Description

The status of Māori mental health in New Zealand has increasingly deteriorated,despite radical changes to mental health service delivery and modern improvements in treatment. The question posed in this doctoral researchis:What is occurring amongst Māori with mental illness and mental health services?

The research applied qualitative methods. Glaserian grounded theory, informed by a Māori centred approach,was utilised andfurther supported by the concepts of mana Māori (control), whakapiki tangata (enablement), whakatuia (integration),and Māori ethical principles. Thirty Māori participants between the ages of 20and 65years were interviewed;24 were interviewed individually and the remaining participated in a focus group of six Māori women. Participants identified as Māori with lived experience of mental illness and mental health services. The cohort also included whānau members and Māori practitioners who were interviewed during the process of theoretical sampling. Thirty interviews were audio recorded and field notes were taken. A systematic process of data collection and data analyses occurred using a range of methods as part of the Glaserian grounded theory method. This included coding, memoing, the constant comparison of data and theoretical sampling, all of which helped to reach the saturationof data. The goal was to discover what the main problem was for Māori participating, and how they resolved it. The outcome from this research was the development of a middle range substantive theory titled Seeking Solutions to Being Restricted.