title: ‘Home is where the heart is broken?’: Examining the impact of intimate relationship challenges on meanings of home

authors: Smith, Paula Ngaire

subjects: home

abstract: This thesis makes an original contribution to emotional and material geographies by addressing the ways in which mutually constituted meanings of home and identity change in the wake of intimate, coupled relationship disruption. It examines practices of home making, unmaking and remaking of ten (nine women and one man) heterosexual individuals who have experienced relationship challenges and have homes the Waikato region of Aotearoa New Zealand. Three methods of data collection - semi-structured interviews; home visits; and, solicited and unsolicited diaries - were used to access the emotional and spatial experiences of this group of people.
Feminist, queer and poststructuralist geographical theories are used to analyse the connection between relationships, emotions and materialities of home spaces. My findings are organised into two related themes: materialities and emotions. The first theme - materialities – foregrounds the role of objects for making, unmaking and remaking home and heterosexual couples. Following objects in and out of couple’s homes highlights gendered power relations and the importance of intergenerational relationships. Individual power, as well as the power of objects, is examined, with attention paid to how power and coupledom can be subverted or queered. The second theme – emotions – allows for an understanding of care, love, guilt and shame across the scales of bodies, objects, and homes. Emotions and affect are ‘sticky’ in that they attach to objects and pass between bodies and homes. Physical violence enacted on the home, as well as emotional or financial abusive behaviour within the home, are considered. I also discuss home as a place of healing and recovery. 
It is hoped that this examination of heterosexual couple relationship breakdown and home disruptions will encourage more critical understandings of geographies of identities, home, materialities and emotions.

text: ‘Home is where the heart is broken?’: Examining the impact of intimate relationship challenges on meanings of home This thesis makes an original contribution to emotional and material geographies by addressing the ways in which mutually constituted meanings of home and identity change in the wake of intimate, coupled relationship disruption. It examines practices of home making, unmaking and remaking of ten (nine women and one man) heterosexual individuals who have experienced relationship challenges and have homes the Waikato region of Aotearoa New Zealand. Three methods of data collection - semi-structured interviews; home visits; and, solicited and unsolicited diaries - were used to access the emotional and spatial experiences of this group of people.
Feminist, queer and poststructuralist geographical theories are used to analyse the connection between relationships, emotions and materialities of home spaces. My findings are organised into two related themes: materialities and emotions. The first theme - materialities – foregrounds the role of objects for making, unmaking and remaking home and heterosexual couples. Following objects in and out of couple’s homes highlights gendered power relations and the importance of intergenerational relationships. Individual power, as well as the power of objects, is examined, with attention paid to how power and coupledom can be subverted or queered. The second theme – emotions – allows for an understanding of care, love, guilt and shame across the scales of bodies, objects, and homes. Emotions and affect are ‘sticky’ in that they attach to objects and pass between bodies and homes. Physical violence enacted on the home, as well as emotional or financial abusive behaviour within the home, are considered. I also discuss home as a place of healing and recovery. 
It is hoped that this examination of heterosexual couple relationship breakdown and home disruptions will encourage more critical understandings of geographies of identities, home, materialities and emotions.

