Research

Research

I have a passionate interest in migration, maternity and mental health. My main theoretical interests are feminist theory, postcolonial theory and research methodology, with a specific focus on maternity and postcolonial approaches to health. My work includes empirical studies and theoretical investigations into key sites where health inequities are found, including refugee, migrant and indigenous communities; maternity and women’s health; mental health.

In my PhD thesis Migrant Maternity I examined the operation of liberal discourses in the relationship between fertility, gender and colonisation in the construction of contemporary feminist identities in healthcare. My aim has been to expand the anti-racist potential of cultural safety in health and social care in order to improve health care outcomes for marginalised groups through theory, practice and policy and to examine the role nurses can play in social justice. To this end, I have a specific interest in critical and self-reflexive approaches in nursing education.

Current Research Projects
I have recently completed a research project about Refugee women in New Zealand in partnership with Refugee services and Refugee community organisations in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch (with Refugee Services, Auckland Refugee Coalition, Changemakers, Canterbury Refugee Council).  Our aims are to create best practice systems for refugee women who are sole heads of households and to contribute to improving the support systems and outcomes for women and their families

Past research

  • 2009: Ruth DeSouza. Vice Chancellor’s Staff PhD Completion Award. AUT University.
  • 2009: Ruth DeSouza. Jenni Broom, Jill Conway: Research into the Resettlement Experience and Special Needs of Women at Risk: an evaluation to create best practice support systems. Lotteries Community Sector Research Fund.
  • 2008: Ruth DeSouza    Migrant fathers’ experiences of fathering in a new country: Implications for health and social service providers .AUT Internal Contestable Grant.
  • 2007: Professor Kathryn McPherson, Dr Deborah Payne, Dr Dianne Roy, Professor Cynthia Farquhar, Dr Matire Harwood, Ms Ruth DeSouza, Associate Professor Lynne Giddings. Improving health interventions and support for mothers experiencing disability.
  • 2006. Waller, N., DeSouza, R.  Trauma and migrant women, Internal contestable grant.
  • 2006. Gao, W., DeSouza, R. and Paterson, J. Pilot study: The uptake of cervical screening in Chinese immigrants in Auckland    Internal contestable grant.
  • 2006: Abbot, M. and DeSouza, R.  Barriers and enablers to help seeking for problem gamblers and families. Ministry of Health.
  • 2005 McPherson, K., Diesfeld, K. et al.,Evaluation of Vocational Rehabilitation under the IPRC Act. Accident Compensation Corporation.
  • 2005: DeSouza, R. and  Macfarlane, E. The adjustment to parenting for ethnic women and the implications for health policy and service delivery, Families Commission Blue Skies Funding.
  • 2005: Williamson, A. and DeSouza, R  Evaluation of the use of ICT in early childhood education    City of Manukau Education Trust.
  • 2005: Williamson, A. and DeSouza, R. Evaluation of youth skills project, Enterprise Waitakere.
  • 2005: DeSouza, R. Bellringer, M. and Garrett, N. Access Issues for Chinese People in New Zealand    Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
  • 2005: DeSouza, R. and  Macfarlane, E. The adjustment to parenting for ethnic women and the implications for health policy and service delivery, Royal New Zealand Plunket volunteers.
  • 2004. Guerin, B., DeSouza R. and Dunstan, S. First National Refugee Research Conference. SPEaR.
  • 2004: Craig, B., Williamson, A., and DeSouza, R. National survey of community ICT planning, training and support. Department of Labour.
  • 2003: Williamson, A., and DeSouza R.Evaluation of Otara Digital Opportunities Project City of Manukau Education Trust.

