Digital Commons Network^™

Tailoring Digital Physical Activity Support Messages For Women In Midlife With Elevated Risk For Cardiovascular Disease: A Multicomponent Study, Kiri Baga

Theses and Dissertations

Women in midlife (ages 40-60) are at heightened risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although physical activity (PA) engagement can reduce CVD risk, few women engage in sufficient PA to receive this benefit. They cite lack of social support as a key barrier, but existing interventions that employ social support show limited effectiveness. Digital PA support messages (i.e., brief, text-based messages delivered via smartphone or other device) may be a powerful method to meet social support needs in daily life. However, women’s preferences for and responses to distinct types of messages are not well understood. The aim of this study was …

The Impact Of Exercise On Adolescents With Depression: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Matthew P. Kloeris

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to summarize and synthesize the research that pertains to the impact of aerobic exercise on adolescents with depression. This review addressed aerobic exercise as a mental health treatment, such as differences between (a) post-intervention and follow-up response and remission rates; (b) exercise in lieu of psychotherapy or exercise as an adjunct to psychotherapy; and (c) response and remission rates amongst minority gender and racial and ethnic groups. The search results produced a total of 2,122 articles. Of which, eight articles were eligible for the present systematic review. Based on the results, it appears …

A Study Of Grit In The Crossfit Population, Cierra Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Exercise has extensively shown to provide both physical and mental health benefits. CrossFit is one type of exercise program, and although the workouts can be strenuous, it has continued to increase in popularity since its inception in 2001. Grit has been defined as “unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger” (Merriam-Webster.com, 2019, definition of grit [entry 1 of 2], para. 4). Duckworth et al. (2007) developed a valid and reliable 12-item measure of grit – the Grit Scale. Duckworth and Quinn (2009) later adapted the original Grit Scale (Grit-O) to be a briefer and more efficient version, which …

Exercise As A Therapeutic For Hiv-1-Associated Neurocognitive Deficits, Michael N. Cranston

Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) afflicts nearly 38 million individuals worldwide (Joseph et al., 2013; “WHO | HIV/AIDS,” 2016). Despite the reduction in disease mortality due to increased use of antiretroviral medication, HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) affects approximately 50% of HIV infected individuals (Antinori et al., 2007; Castellon, Hinkin, Wood, & Yarema, 1998; Castelo, Sherman, Courtney, Melrose, & Stern, 2006; Cysique & Brew, 2009; Heaton et al., 2011, 2015). The brain itself is particularly sensitive to HIV-1 related viral proteins and viral infection (Masliah, DeTeresa, Mallory, & Hansen, 2000), thus, it is vital to empirically examine potentially effective therapeutics which …

Hashtagging Your Health: Using Psychosocial Variables And Social Media Use To Understand Impression Management And Exercise Behaviors In Women, Caitlyn Hauff

Theses and Dissertations

Our society has become heavily reliant on social media, especially in the health and exercise domain. Social and environmental factors impact females’ body image perceptions and create body image disturbances, yet little research is dedicated to the exploration of how social media, and social comparisons through social media exposure, impact exercise behaviors and body image perceptions in females. Considering Perloff's (2014) theoretical model, the current study explored how the interaction between individual psychosocial variables and social media use predict exercise behaviors and engagement in impression management in women. Using a mixed methodological approach, the specific aims of this study were …

The Effects Of Exercise Pattern And Intensity On The Expression Of Flk-1 And Flt-1 Receptors In The Hippocampus And Cerebellum, Morgan E. Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Aerobic exercise benefits the body and brain. In the brain, these benefits include neuroprotection and improved cognition. These exercise-induced changes are attributed in part to angiogenesis: the growth of new capillaries from preexisting vessels. One critical factor involved in the regulation of angiogenesis is VEGF and its receptors Flk-1 and Flt-1. Although exercise is generally found to be beneficial, there are wide variations in the exercise regimens used across experiments. This study standardized some of these variations. In this study, rats were either assigned to a voluntary wheel running or a forced wheel running exercise condition. Within each condition, animals …

Association Between Polymorphisms Associated With Major Depression, Cognitive Function, And Stress Regulation And Telomere Length In Older Community-Dwelling Adults And In Older Competitive Athletes, Cynthia Elizabeth Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Many factors detrimental to healthy aging have been proposed including depression, stress, cognitive decline, and telomere shortening. Of specific interest are the genetic factors that may contribute to these factors and subsequently lead to accelerated telomere shortening and aging, namely the Bcl1, 5-HT, DRD2, and ApoE polymorphisms. We sought to: 1) further clarify the role of depression, stress tolerance, and cognitive decline in aging by examining the effect of associated polymorphisms (Bcl1, 5-HT, DRD2, and ApoE) on telomere length in two samples of older adults and 2) determine the difference in absolute telomere length between the two groups. We examined …

Short-Term Changes In Responses To Stress In Runners, Molly Ann O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

The use of physical activity to cope with stress is becoming increasingly popular. Research indicates that individuals who routinely engage in cardiovascular exercise report better overall physical and psychological health and reduced reactions to stress than those who do not. In addition, there may be short-term improvements for these individuals on days when they exercise. The current study was designed to examine short- and long-term differences between runners and non-runners. Cardiovascular, affective, and behavioral data were collected from runners over a two-day period that included a running day and a rest day, and over a similar period in a non-running …