year: 2017

title: Biotreatability studies of oil-contaminated soils from Antarctica

authors: Jimenez, Maria-Luisa Gutierrez-Zamora

abstract: Human activity in Antarctica has resulted in accidental fuel spills on soils. These are broadly damaging to the Antarctic ecosystem, and expensive to clean up completely by physical removal, therefore, alternative remediation techniques, like bioremediation, are required. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria have been isolated from Antarctic soils, but few biotreatability studies have been described. On the basis that limiting factors to bioremediation can be manipulated to enhance biodegradation of contaminated soils, this thesis research project aimed to test these limiting factors to contribute to the development of bioremediation protocols for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils from the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica. 
Hydrocarbon-contaminated and control uncontaminated soils collected from Scott Base, Marble Point and Wright Valley were chemically analysed for total hydrocarbons and chemical properties, and analysed for total heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-degrading microbes. Both contaminated and uncontaminated control soils were screened for the alkane catabolic genes Pp alkB, Rh alkBJ, Rh alkB2 and Rh alkB194 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced to determine the soils' alkane-degrading genetic potential. Additionall, hydrocarbondegrading bacteria isolated from Scott Base soils were characterised morphologically and screened for alkB gene homologues. The degradative ability of microbes was assessed by ¹⁴C-hexadecane mineralisation in soil microcosms at 15°C in all untreated soils, water and nitrogen amended Scott Base soils, Scott Base contaminated soil diluted 1 : 1 with uncontaminated soil, and Bull Pass soil bioaugmented with strains Rhodococcus sp. 5/1 and SB0-1, a hydrocarbondegrading microbial isolate from this study. Molecular analysis of 16S rDNA of SB0-1 showed DNA sequence homology of 99% with Rhodococcus sp. 5/14. Changes in microbial populations in the most successful enhancement treatments were detected by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). 
Hydrocarbon-degraders were found only in Marble Point and Scott Base soils (from 10³ to 10⁶ colonies per gram dry weight soil). The most abundant alk gene in the soils was Pp a/kB, followed (in deceasing order of abundance) by Rh a/kB 1, Rh alkB2 and Rh alkB194. This indicated the possible presence of Pseudomonas and Rhodoeoeuss species in these soils. High rates of mineralisation were detected in Marble Point, ea. 60% in 75 days, and low rates in Scott Base soil, ea. 4% in 75 days. Nitrogen overfertilisation and water adjustments decreased mineralisation, but addition of 2500 mg N/kg-H20-soil combined with 10% moisture enhanced mineralisation ea. 4 times in a recent and old spill site in Scott Base soil, indicating that nitrogen was a limiting factor. Dilution of this soil with uncontaminated soil resulted in enhanced mineralisation, 8 times that of unamended soil, reaching ea. 40% mineralisation. DGGE showed that the diluted soil was enriched in a Rhodoeoeeus species. Dilution of the soil, and consequently of the contaminant, was the most successful treatment for Scott Base soil. This indicated that contaminant concentration was a limiting factor in this soil. Bioaugmentation of Bull Pass soil was partially successful; mineralisation was enhanced after addition of inoculum, but reduction in total hydrocarbons was minimal and attributed to abiotic loss. 
Overall, limiting factors to bioremediation can be manipulated to enhance biodegradation by nutrient amendments, dilution of contaminant, and inoculation of hydrocarbon-degraders. The implementation of these treatments may aid in remediation of contaminated soils from the Ross Sea Region.

text: Biotreatability studies of oil-contaminated soils from Antarctica Human activity in Antarctica has resulted in accidental fuel spills on soils. These are broadly damaging to the Antarctic ecosystem, and expensive to clean up completely by physical removal, therefore, alternative remediation techniques, like bioremediation, are required. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria have been isolated from Antarctic soils, but few biotreatability studies have been described. On the basis that limiting factors to bioremediation can be manipulated to enhance biodegradation of contaminated soils, this thesis research project aimed to test these limiting factors to contribute to the development of bioremediation protocols for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils from the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica. 
Hydrocarbon-contaminated and control uncontaminated soils collected from Scott Base, Marble Point and Wright Valley were chemically analysed for total hydrocarbons and chemical properties, and analysed for total heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-degrading microbes. Both contaminated and uncontaminated control soils were screened for the alkane catabolic genes Pp alkB, Rh alkBJ, Rh alkB2 and Rh alkB194 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced to determine the soils' alkane-degrading genetic potential. Additionall, hydrocarbondegrading bacteria isolated from Scott Base soils were characterised morphologically and screened for alkB gene homologues. The degradative ability of microbes was assessed by ¹⁴C-hexadecane mineralisation in soil microcosms at 15°C in all untreated soils, water and nitrogen amended Scott Base soils, Scott Base contaminated soil diluted 1 : 1 with uncontaminated soil, and Bull Pass soil bioaugmented with strains Rhodococcus sp. 5/1 and SB0-1, a hydrocarbondegrading microbial isolate from this study. Molecular analysis of 16S rDNA of SB0-1 showed DNA sequence homology of 99% with Rhodococcus sp. 5/14. Changes in microbial populations in the most successful enhancement treatments were detected by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). 
Hydrocarbon-degraders were found only in Marble Point and Scott Base soils (from 10³ to 10⁶ colonies per gram dry weight soil). The most abundant alk gene in the soils was Pp a/kB, followed (in deceasing order of abundance) by Rh a/kB 1, Rh alkB2 and Rh alkB194. This indicated the possible presence of Pseudomonas and Rhodoeoeuss species in these soils. High rates of mineralisation were detected in Marble Point, ea. 60% in 75 days, and low rates in Scott Base soil, ea. 4% in 75 days. Nitrogen overfertilisation and water adjustments decreased mineralisation, but addition of 2500 mg N/kg-H20-soil combined with 10% moisture enhanced mineralisation ea. 4 times in a recent and old spill site in Scott Base soil, indicating that nitrogen was a limiting factor. Dilution of this soil with uncontaminated soil resulted in enhanced mineralisation, 8 times that of unamended soil, reaching ea. 40% mineralisation. DGGE showed that the diluted soil was enriched in a Rhodoeoeeus species. Dilution of the soil, and consequently of the contaminant, was the most successful treatment for Scott Base soil. This indicated that contaminant concentration was a limiting factor in this soil. Bioaugmentation of Bull Pass soil was partially successful; mineralisation was enhanced after addition of inoculum, but reduction in total hydrocarbons was minimal and attributed to abiotic loss. 
Overall, limiting factors to bioremediation can be manipulated to enhance biodegradation by nutrient amendments, dilution of contaminant, and inoculation of hydrocarbon-degraders. The implementation of these treatments may aid in remediation of contaminated soils from the Ross Sea Region.

