Lowitja Funded Scholars
Permanent URI for this collection
Lowitja Institute Scholarships aim to support the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. Our scholarships contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership of health research by providing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop skills in areas relevant to meaningful health research. This collection contains the research publications from Lowitja supported scholars.
Submit a publication to the Respository.
Submit a publication to the Respository.
Browse
Browsing Lowitja Funded Scholars by Subject "Identity"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item "Anybody can make kids; it takes a real man to look after your kids": Aboriginal men's discourse on parenting.(2019-11-27) Canuto K.; Towers K.; Riessen J.; Perry J.; Bond S.; Chee D.A.; Brown A.Background The realms of parenting have long belonged to females. In many cultures it has been a female who has predominantly cared for and raised children. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male parents this has resulted in them being largely overlooked from contributing to the parenting conversation. Predictably, such a dominant discourse has led to an inadequate distribution of opportunities available and a societal perception that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male parents are disinterested in and/or disengaged from their parental roles and responsibilities, however, this is far from the truth. Methods This study is entrenched in an Indigenist research approach which privileges Indigenous lives, Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous voices, and utilised the Research Topic Yarning method to capture participants stories. Results Four yarning groups were conducted across South Australia in Coober Pedy, Yalata, Port Lincoln and metropolitan Adelaide. In total, 46 Aboriginal men contributed their experiences and stories of their roles and responsibilities as parents to this study. Men described being a dad as a privilege, emotionally fulfilling and rewarding and although at times it can be challenging, neglecting their roles and responsibilities are not considered options. Lack of employment and therefore financial security were described as a challenge to fatherhood especially for fathers who live in remote communities. Aboriginal culture, connection to country and family were identified as critical elements and strengths for Aboriginal male parents. Furthermore, Aboriginal male parents are yearning for opportunities to participate in parenting programs including men's parenting groups. Conclusion Consideration of and concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men's involvement and experiences prior to conception, prenatal and postpartum has slowly gained momentum in recent years, yet there has been little improvement in the overall provision of appropriate parenting support services and/or programs for these men.Copyright © 2019 Canuto et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Item Developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural indicators: an overview from Mayi Kuwayu, the national study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing.(2022-08-23) Bourke S.C.; Chapman J.; Jones R.; Brinckley M.-M.; Thurber K.A.; Calabria B.; Doery K.; Olsen A.; Lovett R.Background: For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture is foundational to health and wellbeing. However, its inherent conceptual complexity and diversity across and within different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural groups means that it has rarely been explored in depth by epidemiological research. As a result, there are very few measures which adequately represent the heterogeneity and importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for health and wellbeing. Tools grounded in the social determinants of health are mostly based on European academic opinion about what constitutes culture and wellbeing, and the views of Indigenous peoples are rarely included. Mayi Kuwayu, the National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing, developed a new survey tool based on health and wellbeing as perceived by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper describes several of the key processes used to identify cultural domains and develop questionnaire items for the survey tool, reflecting the importance of culture to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Method(s): Focus groups were conducted at community organisations and conferences with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These sessions were aimed at identifying key cultural domains to be addressed by the Mayi Kuwayu questionnaire and to field test drafts of the questionnaire, which were then modified according to focus group feedback and expert input. Result(s): Extensive community consultations allowed us to identify key cultural domains, generate questionnaire items, and test initial content validity. The six overarching cultural domains identified during the development of the Mayi Kuwayu questionnaire were: Connection to Country; Beliefs and knowledge; Language; Family, kinship, and community; Cultural expression and continuity; and Self-determination and leadership. Conclusion(s): The processes used by Mayi Kuwayu have generated meaningful cultural items for use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing research. Further assessment of these processes, including a comparison with best practice guidelines and psychometric testing of the items and scales developed, will be conducted in a future program of work.Copyright © 2022, The Author(s).