Searching For Wisdom: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Women's Perspectives Following Participation In An Ovarian Cancer Supportive Care Group, Helen Butlin

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This study used a novel methodology of hermeneutic-poetic-phenomenology to explore perspectives of women living with ovarian cancer. Each had participated in a supportive care group process Soul-Medicine prior to volunteering. Three women, Beth, Carrie, and Denise contributed to this study. The methodology was grounded in Gaston Bachelard’s philosophy of poetic-phenomenology. Data was analyzed with attention to image-centred knowledge; material imagination; reverie; and horizons of hope to elucidate their implicated aspects of wisdom and the ways participant’s formed their personal wisdom integrating feminist theories of embodiment and bioethics.

Findings are framed through three images of a uniquely formed inner ‘wisdom-compass’, an …

Inviting Hallucinatory Percepts During Speech-Listening To Detect Cognitive Changes In Early Psychosis, Ana-Bianca Popa

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Treatment outcomes for people with schizophrenia are more favourable if treatment starts early in the course of the disorder. Current detection methods lack specificity and do not make use of cognitive markers. We presented individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and matched control participants with acoustically degraded meaningful and matched nonsense sentences to examine the degree to which people reported words that were not actually presented. Intrusion errors were counted when reported words were unrelated to words in the original sentence. Intelligibility (measured as words reported correctly) did not differ between groups but intrusion errors were more frequent …

Risk Perceptions Of Smoking In China, Imran Syed

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Approximately one million smokers die in China every year. Risk perceptions of smoking have been theorized as being important in explaining behaviour change and have been found to be associated with initiating and quitting smoking. This study examined the extent to which smokers in China perceive risks associated with smoking (i.e., perceived likelihood of getting a smoking-related disease) and the roles of socio-demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, ethnicity, income and education) and knowledge of the consequences of smoking in explaining risk perceptions of smoking. Participants included 4861 smokers from six cities in China. The prevalence of perceived risk for smoking …

Neuronal Correlates For Neuroendocrine Habituation To Repeated Stress, Sara Matovic

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One way that the body actively responds to an impending stressor is by increasing systemic glucocorticoids through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. While it is essential for short-term adaptation to stress, the sustained activation of the HPA axis during chronic stress can be detrimental and is linked to stress-related psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is important that the HPA axis adapts, or habituates, during chronic stress to minimize the negative consequences. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) function to assimilate incoming information from the stress circuitry and …

The Effect Of The Dopamine Agonist Pramipexole On Measures Of Impulsivity In Young, Healthy Participants, Daniel Glizer

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Patients with Parkinson disease are prescribed dopamine agonists such as pramipexole to improve motor symptoms. Several studies have found that patients taking dopaminergic medication develop impulse control disorders. In contrast, other studies suggest that some behaviors become less impulsive with pramipexole. We evaluated the performance of 20 young, healthy participants who received pramipexole (0.5 mg) and 20 participants who received placebo, on the Go/No-Go, the Stop Signal Task, and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. We found that the pramipexole group had more timed out Go trials on the Go/No-Go task than the placebo group, suggesting reduced motor impulsivity. There were …

Amelioration Of Prenatal Alcohol Effects By Environmental Enrichment In A Mouse Model Of Fasd, Aniruddho Chokroborty-Hoque

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Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy results in a spectrum of behavioural and cognitive deficits collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Currently, little is know about if and how the external environment may modulate these deficits. I have used C57BL/6 mice to study this interaction between prenatal alcohol exposure and the postnatal environment. Alcohol exposure during synaptogenesis produces high levels of anxiety-like traits and decreased memory performance. Alcohol-exposed mice (and matched unexposed controls) were put in 'environmentally-enriched' conditions of voluntary exercise, physical activities and cognitive stimulation to ascertain the effects of a positive postnatal environment. The results show that …

Neurocircuits Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Its Dissociative Subtype, Andrew A. Nicholson

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The amygdala and insula are highly implicated in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where both have been shown to be hyper/hypoactive in PTSD and dissociative subtype (PTSD+DS) PTSD patients, respectively, during symptom provocation. However, the functional connectivity of individual amygdala and insula subregions have not previously been compared in PTSD, PTSD+DS and healthy controls. In two separate studies, we examined amygdala complex (chapter 2) and insula subregion (chapter 3) functional connectivity patterns using resting-state fMRI. Patients with PTSD and PTSD+DS were found to display unique amygdala complex functional connectivity patterns to prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions involved in emotion …

