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Cited by 64Indigenous Health, Education, and RightsReligion, Spirituality, and PsychologyCultural, Psychoanalytic, and Sociopolitical Reflections

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 38 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Mahi a Atua: A Māori approach to mental health

Maree Kopua, Diana, Kopua, Mark A, Bracken, Patrick J·2020·Transcultural Psychiatry
DOI 10.1177/1363461519851606
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Abstract

Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. European colonisation had a devastating effect on their communities and their way of life. While there is some evidence of a renaissance of Māori culture in recent years, like other indigenous people across the world, they continue to be massively overrepresented in their country’s figures for poor mental and physical health. In this paper, we briefly review the literature on the Movement for Global Mental Health and review the case that has been made for the use of indigenous psychologies in place of approaches based on Western psychiatry and psychology. We present two case histories where an intervention based on an indigenous Māori approach to negotiating emotional conflicts and dealing with mental health problems was used. This approach, called Mahi a Atua, was developed by two of the authors over a number of years. We conclude that indigenous approaches to mental health offer not just an adjunct to, but a real alternative to, the interventions of Western psychiatry. They provide a framework through which individuals and families can negotiate their journeys through mental health crises and difficulties. However, such approaches can also work on a socio-cultural level to promote a positive identity for indigenous communities by celebrating the power of indigenous deities, narratives, and healing practices that were marginalised and suppressed by the forces of colonisation.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1363461519851606

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38 of 38 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Baxter J., 2008, Māori Mental Health Needs Profile Summary: A Review of the Evidence
  2. Cohen B., 2014, Disability and the Global South, 1, 319
  3. Durie M., 1994, Whaiora: Māori Health Development
  4. Durie M., 1999, Health Forum of New Zealand Newsletter, 49, 2
  5. Hunter, E. (2001) The “Deep Sleep of Forgetfulness”: Reflecting on disremembering. In L. J. Kirmayer, M. E. Macdonald and G. M. Brass (Eds.), The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples. Proceedings of the Advanced Study Institute: The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples McGill Summer Program in Social & Cultural Psychiatry and the Aboriginal Mental Health Research Team May 29 – May 31, 2000 Montréal, Québec. Retrieved from www.mcgill.ca/tcpsych/files/tcpsych/Report10.pdf.
  6. Kirmayer, L. J, Macdonald, M. E. & Brass, G.M. (2001) Introduction. In L. J. Kirmayer, M. E. Macdonald, & G. M. Brass (Eds.), The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples. Proceedings of the Advanced Study Institute: The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples McGill Summer Program in Social & Cultural Psychiatry and the Aboriginal Mental Health Research Team May 29 – May 31, 2000 Montréal, Québec. Retrieved from www.mcgill.ca/tcpsych/files/tcpsych/Report10.pdf.
  7. McLeod M., 2017, The New Zealand Medical Journal, 130, 30
  8. New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2012, Suicide Facts: Deaths and Intentional Self-Harm Hospitalisations 2010
  9. New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2013, The Health of Māori Adults and Children
  10. New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2015, Office of the Director of Mental Health Annual Report 2013
  11. Oakley-Brown M. A., 2006, Te Rau Hinengaro
  12. Rangihuna D., 2018, The New Zealand Medical Journal, 131, 1471

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Metadata

Authors
Maree Kopua, D., Kopua, M. A., & Bracken, P. J.
Affiliations
  • Hauora Tairāwhiti
  • Tohunga Moko Hauora Tairāwhiti
Corresponding author
Kopua, Mark A
ORCID
Bracken, Patrick J
Venue
Transcultural Psychiatry
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2019-05-24
Volume
57
Issue
2
Pages
375-383
ISSN
  • 1363-4615 (ISSN-L)
  • 1461-7471
DOI
10.1177/1363461519851606
OpenAlex
W2946727622
Cited by
64
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4
FWCI
3.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Transcultural Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Cultural, Psychoanalytic, and Sociopolitical Reflections
Keywords
Māori mental health, indigenous psychology, indigenous deities, indigenous narratives, healing practices, colonization, indigenous identity, Māori culture
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Mental Health Services, New Zealand, Qualitative Research, Young Adult, Narrative Therapy

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