Refereed journal articles

  • DeSouza, R. (2013), Regulating migrant maternity: Nursing and midwifery’s emancipatory aims and assimilatory practices. Nursing Inquiry. doi: 10.1111/nin.12020
  • DeSouza, R. (under review). One woman’s empowerment is another’s oppression: Korean women’s experiences of maternity in Aotearoa.
  • DeSouza, R., & Cormack, D. (2009) Returning the indigenous to the centre: a view from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Diversity in health and care, 16(4), 219-221.
  • Gao, W., DeSouza, R., Paterson, J., & Lu, T. (2008) Factors affecting uptake of cervical cancer screening among Chinese women in New Zealand. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, In Press, Corrected Proof.
  • Gao, W., DeSouza, R., Paterson, J., & Lu, T. (2008). Demographic predictors of cervical cancer screening in Chinese women in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 121 (1277), 8-17.
  • DeSouza, R. (2008). Wellness for all: the possibilities of cultural safety and cultural competence in New Zealand. Journal of Research in Nursing, 13(2), 125-135
  • DeSouza, R. (2007). Women, Portuguese culture and Diaspora: Women from Goa in New Zealand and cultural adaptation. Campus Social. (3/4 )103-118.
  • DeSouza, R. (2007). Walking a tightrope: Asian health research in New Zealand.  Diversity in health and Social Care., 4(1), 9-21.
  • Clarke, D., Abbott, M., DeSouza, R., & Bellringer, M. (2007). An overview of help seeking by problem gamblers and their families including barriers to and relevance of services. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5(4), 292-306.
  • DeSouza, R. (2006). Sailing in a new direction: Multicultural mental health in New Zealand. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health 5(2).
  • De Souza, R. (2006). Researching the health needs of elderly Indian migrants in New Zealand. Indian Journal of Gerontology, 20 (1&2), 159-170.
  • De Souza, R. (2005). Transforming possibilities of care: Goan migrant motherhood in New Zealand. Contemporary Nurse, 20 (1), 87 – 101.
  • De Souza, R. (2004). Motherhood, migration and methodology: Giving voice to the “other”. The Qualitative Report. 9 (3), 463-482.
  • Williamson, A., Kennedy, D. M., McNaught, C. and De Souza, R. (2003). Issues of intellectual capital and intellectual property in educational software development teams. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 19(3), 339-355.

Books

  • DeSouza, R. (2006). Walking upright here: Countering prevailing discourses through reflexivity and methodological pluralism. Muddy Creek Press, New Zealand

Edited Publications

  • Williamson, A., & DeSouza, R. (Eds.). (2008). Researching with communities. Auckland: Muddy Creek Press.
  • De Souza, R., (2007). Faith and ethnic communities. Aotearoa Ethnic Network, 2(2). Faith. ISSN 1177-3472.
  • DeSouza, R., & Williamson, A. (2007). Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 2(1): ICT. ISSN 1177-3472.
  • DeSouza, R., & Williamson, A. (2006). Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 1(2): Creativity. ISSN 1177-3472.
  • DeSouza, R., & Williamson, A. (2006). Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 1(1). ISSN 1177-3472.

