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Responding To Localised Prostate Cancer : Lifeworld Reconstruction During The First Post-Diagnostic Year, David P. Wall
Responding To Localised Prostate Cancer : Lifeworld Reconstruction During The First Post-Diagnostic Year, David P. Wall
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
This thesis investigated the experiences of men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer, as they reconstructed their lifeworlds during the first post-diagnostic year. With the exception of health related quality of life, a review of the psychosocial research literature revealed few studies that, explored the psychosocial experience of men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer. Furthermore, the review uncovered no studies that explored the process of Iifeworld reconstruction, and only three studies that considered the role of masculinity in the responses of men to the prostate cancer experience. Such a limited understanding, about the nature and process of lifeworld reconstruction, potentially compromises …
A Softer Side To Men, Michael J. Lenney
A Softer Side To Men, Michael J. Lenney
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
“I am on time. It’s the afternoon of my medical for life-insurance suitability. The AMP building in Sydney is my destination. I arrive with about twenty minutes to spare. I don’t remember the receptionist. I don’t remember the faces of the doctors who attended me that day. All I can remember is that I could see the clouds passing over the glass ceiling as my blood pressure was taken several times. The first doctor took my blood pressure three times before seeking another opinion. The second doctor confirmed his fears. I was in the “too high” risk category. At the …
Individual Differences In Interpersonal Dependency In Older Adults: Development Of A Measure And Its Evaluation In Health Care Services, Deborah Gardner
Individual Differences In Interpersonal Dependency In Older Adults: Development Of A Measure And Its Evaluation In Health Care Services, Deborah Gardner
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
Increasing dependency in older age is conceptualised differently by various disciplines. Psychologists have contributed to the understanding of dependency in older age by describing and explaining the functionality of dependency across the life-span. Psychological research has also examined variables (such as the responses of carers to-the dependent behayiours of older people) that exacerbate dependent feelings and behaviours (Baltes, 1996), but it has not included an individual difference measure of interpersonal dependency. According to Rosowsky~ Dougherty, Johnson and Gurian (1997), an understanding of the ways that personality style affects older adults' engagement and reception of health services would assist providers in …
The Effect Of Employment And Workers' Compensation Litigation On The Pain, Psychological State And Disability Of Chronic Back Pain Sufferers, P. B. Suter
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
Previous research exploring the relationship between litigation status and the symptoms of the plaintiff has been inconsistent and limited by methodological dlfficulties. While Mendelson (1984, 1986, 1988) argued there was no difference In symptoms and rates of work return between litigating chronic pain patients and those not involved in the compensation system, others argued that work related injuries were maintained either by the plaintiffs' wish for monetary compensation (compensation neurosis), or by their involvement in the medico-legal process with the stress of the litigation slowing down the recuperative process (nomogenic influences). Dworkin and colleagues (1985) highlighted the importance of including …
Burnout Among Western Australian Psychologists : Exploring Issues Within Forensic Psychology As Potential Predictors, Claire L. Lynn
Burnout Among Western Australian Psychologists : Exploring Issues Within Forensic Psychology As Potential Predictors, Claire L. Lynn
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
The level of burnout among a sample of Western Australian psychologists and a comparison of scores to the American normative sample of mental health workers was investigated. The study was also particularly interested to explore whether issues pertinent to the forensic psychologist were predictive of burnout. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which comprises three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment The study explored whether characteristics in relation to the psychologist, the client and the workplace had predictive value for the level of burnout. Variables considered across these characteristics were age and gender, client problem …
Disruptive Behaviour In Nursing Home Residents: A Study Of Some Predisposing Factors, Ian F. Johnston
Disruptive Behaviour In Nursing Home Residents: A Study Of Some Predisposing Factors, Ian F. Johnston
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
Behaviour disorders are common among nursing home residents and the management of these problems is difficult and emotionally taxing for caregivers. Although widespread acknowledgment of the problem exists amongst those caring for the elderly, there has, until recently, been little formal investigation of these disorders in any systematic degree. This study investigated 63 nursing home residents (22 males and 41 females) in two primary diagnostic categories; those with vascular dementia and those with dementia due to other causes, primarily Alzheimer's disease. A review of the literature suggested that the nature and frequency of disruptive behaviour differed across these two prevalent …
What Is The Intimate Experience Of Couples Following The Woman's Cancer-Related Breast Surgery?, Lynne Amor
