Publications by authors named "Esther Cowley-Malcolm"

Despite the widespread adoption of Theories of Change (ToC) for programme evaluation, the process of collaboratively developing these theories is rarely outlined or critical analysed, limiting broader methodological discussions on co-production. We developed a ToC as part of ('Love Shouldn't Hurt') - a participatory peer-research study to prevent violence against women (VAW) in Samoa. The ToC was developed in four phases: (1) semi-structured interviews with village representatives (n = 20); (2) peer-led semi-structured interviews with community members (n = 60), (3) community conversations with 10 villages (n = 217) to discuss causal mechanisms for preventing VAW, and (4) finalising the ToC pathways.

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Background: There has been substantial progress in research on preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the last 20 years. While the evidence suggests the potential of well-designed curriculum-based interventions that target known risk factors of violence at the community level, this has certain limitations for working in partnership with communities in low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries, particularly when it comes to addressing the power dynamics embedded within north-south research relationships.

Methods: As an alternative approach, we outline the study design for the EVE Project: a formative research project implemented in partnership with community-based researchers in Samoa and Amantaní (Peru) using a participatory co-design approach to VAWG prevention research.

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Background: Play Kindly is a gamified animated app designed to address common behavioral problems in childhood. The interface is designed to appeal to Pacific people, a population group with a higher risk of developing clinically significant behavioral problems than most other ethnic groups in New Zealand.

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the opinions of parents and professionals about the acceptability, usability, and content of Play Kindly.

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This study compares the nurturing and disciplinary practices of Samoan parents living in New Zealand with those of Samoan parents living in Samoa. Mothers and fathers with two-year-old children resident in each country completed a modified version of the Parent Behavior Checklist Multivariable logistic regression revealed that fathers in NZ were less nurturing and more disciplinarian than fathers in Samoa and mothers in NZ. Older parents were less nurturing but used less harsh discipline than younger parents, more educated parents were more nurturing, and parents on lower incomes were harsher disciplinarians.

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Traditional gift-giving (TGG) is an important element of familial obligations among Pacific families. Migration from Pacific homelands to New Zealand and other countries has had an impact on participation in TGG., Many anecdotal accounts have suggested that TGG diminishes when Pacific persons marry outside their ethnic groups.

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Cultural variables are implicated in gambling literature as playing an important role in the initiation and maintenance of gambling activity, however there remains a paucity of research that defines and investigates the association between cultural factors, gambling and problem gambling amongst different cultural groups. The first data collection point for a cohort of mothers within the longitudinal Pacific Islands Families study identified that the Pacific cultural practice of traditional gift-giving was associated with gambling activity and expenditure. In this paper, data about traditional gift-giving and gambling are presented from the third collection point within this study.

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Unlabelled: The Pacific Islands Families (PIF) study is a longitudinal investigation of a cohort (N=1376) of Pacific infants born in New Zealand (NZ), and their mothers and fathers.

Objectives: The PIF study aimed to determine: (1) the prevalence of disciplinary and nurturing parenting practices used with children at 12 months of age, and (2) the demographic, maternal and lifestyle factors associated with parenting practices.

Methods: At the 12-month measurement point, mothers (N=1207) were interviewed about their parenting practices using a modified version of the Parent Behaviour Checklist.

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Aims: To examine (1) the association between maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimisation and behavioural problems among two- and four-year-old Pacific children, and (2) the socio-demographic and parenting factors that may impact on this association.

Design: Mothers of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF) cohort of Pacific infants born in New Zealand during 2000 were interviewed when the children were two and four years of age. This data set was based on mothers who were cohabiting in married or de-facto partnerships (N = 920) and who completed measures of IPV at the two-year assessment point and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) at the two-or four-year assessment points.

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Pacific peoples are a rapidly growing but socially disadvantaged segment of New Zealand society. Within this context, individuals may be particularly vulnerable to the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of the study was to establish the association between the experience of maternal and/or paternal emotional or physical abuse and current severe physical partner violence perpetration or victimization among a cohort of Pacific women.

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Maternal reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) were obtained from a cohort of Pacific mothers living in New Zealand. The Conflict Tactics Scale was completed by 1,095 women who had given birth in the past 12 months, and who were married or living with a partner as married. The 12-month prevalence of "victimization" through verbal aggression was 77%, 21% for "minor" physical violence, and 11% for "severe" physical violence.

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Aims: Knowledge about the health, psychosocial, and behavioural characteristics of Pacific peoples with young children resident in New Zealand is limited. The Pacific Islands Families: First Two Years of Life (PIF) Study was designed to redress this knowledge gap. This paper describes the design and methodology of the PIF Study.

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