for tertiary populations, this thesis investigates aspects of anxiety among students at a New Zealand university. The primary research aims were to establish an estimate of the levels of anxiety experienced by students and to outline the requirements of tertiary study that students perceive to be the most anxiety-inducing. To achieve the former, students (n = 1,082) were invited by e-mail to participate in an online psychometric survey; to explore the latter, discussion groups were arranged wherein students (n = 18) were asked to talk about their anxiety-related experiences.
     Anxiety has many forms and can be conceptualised in a number of different ways. In recognition of the diverse nature of tertiary study, it was decided that a broad framework would be needed to thoroughly investigate the ways in which it might manifest in tertiary student populations. Thus, a tripartite conceptualisation was constructed, viewing anxiety in cognitive, physiological and interpersonal terms. Specifically, the study assessed worry, stress and social anxiety among tertiary students and invited participants to comment on personal experiences in each of these areas.
     Comparing study data to norms for student populations in America revealed that New Zealand tertiary students report greater levels of worry, stress and social anxiety than their American counterparts. Within-group comparisons were made as a function of student gender, age, school of study, ethnicity and birth status. Significant differences on at least one survey measure were noted within each of these categories, with the exception of school of study. The possible implications of and explanations for these findings are discussed.

year: 2008

title: Geraldine In her own words

authors: Middleton, Sue

abstract: I was born on May 31st 1926 in Wellington, the only child of Gerald and Alma Player (née Fuller). Except for spells overseas, I’ve lived in Wellington all my life. My father was just 17 when he volunteered for the First World War. He went off, fought in the trenches, and came back. Like many men of that time, he never talked about what the war was like. It was just too horrifying. He worked in the Public Trust Office. My mother was a small-town girl from the Wairarapa. I was brought up in the time of the Depression. It was many years before we owned a radio. We never had a telephone or a car and didn’t ever own a house. We always had library books and there were a lot of magazines and comics, which all parents disapproved of, but we read them anyway

text: Geraldine In her own words I was born on May 31st 1926 in Wellington, the only child of Gerald and Alma Player (née Fuller). Except for spells overseas, I’ve lived in Wellington all my life. My father was just 17 when he volunteered for the First World War. He went off, fought in the trenches, and came back. Like many men of that time, he never talked about what the war was like. It was just too horrifying. He worked in the Public Trust Office. My mother was a small-town girl from the Wairarapa. I was brought up in the time of the Depression. It was many years before we owned a radio. We never had a telephone or a car and didn’t ever own a house. We always had library books and there were a lot of magazines and comics, which all parents disapproved of, but we read them anyway

year: 2019

title: Who owns native nature? Discourses of rights to land, culture, and knowledge in New Zealand

authors: Goldsmith, Michael

subjects: indigenous cultures

abstract: Michael Brown famously asked ‘Who owns native culture?’ This paper revisits that question by analyzing what happens to culture when the culturally defined boundary between it and nature becomes salient in the context of disputes between indigenous and settler populations. My case study is the dispute between the New Zealand government and Maori tribal groupings concerning ownership of the foreshore and seabed. Having been granted the right to test their claims in court in 2003, Maori groups were enraged when the government legislated the right out of existence in 2004. Though the reasons for doing so were clearly political, contrasting cultural assumptions appeared to set Maori and Pakeha (New Zealanders of European origin) at odds. While couching ownership of part of nature as an IPR issue may seem counter-intuitive, I argue that as soon as a property claim destabilizes the nature/culture boundary, IPR discourse becomes pertinent.

text: Who owns native nature? Discourses of rights to land, culture, and knowledge in New Zealand Michael Brown famously asked ‘Who owns native culture?’ This paper revisits that question by analyzing what happens to culture when the culturally defined boundary between it and nature becomes salient in the context of disputes between indigenous and settler populations. My case study is the dispute between the New Zealand government and Maori tribal groupings concerning ownership of the foreshore and seabed. Having been granted the right to test their claims in court in 2003, Maori groups were enraged when the government legislated the right out of existence in 2004. Though the reasons for doing so were clearly political, contrasting cultural assumptions appeared to set Maori and Pakeha (New Zealanders of European origin) at odds. While couching ownership of part of nature as an IPR issue may seem counter-intuitive, I argue that as soon as a property claim destabilizes the nature/culture boundary, IPR discourse becomes pertinent.

year: 2009