Breaking the cycle : the association between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and protective factors; hope, spirituality and cultural identity on the quality of future parent- child relationships : submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Psychology), School of Psychology, Massey University, Auckland Campus

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) was a framework originally proposed by the health maintenance organisation, Kaiser Permanente and the Centre for disease control and prevention of the United States in 1990’s. The influential framework was developed for the purpose of predicting adversities relating to childhood trauma and is now widely used as a prominent screening tool. ACEs are linked to a plethora of detrimental effects that permeates through an individual’s lifespan; however, a prime concern is that the effects of trauma are often carried forward through intergenerational cycles. A powerful intervention could be the introduction of protective factors, such as hope, spirituality and cultural identity to mediate the effects of ACEs and break intergenerational cycles to foster healthy parent-child relationships in the future. Using thematic analysis, the present study conducted a qualitative investigation into determining the mediating effects of hope, spirituality and cultural identity on the exposure of ACEs. Ten adult participants within New Zealand, who met the criteria based on the 10-point ACEs questionnaire, were recruited for the purpose of the study and interviewed via zoom. The participants were first asked retrospective questions about their experience of ACEs, followed by questions on the relevance of hope, spirituality and cultural identity in their lives. Finally, the participants were asked about aspects of current relationships with their children, to piece the three areas; ACEs, protective factors and parent-child relationships together. Results showed that the protective factors not only played an important role in mediating the effects of ACEs in childhood, but also formed an instrumental foundation upon which current parent-child relationships were based. The thematic analysis revealed overarching and sub-themes for the three significant areas of; ACEs, protective factors (hope, spirituality and cultural identity) and parent-child relationships to demonstrate a web of interconnected meaning systems. A conclusive statement and important revelation of the present study was a need for more holistic and strengths-based approaches in addressing ACEs, such as focusing on the taonga (treasure) embedded in all human beings