A National Perspective On Childhood Obesity Medical Education: Do Medical Students In Canada Perceive That They Are Prepared To Treat Children With Obesity?, Dr. Dalia Hasan

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The purposes of this survey-based, mixed-methods study were to investigate medical students’ perceptions of: (1) the overall level of medical school training acquired in relation to childhood obesity treatment; (2) the medical school training acquired in relation to specific competencies associated with the treatment of children with obesity and their caregiver(s); and (3) additional training needed. Results showed that of the 507 students who provided complete data, approximately 60% (n = 303) disagreed or strongly disagreed that their medical training related to childhood obesity was adequate. With regard to specific competencies and additional training needed, quantitative and qualitative data revealed …

Measuring Brain Serine With Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy At 3.0 Tesla, Homa Javadzadeh

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Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) non-invasively measures regional human brain chemistry in vivo, providing concentration estimates for several metabolites in a pre-selected region of interest. MRS has been applied to investigations of disease-related metabolic and neurochemical alterations in schizophrenia since the early 90’s.

The objective of this research is to implement a metabolite-selective MRS method to quantify endogenous concentrations of human brain serine. Serine is a naturally-occurring amino acid and an important co-modulator of the N-Methyl D-aspartic Acid (NMDA) glutamate receptor. Glutamate abnormalities have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, especially its so-called negative and cognitive symptoms, which can …

Oxytocin’S Effects On Sickness Behaviours, Anxiety Responses, And Immune Function In Adult Male Mice, Julie Deleemans

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The nonapeptide, oxytocin (OT), is implicated in a range of behavioural and physiological functions. However, OT's role in sickness behaviours remains unclear. This thesis examined effects of the OT agonist, carbetocin (CBT), and OT antagonist, L-368,899, on anxiety and locomotor sickness-related behaviours and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-a and IL-6, in adult male CD-1 mice. Animals received 2 intraperitoneal treatment injections. The first treatment was carbetocin, L-368,899, or saline, while the second was lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline. Behaviours were evaluated via the light-dark test, and cytokines via immunoassay. OT antagonist treatment attenuated LPS induced perturbations in locomotor and anxiety-like behaviour, but …

Standing Up For Student Health: An Application Of The Health Action Process Approach For Reducing Student Sedentary Behavior., Wuyou -. Sui

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Sedentary behavior (SB) has been associated with chronic diseases, such as Hypertension and Obesity; the risk appears greater the longer one engages in SB. University Students are a high-risk population for excessive SB due to academic responsibilities. Increasing frequency/length of breaks from sitting is an effective way to attenuate effects of SB. The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) is a proven health behavior change model for behaviors like nutrition, but has yet to show effectiveness for increasing non-sedentary behaviors. Forty-five university students (12 Males, Mean age 23.3) were randomized into HAPA-intervention (sedentary behavior) or HAPA-control (nutrition) groups. Occupational Student and …

Cal And Magi Pdz Protein Regulation Of Crfr1 And 5-Ht2ar Trafficking And Signaling, Maha Mahmoud Hammad

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PDZ (PSD95/Disc Large/Zona Occludens) domain-containing proteins are scaffolding proteins that play important roles in regulating the activity of G protein-coupled receptors. Corticotropin Releasing Factor Receptor 1 (CRFR1) and Serotonin 2A Receptor (5-HT_2AR) are two GPCRs that are commonly associated with mental disorders. Both receptors also contain a class I PDZ-binding motif at the carboxyl terminal tail. In the first chapter, we investigate the effects of CAL (CFTR-associated ligand) on regulating the trafficking and signaling of CRFR1. We demonstrate a role for CAL in inhibiting CRFR1 endocytosis, cell surface expression, and CRF-mediated ERK1/2 signaling via the CRFR1 PDZ-binding motif. …

Domestic Homicide And Homicide-Suicide In The Older Population, Brianna L. O'Neil

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Extensive research has been conducted on domestic homicide in younger populations; however, very little is known about such incidents in the older population. It is vital that this gap in the literature be filled as Canada’s older population has been increasing. Data for this study was provided by the Ontario Domestic Violence Death Review Committee. Ninety-two domestic homicide and suicide cases were examined to determine whether there were differences between younger age groups (30 to 50 years of age) and older age groups (55 years of age and older). Information was gathered on prominent characteristics and risk factors within cases …

Testing The Interpersonal Theory Of Suicide In Community - Residing Older Adults, Dorian Murariu