year: 2005

title: Making the invisible visible: Exploring the complex pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm

authors: Dempster-Rivett, Kirsty

subjects: Childhood maltreatment

abstract: Preventing family harm and providing care for those affected is a high priority for governments and social services worldwide. Adverse consequences of family harm continue to place demands on justice, mental health and care and protection services. The costs to individuals, families and communities are beyond measure, given that rates of family harm are under-reported. Quantitative researchers have demonstrated a link between childhood maltreatment and family harm perpetration with existing psychological theories used to explain this link. However, mainstream theories were first developed many decades ago, at a time when the notion of gender was not inclusively factored into theory development. Neither were they developed with or by Indigenous peoples, calling into question the translatability of mainstream theories for stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. 
The main aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm by investigating two research questions. How could psychological theories better explain the pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and family harm perpetration? And, to what extent do psychological theories about the cycle of family harm reflect the experiences of Māori and non-Māori men and women in Aotearoa New Zealand? To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with 16 individuals who self-identified as perpetrating family harm and had childhood histories of maltreatment. (n=8 men, n=8 women). Purposive sampling ensured an equal number of Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) and non-Māori participated in the research. Thematic analysis was utilised to examine the personal conceptualisations regarding the association between experiences of childhood maltreatment and subsequent perpetration of family harm. The core corpus of data explored the maltreatment-family harm relationship within and between Māori and non-Māori men and women. This thesis is comprised of three studies that investigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence.

The first study analysed the interviews of the seven participants removed from their families of origin as children. All described ongoing experiences of poly-victimisation in subsequent placements, whether through adoption, foster or residential settings. When examined alongside all women interviewed in this thesis, men more often reported that their childhood maltreatment was overlooked by professionals. The findings of this study highlighted a relationship between the perpetration of family harm and limited relational and emotional experiences during childhood. Intervention points across the life span were identified to stop the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence for people removed from their family of origin as children.

The second study focused on the experiences of the eight Māori men and women interviewed. A culture of silence surrounding childhood maltreatment pervaded all interviewees’ childhood experiences. However, additional issues, including cultural isolation, were evident for Māori from the adults and professionals charged with their care. Māori interviewees identified three core Indigenous concepts that facilitated healing and intergenerational wellbeing: Wairua (spiritual connection), Pou (becoming a symbol of strength and support for self and others), and Tūrangawaewae (finding a sense of belonging). A return to Indigenous knowledge and practices was integral to stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. This highlights the importance of privileging Indigenous knowledge in existing theoretical understanding of the cycle of family harm and incorporation in prevention initiatives.

The final study explored the impact of psychological distress within the cycle of family harm. Everyone interviewed experienced severe adverse trauma reactions linked to mental health and addiction issues, self-harm and suicidality, and instances of family harm. A significant barrier to psychological and familial wellbeing was the lack of access to integrated models of care capable of responding to complex and intertwined issues in trauma informed and Indigenous informed ways. Thus, family harm, trauma and mental health and addiction services need to work together to tailor and deliver treatment according to the individual and family needs to break the cycle of family harm and ongoing adverse life course trajectories. 

This research identifies significant limitations in the psychological theories that usually contribute to thinking about family harm. There has been a particular failure to develop a theory that accounts for the heterogeneous cultural and gendered experiences of the cycle of family harm. Going forward, expanding the? view of traditional psychological theories of intergenerational trauma and violence is required to account for the historical trauma of colonisation and the ongoing adverse consequences for Indigenous communities. Family harm prevention initiatives must be led by and/or developed in partnership with and by Indigenous peoples to ensure responsivity through active incorporation of traditional practices for intergenerational healing and wellbeing.

