Lay summary
This is a Postdoctoral application and the applicant is based at AUT. The applicant is from Samoa and the Cook Islands. He developed a keen interest in this area after completing a Masters degree that examined factors that looked at family cohesion. This study will develop and validate a measurement tool to investigate fathering behaviours and practices amongst Pacific fathers in the longitudinal Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study. This rich longitudinal PIF data, combined with robust research methods, provides a unique opportunity to examine the severely under-researched area of Pacific male health, and contribute significantly to the Pacific health knowledge base. Findings from this project will be useful for a wide range of end-users, including service providers and policy makers, by providing accurate and specific information about Pacific fathering. A framework of extensive consultation, and a consolidation of national and international research, will be undertaken as a precursor to the development of the measurement scale. This will be followed by a planned substantive process of validity and reliability testing, in order to assess the empirical validity of the tool, characterise behaviours, and estimate the involvement of Pacific fathers in raising their children. The supervisors for this award are Professor Philip Schluter of Biostatistics, Head of Research and Co-Director of the Pacific Island Family Study at AUT, and Professor Janis Paterson, Head of School of Public Health and Psychosocial Studies and Co-Director of the Pacific Island Family Study at AUT.