Indigenous youth mental health: an ecological approach to understanding risk and protective factors for Maori youth in Aotearoa New Zealand.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Māori (Indigenous) youth of Aotearoa New Zealand are experiencing widening inequities in mental health when compared to Pākehā (New Zealand European/other European/"White"; cultural majority) youth. This study used an ecological approach to investigate key risk and protective factors for Māori to help prioritise actions.

Methods

A subsample of Māori participants (N = 1,528) from a large representative cross-sectional secondary dataset on secondary school students' health and wellbeing (Youth'19) were used to examine the effects of explanatory variables selected from five domains (individual, and their wider social ecosystem, including whānau/family, school, and community) on four mental health outcomes (wellbeing, depressive symptoms, suicide thoughts, suicide att

SUBMITTER: Clark TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12553277 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature