PhD (Clinical Psychology) thesis, University of Auckland

Family violence is overrepresented amongst Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand, and as elsewhere has been found to have significant consequences for children. Extant research has been predominantly deficit-focused. The current project focused on protective factors and resilience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals working with Māori who had experienced whānau (family) violence as tamariki/rangatahi (children/youth) and survived through this difficult experience. Thematic analysis of transcripts revealed several dominant themes. These included that resilience is a complex concept, internal resources of the child contribute to resilience (involving inherent qualities, having an understanding of whānau violence, having dreams, hope for the future and goals, and self-belief in their abilities), having a significant, supportive person in their life, having a strong positive Māori identity and having a wairua connection. Interventions to assist the development of resilience were also identified including building a relationship, early systemic interventions and using Māori guided interventions. Implications of these findings include the importance of staff in the helping professions being able to develop effective therapeutic relationships with tamariki/rangatahi and attend to these factors thought to promote resilience. (Author's abstract). Record #8085