Doctoral Theses

Permanent link for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10292/4
The Doctoral Theses collection contains digital copies of AUT doctoral theses deposited with the Library since 2004 and made available open access. All theses for doctorates awarded from 2007 onwards are required to be deposited in Tuwhera Open Theses unless subject to an embargo.

For theses submitted prior to 2007, open access was not mandatory, so only those theses for which the author has given consent are available in Tuwhera Open Theses. Where consent for open access has not been provided, the thesis is usually recorded in the AUT Library catalogue where the full text, if available, may be accessed with an AUT password. Other people should request an Interlibrary Loan through their library.

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Browsing Doctoral Theses by Supervisor "Adams, Jeffery"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    The Age-Friendly Attributes of Warkworth: A Case Study of a Rural Town in New Zealand
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Napier, Sara
    Background Ageing of the global population is expected to be the predominant demographic pattern of the twenty-first century and is having an impact on nearly every country. The majority of older people have a preference for ageing in place in familiar communities. Ideally, the responsibility for ageing in place should be shared among individuals, communities, and governments. The World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities and communities model has become a favoured policy response globally to support ageing in place. New Zealand has followed global strategic direction in support of ageing in place and is committed to the age-friendly model. Population ageing is occurring at a faster rate in rural communities than in urban centres. Although rural ageing has recently gained global attention in gerontology, little is known about the age-friendliness of rural towns and small rural communities in New Zealand. This study aimed to explore the age-friendly attributes of a small rural town in New Zealand and to identify priorities and opportunities to improve age-friendliness. Design and Methods The study employed a single case study design underpinned by Deweyan pragmatism. Case study research allows multiple perspectives of a phenomenon to be explored in the context of the local community. The WHO age-friendly conceptual framework informed the design of the study. A central assumption underpinning the age-friendly model is the dynamic relationship between older people and their environment. A transactional perspective provided an epistemological lens to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic process of continually adapting to a constantly changing environment. Data were collected from multiple sources using multiple methods including document review, a cross-sectional survey, walking interviews with people aged 65 years and over and face-to-face interviews with retail and service operators in Warkworth. Data from all sources were triangulated to provide an in-depth and nuanced exploration of the case. Findings Four main themes represented the age-friendly attributes: being established, being present, being involved and being responsive. The findings identified a strong sense of community, older people were custodians of their community, there were strong social networks and local involvement, and the local community was responsive to older people. The participants cared deeply about their town and were committed to making it a better place now and for the future for themselves, other older people ageing in the community and future generations. A range of priorities and opportunities to advance the age-friendliness of the physical, social, and service environments were identified and recommendations were provided to the local community and levels of government. Conclusion Older people in the Warkworth community are making a significant bottom-up contribution to the age-friendliness of the town. Raising awareness of the age-friendly model would ideally build on existing strengths and age-friendly attributes of the community identified in the present study. The identified strengths of community stewardship and custodianship suggest older people in this community could contribute to decision making in a more structured and official capacity at a local, civic level. This study makes a significant original contribution to our understanding of age-friendliness in rural communities in New Zealand. The findings also have international relevance for rural ageing and age-friendly knowledge and practice by contributing highly contextual place-based evidence. Additionally, applying a Deweyan pragmatic perspective contributes to the theoretical understanding of the age-friendly model. There is an opportunity for local government to facilitate engagement with older people in a more innovative, localised response to age-friendliness in this community. Age-friendly principles should be promoted and embedded in planning processes to ensure the future development of Warkworth provides a liveable and age-friendly environment for its oldest citizens ageing in the community.
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    “Who Am I? This Is Me” a Grounded Theory of Transgender Young Adults Navigating the Healthcare System
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2022) Wilson, Tania
    Youth and young adults often report difficulties in accessing comprehensive healthcare to meet their health and wellbeing needs. An uncoordinated and under-resourced healthcare system results in young people reporting numerous barriers in seeking services when they need them. For transgender young adults, the challenges are even greater. with fewer services able to cater for their specific health and wellbeing needs. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to guide the collection of data to understand the processes transgender and young gender-diverse adults use to navigate the healthcare system. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a small cohort of ten transgender young adults aged between 18 and 24 years. The processes of constant comparative analysis, theoretical sampling and saturation were used to generate a substantive grounded theory Who am I? – this is me. Three categories emerged from this study in relation to the young people’s interactions with the healthcare system. These were: Seeking My Authentic Self and the process of gender affirmation and validation; Knowing I Matter But..., which is defined as having meaningful engagement with healthcare providers; and the third category, My Transition Enabled, is about being able to access trusted and accessible health care for life. This study has highlighted that, despite the recent developments in acknowledging the needs of transgender young adults, there continue to be significant gaps in consistent transgender healthcare provision across New Zealand. The study also confirms that there are barriers preventing young people accessing the right level of care for their health, and mental wellbeing needs. From the substantive theory, a framework of affirmative healthcare is proposed to provide healthcare decision-makers and planners a consumer-informed road map, which prioritises meaningful and trusting engagement between healthcare providers and service users. Mitigating barriers to accessing services and building the capability of the workforce in transgender health and mental health is crucial for better healthcare for transgender young adults.
Theses are protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use:
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