The impact of poly-victimisation in childhood had severe and ongoing adverse consequences for both men and women that outweighed any obvious gender difference. For people who have experienced childhood maltreatment, it is essential to imbue initiatives with opportunities to understand emotions in relational contexts. Children who are placed in the care of the state must be cared for and, unlike the interviewees in this thesis, free from further childhood maltreatment. A therapeutic web should be established to stop the systemic issues identified in this thesis by providing cohesive and coherent services in a timely fashion for children and adults affected by the cycle of family harm. In conclusion, adopting practices that are informed by understandings of trauma, gender, and Indigenous knowledge are needed to replace the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence with hope and wellbeing.

text: Making the invisible visible: Exploring the complex pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm Preventing family harm and providing care for those affected is a high priority for governments and social services worldwide. Adverse consequences of family harm continue to place demands on justice, mental health and care and protection services. The costs to individuals, families and communities are beyond measure, given that rates of family harm are under-reported. Quantitative researchers have demonstrated a link between childhood maltreatment and family harm perpetration with existing psychological theories used to explain this link. However, mainstream theories were first developed many decades ago, at a time when the notion of gender was not inclusively factored into theory development. Neither were they developed with or by Indigenous peoples, calling into question the translatability of mainstream theories for stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. 
The main aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm by investigating two research questions. How could psychological theories better explain the pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and family harm perpetration? And, to what extent do psychological theories about the cycle of family harm reflect the experiences of Māori and non-Māori men and women in Aotearoa New Zealand? To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with 16 individuals who self-identified as perpetrating family harm and had childhood histories of maltreatment. (n=8 men, n=8 women). Purposive sampling ensured an equal number of Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) and non-Māori participated in the research. Thematic analysis was utilised to examine the personal conceptualisations regarding the association between experiences of childhood maltreatment and subsequent perpetration of family harm. The core corpus of data explored the maltreatment-family harm relationship within and between Māori and non-Māori men and women. This thesis is comprised of three studies that investigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence.

The first study analysed the interviews of the seven participants removed from their families of origin as children. All described ongoing experiences of poly-victimisation in subsequent placements, whether through adoption, foster or residential settings. When examined alongside all women interviewed in this thesis, men more often reported that their childhood maltreatment was overlooked by professionals. The findings of this study highlighted a relationship between the perpetration of family harm and limited relational and emotional experiences during childhood. Intervention points across the life span were identified to stop the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence for people removed from their family of origin as children.

The second study focused on the experiences of the eight Māori men and women interviewed. A culture of silence surrounding childhood maltreatment pervaded all interviewees’ childhood experiences. However, additional issues, including cultural isolation, were evident for Māori from the adults and professionals charged with their care. Māori interviewees identified three core Indigenous concepts that facilitated healing and intergenerational wellbeing: Wairua (spiritual connection), Pou (becoming a symbol of strength and support for self and others), and Tūrangawaewae (finding a sense of belonging). A return to Indigenous knowledge and practices was integral to stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. This highlights the importance of privileging Indigenous knowledge in existing theoretical understanding of the cycle of family harm and incorporation in prevention initiatives.

The final study explored the impact of psychological distress within the cycle of family harm. Everyone interviewed experienced severe adverse trauma reactions linked to mental health and addiction issues, self-harm and suicidality, and instances of family harm. A significant barrier to psychological and familial wellbeing was the lack of access to integrated models of care capable of responding to complex and intertwined issues in trauma informed and Indigenous informed ways. Thus, family harm, trauma and mental health and addiction services need to work together to tailor and deliver treatment according to the individual and family needs to break the cycle of family harm and ongoing adverse life course trajectories. 

This research identifies significant limitations in the psychological theories that usually contribute to thinking about family harm. There has been a particular failure to develop a theory that accounts for the heterogeneous cultural and gendered experiences of the cycle of family harm. Going forward, expanding the? view of traditional psychological theories of intergenerational trauma and violence is required to account for the historical trauma of colonisation and the ongoing adverse consequences for Indigenous communities. Family harm prevention initiatives must be led by and/or developed in partnership with and by Indigenous peoples to ensure responsivity through active incorporation of traditional practices for intergenerational healing and wellbeing.

The impact of poly-victimisation in childhood had severe and ongoing adverse consequences for both men and women that outweighed any obvious gender difference. For people who have experienced childhood maltreatment, it is essential to imbue initiatives with opportunities to understand emotions in relational contexts. Children who are placed in the care of the state must be cared for and, unlike the interviewees in this thesis, free from further childhood maltreatment. A therapeutic web should be established to stop the systemic issues identified in this thesis by providing cohesive and coherent services in a timely fashion for children and adults affected by the cycle of family harm. In conclusion, adopting practices that are informed by understandings of trauma, gender, and Indigenous knowledge are needed to replace the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence with hope and wellbeing.

year: 2022