Sections in books

  • Wood, P., Bradley, P., & De Souza, R. (2012). Mental Health in Australia and New Zealand. In R. Elder, K. Evans & D. Nizette (Eds.), Practical perspectives in psychiatric and mental health nursing (Third edition). New South Wales: Mosby, Elsevier Australia.
  • DeSouza, R (2012). Power dynamics in communication. In S. Shaw , A. Haxell and T. Weblemoe (Eds.), Lifespan development and commmunication. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
  • DeSouza, R. (2011). ‘All of me meets here, an alchemy of parts’ – Negotiating my identities in New Zealand. Localizing Asia in Aotearoa. P. Voci and J. Leckie. Wellington, Dunmore Publishing: 231-245.
  • DeSouza, R. (2010). New mothers in a new land: Indian migrant mothers talk. India in New Zealand: Local identities, global relations. S. Bandyopadhyay. Dunedin, Otago University Press: 207-217.
  • McNeill, H., Paterson, J., Sundborn, G., DeSouza, R., Weblemoe, T., McKinney, C., et al. (2009). Culture health and wellbeing. In S. Shaw & B. Deed (Eds.), Health and environment in Aotearoa/New Zealand (pp. 95-124). Auckland: Oxford University Press.
  • O’Brien, T., Morrison-Ngatai, E., & De Souza, R. (2009). Providing culturally safe care  In P. Barker (Ed.), Psychiatric and mental health nursing: The craft of caring (Second ed., pp. 635-643). London: Arnold.
  • Wood, P., Bradley, P., & De Souza, R. (2008). Mental Health in Australia and New Zealand. In R. Elder, K. Evans & D. Nizette (Eds.), Practical perspectives in psychiatric and mental health nursing (Second ed., pp. 86-107). New South Wales: Mosby, Elsevier Australia.
  • DeSouza, R. (2007). Sifting out the sweetness: Migrant motherhood in New Zealand. In Liamputtong, P. (Ed.). Reproduction, Childbearing and Motherhood: A Cross-Cultural Perspective (239-251). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Pavagada, R., DeSouza, R. (2007). Culture and mental health care in New Zealand: indigenous and non-indigenous people. In K. Bhui & D. Bhugra (Eds.), Culture and mental health (pp. 245-260). London: Hodder Arnold.
  • DeSouza, R. (Jan, 2007). Multicultural relationships in supervision. In D. Wepa (Ed), Clinical supervision in the health professions: The New Zealand experience. Auckland: Pearson Education.
  • DeSouza, R. (2005). Working with migrant and refugee women. In A. Hodren (Ed.), Royal New Zealand Plunket Society National Resource Manual. (pp. 72-77). Wellington: Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.
  • DeSouza, R. (2005). Postnatal mental health. In A. Hodren (Ed.), Royal New Zealand Plunket Society National Resource Manual. (pp. 99-113) Wellington: Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.
  • Williamson, A., Kennedy, D. M., DeSouza, R., & McNaught, C. (2005). Managing intellectual capital and intellectual property within software development communities of practice. In E. Coakes & S. Clarke (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Communities of Practice in Information and Knowledge Management (pp. 364-374). Hershey, PA: Idea Group.
  • De Souza, R. (2004). Working with refugees and migrants. In D. Wepa (Ed.), Cultural safety (pp. 122-133). Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand.
  • Wood, P., Bradley, P., & De Souza, R. (2004). Mental Health in Australia and New Zealand. In R. Elder, K. Evans & D. Nizette (Eds.), Practical perspectives in psychiatric and mental health nursing (pp. 80-98). New South Wales: Elsevier Australia.
  • Peach, J, Ehau, N. De Souza, R, Nonu-Reid, E. (1997). Documenting the cultural dimension of practice. In J. Richmond. (Ed.), Nursing Documentation: Writing what we do. Melbourne: Ausmed
  • DeSouza, R. (2006). Walking upright here: Countering prevailing discourses through reflexivity and methodological pluralism. Muddy Creek Press, New Zealand

Reports

  • DeSouza, R. (2012). DeSouza Doing It for Ourselves (pdf full report). Auckland: Refugee Services.
  • McPherson, K., Diesfeld K, Schluter P, Travalglia S, Ryan B, DeSouza R, Boocock M, Harwood M, LaGrow S, Callaghan K, Gorman D, Tuiqereqere D. Evaluation of Vocational Rehabilitation under the Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation (IPRC) Act 2001 (2007). (A report commissioned by the Accident Compensation Corporation New Zealand). Auckland: AUT University
  • Bellringer, M., Pulford, J., Abbott, M., DeSouza, R., & Clarke, D. (2007). Problem gambling: Barriers to help seeking behaviours [Final draft] (Technical). Auckland: Ministry of Health.
  • DeSouza, R. (2006). New spaces and possibilities: The adjustment to parenthood for new migrant mothers. Wellington: Families Commission (pdf blueskies-desouza).
  • Williamson, A., & DeSouza, R. (2006). Direct qualitative analysis of data from digital audio sources. Waitakere City: Wairua Consulting Limited.
  • DeSouza, R., & Garrett, N. (2005). Access issues for Chinese people in New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University of Technology (access_issues).
  • Williamson, A., & DeSouza, R. (2003). Evaluation of the Otara Digital Opportunities Project. Auckland, NZ: UNITEC Centre for IT Research.

Letter in journals

Editorials

Presentations (2012 only)

  • DeSouza, R. (2012). Working with migrant women: Doing to, doing for or doing with? Zonta Waitakere, Auckland.
  • DeSouza, R. (2012). Holding up half the sky: African women in Aotearoa. African Communities Forum Incorporated: Celebration of Women’s Day, Auckland.
  • DeSouza, R. (2012). Invited address: A special kind of double: Sisterhood between women and “other” women in women’s health. Women’s Health Section Conference, New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Auckland.
  • DeSouza, R. (2012). The real impact of marginalisation on bodies. Decol 2012: Marginalised gendered, indigenous and people of colour decolonisation hui., Auckland.