Associate Professor Mary Breheny PhD

Contact details

• Location: 7.11, SST

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy - Massey University (2007)

Research Interests

My research programme focuses on understanding how social and economic issues influence health across the life course. I am particularly interested in examining the ways that unequal access to resources influence the social, community and economic lives of older people. I have experience in a range of qualitative methodologies including discourse analysis, narrative analysis, and rhetorical analysis.

Research Opportunities

• Older people in the Media  (01/01/2019) I am interested in supervising media analysis of topics related to older people.
• Work and Care among Older People  (01/01/2019) Managing work and care responsibilities is increasingly complex as people age. I am involved in narrative research examining experiences of paid work and informal care.

Thematics

Health and Well-being

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology (170106): Psychological Methodology, Design and Analysis (170110): Psychology (170100): Psychology And Cognitive Sciences (170000): Social and Community Psychology (170113):
Studies In Human Society (160000)

Keywords

Qualitative research; Narrative analysis; Discourse analysis; Older people; Economic inequalitites

Completed Projects

Courses Coordinated

• 214.212 Research Methods in the Health Sciences
• 231.729 Public Health Research and Evaluation

Current Doctoral Supervision

Main Supervisor of:

• Kayleigh Geyer - Doctor of Philosophy
  Combining paid work and informal care in later life: A longitudinal qualitative investigation
• Caroline Day - Doctor of Philosophy
  Grandmothering in New Zealand: An examination of the experiences of grandmothers who are in paid employment and providing regular, information childcare to one or more grandchildren
• Ella Kroch - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
  Clients' experiences and understandings of 'treatment resistant' depression
• Megan Hempel - Doctor of Philosophy
  Developing the health and ageing study as a lifetime longitudinal study
• Felicity Ware - Doctor of Philosophy
  “It’s hard being a young parent, it’s even harder being a young Māori parent” Young Māori parents experiences of raising a family

Co-supervisor of:

• Lisa Vonk - Doctor of Philosophy
  Ageing in the smart place: The impact of networked, digital technologies on the community care relationship.

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Main Supervisor of:

• 2017 - Fathimath Rifshana - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
  The Lived Experience of Parents Caring for a Child with Type 1 Diabetes

Co-supervisor of:

• 2016 - Barbara Horrell - Doctor of Philosophy
  Exploring informal caregivers' health needs from a capability perspective

Media

• 31 Mar 2019 - Online
  Health equity in older age
  Associate Professor Mary Breheny’s discusses the findings of her team’s longitudinal research which shows that health in later life is closely related to childhood socioeconomic status.
• 16 Jul 2020 - Online
  Why I study older people
  Age Concern Blog
• 15 Jul 2020 - Online
  Demonising others doesn't lead to an equal society
  Mary Breheny says familiar arguments that we are in competition for scarce resources is part of the problem. We are served up versions of this from politicans of all sides.
• 05 Nov 2019 - Online
  Lifetime effects of poverty take toll in older ag
  Childhood disadvantage is directly related to levels of physical, mental and social health in older age, according to new research from Massey University.
• 01 Jun 2020 - Online
  The tailwind of privilege
  No, there is nothing ‘wrong’ with being white. But it comes with unearned privilege which makes progress through the world easier. It is a tailwind through every storm, writes Mary Breheny, associate

Other Links

• HART Website - Health and Ageing Research Team website.