Walk It Off!: The Relationship Between Physically Active And Passive Coping Style And Perseverative Cognition, Michelle Rosalie Di Paolo

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WALK IT OFF!: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND PASSIVE COPING STYLE AND PERSEVERATIVE COGNITION

by

Michelle R. Di Paolo

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013

Under the Supervision of Professor Marcellus Merritt

The main aim of the current study is to assess if a relationship exists between self-selected coping styles and levels of perseverative cognition (PC). Recent pilot studies have revealed a relative distinction between the coping styles people choose when coping with stress, i.e., those that are physically active (PAC) like going for a walk, jogging, or lifting weights, and those that are physically passive (PPC) like reading …

Enhancing Self-Efficacy In The Utilization Of Physical Activity Counseling: An Online Constructivist Approach With Psychologists-In-Training, Cassandra D. Pasquariello

Theses and Dissertations

In our sedentary society, physical inactivity has become the biggest public health concern of the 21st century. In addition to physical health promotion, physical activity has been associated with a number of positive psychological and social outcomes. Psychologists are well positioned to provide physical activity counseling and may have ethical obligations to address physical activity with their clients. Training the next generation of psychologists about the role of physical activity and health is critical to ensure best practices in graduate education. Researchers have cited insufficient training as a barrier to integrating physical activity into clinical work, yet little is known …

Using Behavioral Incentives To Promote Exercise Compliance In Women With Cocaine Dependence, Leila Islam

Theses and Dissertations

To date, low rates of patient compliance have made it impractical to study whether regular exercise can contribute to positive outcomes in women with substance use disorders (SUD). One robust strategy for promoting and maintaining behavior change is contingency management (CM). CM has been used successfully to reinforce drug abstinence, treatment attendance, and other pro-social behaviors. CM delivers incentives (prizes) contingent upon target behaviors, though can be expensive. To reduce costs, CM is often delivered with an escalating variable-ratio schedule, first tested by Petry and colleagues (2005). As a Stage Ib behavioral therapies development project (Rounsaville et al., 2001), the …

Exercise-Induced Hypoxia, Angiogenesis, And Behavioral Flexibility In The Adult Rat, Kiersten Lee Berggren

Theses and Dissertations

Exercise induces a myriad of effects on the brain from the growth of new capillaries and neurons, to improvements in cognitive performance. Additionally, recent research has shown that commencement of an exercise regimen also causes apoptosis. Therefore, it is possible that exercise-induced increases in oxygen demand cause the brain to transiently experience a state of hypoxia. To investigate this hypothesis, we measured protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), a transcription factor known to be upregulated in conditions of hypoxia or ischemia, in animals exposed to a single bout of treadmill exercise. After exercise animals were sacrificed at …

Meta-Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Biological And Non-Biological Treatments For Postpartum Depression, Sarah Jeung Soon Christian

Theses and Dissertations

I provided an updated, comprehensive review of treatments for mothers diagnosed with postpartum depression. Studies included in this meta-analysis were single-group pre-posttest, non-randomized and randomized controlled studies published from 1986 to 2010 that included face-to-face psychotherapy and psychopharmacology as well as non-traditional methods such as exercise and nurse-assisted counseling. 53 published studies were analyzed. The randomized studies showed a moderate to large effects (d= 0.72 to 1.25, k= 9) when postpartum interventions were compared to a control condition, and smaller effects (d= 0.3 to 0.57, k = 13) to treatment as usual. When postpartum interventions were compared to each other …

The Roles Of Exercise Habits, Gender Stereotype Of Exercise, And Self-Esteem In Sexual Victimization, Nicole Rene Harder

Theses and Dissertations

Anecdotal evidence suggests that women who exercise regularly increase not only their physical strength but also their mental strength, which has been conceptualized as self-confidence, assertiveness, and self-esteem. Empirical investigation into this area of research, however, is scarce. One study found that self-reported victimization rates of female athletes were significantly lower when compared with another study's female non-athlete sample. More recently, research found significant differences in levels of self-esteem and sexual victimization rates between female collegiate varsity athletes and the general female college population. The current study is a subsequent analysis of the data used in the aforementioned study.

Data …

The Influence Of Physical Activity And Television On The Intention And Self-Efficacy To Engage In Health-Enhancing Behaviors, Ian Joseph Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer and heart disease account for the largest proportion of morbidity and mortality among all adult diseases in the United States. Research has focused on identifying causal risk factors among adolescents. However, theories of health behavior change also stress the intermediary factors of intention and efficacy for effective behavior change. Existing research supports the potential of physical activity (PA), particularly learned through the domains of exercise and sport, as a means to developing these necessary skills (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 1993). The current investigation examined the influence of PA and television watching (TV) on intentions and efficacy to engage in …

Assessment Of Influence That The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Has On Exercise Habit Of Members Living In Utah County, Gary L. Preston

Theses and Dissertations

This study identified and analyzed the influence the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had on the decision of 309 respondents to exercise. The data obtained from the questionaires were analyzed using chi-square to compare males and females. Within the limitations of this study, the following conclusions were justified: women were more influenced by the LDS Church to exercise than men; LDS males and females exercised more than average American adults; walking, jogging, and aerobic dance were the most popular choices of LDS exercisers; and, there is a need to improve the awareness of LDS members concerning the Physical …