Growing Up in NZ study: Improving mental health needs to include all rangatahi Māori

Courageous action needed on rangatahi Māori mental health.

“Courageous action” is needed to address the “structural disadvantage” experienced by rangatahi Māori and its impact on their mental well-being, a leading Māori researcher says.

Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine (Tūhoe), the research director for Growing Up in New Zealand - Aotearoa’s largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development and the largest study of Māori wellbeing, with 1,224 Māori 12-year-olds and their whānau taking part - said there was “ample evidence” to suggest rangatahi Māori experience higher levels of structural disadvantage than other young people.

Structural disadvantage refers to the disadvantage experienced as a result of the way society is organised and how resources are distributed.

Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine.

Paine made the remarks as new research from the Growing Up in New Zealand study published today reveals the patterns of structural disadvantage experienced by rangatahi Māori and the overlap this has with their mental well-being and cultural connectedness.

“Other research from Growing Up in New Zealand found rangatahi Māori have experienced some structural disadvantage by the age of 12- this includes things like whānau not being able to afford essentials or having to make involuntary house moves. This new research takes a slightly different approach by looking at longitudinal trajectories of structural disadvantage from birth through to early adolescence, and how these different trajectories are related to rangatahi mental wellbeing.”

Structural disadvantage patterns

The research shows three trajectories of structural disadvantage for rangatahi Māori, from before birth to age 12.

• 21% of rangatahi Māori experienced persistent and relatively high levels of structural disadvantage. Most in this group experienced structural disadvantage before they were born, and while many experienced one or two periods of relatively low disadvantage during early childhood, most shifted back into relatively high structural disadvantage by middle childhood (8-year and 12-year time points).

• 35% of rangatahi Māori experienced intermittent periods of relatively high structural disadvantage. These young people experienced between one and three periods of relatively high structural disadvantage across the time points.

• 44% of rangatahi Māori experienced persistent and relatively low structural disadvantage. These young people experienced relatively low structural disadvantage from antenatal through to early adolescence.

Mental well-being and cultural connectedness

Researchers looked at these trajectories in relation to mental well-being and cultural connectedness.

Although rangatahi Māori experience higher levels of depression and anxiety and have a poorer quality of life than other young people, Paine said there were few instances where mental well-being differed between these trajectory groups.

“What this means for policy and service delivery is that initiatives to improve mental health in rangatahi Māori need to consider all rangatahi Māori - not just those in severe deprivation.”

The research also looked at cultural connectedness to see if this acted as a “buffer” for mental health.

The term refers to young people’s feelings of belonging, having a strong or positive cultural identity and engagement with cultural practices.

The research showed cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and improved quality of life - but it didn’t buffer the relationship between structural disadvantage and mental well-being.

“We found that cultural connectedness has a clear benefit for rangatahi Māori. Having a sense of belonging is so important for rangatahi wellbeing and those connections with culture are associated with a better quality of life.

“At the same time, our research shows that this connectedness, while beneficial, isn’t enough to protect rangatahi Māori from the effects of structural disadvantage, which is pervasive and requires courageous action to address,” Paine said.