What Is The Intimate Experience Of Couples Following The Woman's Cancer-Related Breast Surgery?, Lynne Amor
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe and interpret the experience of couples following the woman's surgery for breast cancer, in order to gain an in depth understanding of how this mutilating surgery affects their everyday lives. Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in Australian women, and in most industrialised nations. Women in Australia have a one in fourteen lifetime risk of developing the disease. Little is known concerning what meanings this surgery brings to the intimacy experienced between partners. It is important to seek knowledge of the phenomenon of intimacy, how the couples understand …
A Behavioural Checklist For The Measurement Of Self-Esteem In The Classroom, Dawn Metcalfe
A Behavioural Checklist For The Measurement Of Self-Esteem In The Classroom, Dawn Metcalfe
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
The study sets out to develop a behavioural checklist for the measurement of self-esteem in the classroom. The importance of self-esteem to learning and adjustment to life's situation is well recognised by educational practitioners and theorists. This study examined the concept of self-esteem and the need for an objective instrument to measure the concept in children aged 6 to 12 years. The development of the instrument was in four phases and in every phase the input and feedback of classroom teachers was considered crucial The resulting instrument therefore comprises descriptions which are entirely teacher-generated. At several points in the process …
Codependent Concerns Among Nurses, Virgina S. Besomo
Codependent Concerns Among Nurses, Virgina S. Besomo
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
Codependency is a complex dysfunctional behaviour pattern characterised by a dependence upon external reference points for ways of being. An abundance of nursing literature claims that codependency is (a) a problem among nurses, (b) related to the demands of the profession, and that (c) codependent nurses eventually suffer disillusionment and burnout. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the severity of codependent concerns among Western Australian registered nurses in order to direct a response to these claims. A random sample of 1000 West Australian registered nurses were mailed surveys with an option for them to respond anonymously by …
A Phenomenological Study Of The Homebirth Experience : The Couples Perspective, Susanjane Morison
A Phenomenological Study Of The Homebirth Experience : The Couples Perspective, Susanjane Morison
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experience of parents who have had a homebirth in the past two years in Perth. Studies conducted to date have predominantly used quantitative research methods, investigating the safety of homebirth and comparing home to hospital birth without exploring a couples experiences. A phenomenological approach was used as it seeks to understand human experience in context. The research design consisted of a field study, in which ten parent couples were interviewed and three homebirth videos observed. Data analysis was conducted according to the procedure outlined by Colaizzi (cited in Knaack, 1984, …
A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson
A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the experience of infertility from the perspective of infertile couples, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how it affects their lives. Ten to twenty per cent of the global population share the experience of infertility, however, little is known of their experiences and perceptions related to infertility. Literature to date mainly focuses on the physiological effects of infertility and does not take into account the context in which the experience takes place, or the meanings that people assign to this experience. To be effective, health carers need …
The Social Construction Of Masculinity As It Relates To Sport: An Investigation Into The Lives Of Elite Level Athletes Competing In Individually-Oriented Masculinised Sports, Murray Drummond
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
Sport has long been regarded as a masculine domain. In the past the literature has tended to focus on male athletes with respect to sensational or noteworthy performances, however little attention has been placed on the reasons why men participate in sport and the subsequent underpinning sociological implications of masculinity. This research investigated the lives of 12 elite level athletes competing in the three individually-oriented sports of triathlon, surf lifesaving and bodybuilding to attain a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between male identity and sport, and the process of masculinisation experienced by men throughout the lifecourse. Further, it explored …
Adolescent Coping Styles And Response To Stress: A Study Of The Relationship Between The Preferred Coping Styles Of Female Senior High School Students And Their Levels Of Anxiety And Self-Confidence When Facing A Major Academic Stressor, Elizabeth J. Lawson
Theses: Doctorates and Masters
A growing body of research indicates the importance of coping strategies when an individual responds to environmental demands. Community concern about the maladaptive responses of some adolescents, limited research with this age group, and the development of a new Australian measure of adolescent coping provided the impetus for this study. The study was conducted with 141 female students in their final year of High School. They completed the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS) in March, and measures of anxiety and self-confidence in November, just before major external examinations. Behavioural rating scales were completed by parents and teachers. The adolescent group reported …