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Suicide rates among older adults are high in Canada and around the world. Evidence-informed and theory-driven research on late life suicide may help to devise effective interventions to reduce suicide rates among older adults. In this thesis, I tested the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS: Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al, 2010) using data collected from a community-based sample of older adults recruited for a larger study designed to assess risk and resiliency factors for late life suicide (Dr. Marnin Heisel, PI). According to the IPTS, (Hypothesis 1) the interpersonal constructs of perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB) can …

Semantic Integration In Adults With Nonverbal Learning Disabilities And Autism Spectrum Disorder: Influence Of Word Knowledge And Gestalt Perception, Margot E. Stothers

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Language in individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been described as semantically empty and impoverished, despite apparently average word knowledge. Here, inter-related studies explored semantic representations in adults with these disorders of social perception. Studies highlighted semantic integration, a form of gestalt perception in which new concepts are developed by connecting familiar terms in novel ways. Semantic integration was compared to vocabulary breadth, and to nonverbal gestalt perception, comparing clinical groups to each other and to adults without a diagnosis. Because weaknesses in gestalt perception have been seen in NLD and ASD, it was …

Smoking And Exercise: Mechanisms And Effects During Simulated And Genuine Quit Attempts, Stefanie De Jesus

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Cigarette smoking is a leading agent for premature morbidity and mortality among the global community. Most individuals surrender to tobacco use disorder due to the inability to cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Exercise appears to provide acute relief. Currently, it is unclear how exercise attenuates these reductions. Furthermore, the available evidence has focused on acute outcomes besides smoking behaviour and is limited to simulated quit attempts. Three experimental studies were designed to address these outstanding issues. Not surprisingly, a bout of moderate intensity exercise was found in study 1 (chapter 2) to reduce cravings associated with a temporary period …

Does Satisfaction With Perinatal Health Care Influence Postpartum Weight Retention?, Andreea Bente

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The primary aim of this thesis is to identify whether satisfaction with perinatal health care encounters is associated with lower postpartum weight retention (PPWR). PPWR is the difference between postpartum and pre-pregnancy weight. Principal components analysis confirmed the validity of a summed satisfaction score representing six dimensions: information, compassion, competency, privacy, respect and decision-making. Confounders were identified using a directed acyclic graph. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed using blocks, and backwards elimination. Results reflect a mean PPWR of 2.5 kg, and high satisfaction, with more than 90% of respondents being very satisfied or satisfied on each dimension. The multivariable …

Examining The Roles Of Life Satisfaction, Meaning In Life, And Daily Hassles In Predicting Suicide Ideation Among Community-Residing Older Adults, Orsolya Gyorgy

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Research is needed testing models that potentially promote psychological well-being and reduce suicide risk in later life (Heisel, 2006). In the present study, we tested Shmotkin (2005) and Shrira’s (2011) theory proposing that subjective well-being and meaning in life serve unique as well as interrelated roles in promoting psychological functioning in the face of adversity. We specifically investigated whether life satisfaction and meaning in life are more strongly inter-correlated in the presence of daily hassles, and tested the premise that when either life satisfaction or meaning in life is low, the other variable is more strongly associated with suicide ideation, …

Addressing Very Short Stimulus Encoding Times In Modeling Schizophrenia Cognitive Deficit, Colleen D. Cutler

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It is well known that encoding times in persons with schizophrenia are longer than those of normal controls. Neufeld and others have argued that this is the consequence of additional subprocesses being executed during the encoding process in the case of schizophrenia. In general they expressed an encoding time as the sum of $k^{\prime}$ independent exponentially-distributed subprocesses, each executed with rate $v$. A troubling consequence of their application of this model to real data was that under some circumstances some individuals appeared to encode instantaneously. This was accommodated in Neufeld et al. by placing a Poisson distribution on …

Psychotherapy In Family Medicine, Saadia N. Hameed

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Abstract

Aim: To explore the perspectives and practice of psychotherapy of family physicians, and analyze Ontario’s mental health policy documents within the context of psychotherapy.

Methods: In the first study descriptive qualitative methodology was used. Eighteen family physicians were interviewed and the results were presented thematically. In the second study, a policy analysis of Ontario’s mental health policy documents was conducted. The qualitative policy analytic methodology of Peter et al. was used.

Findings: Psychotherapy is an effective treatment of mental illness and is practiced by family physicians. Lack of training and time are barriers, while patient needs and …

Pearl Harvesting Autism, Mariya Gruntovskaya

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This thesis addresses the difficulties of on-line information searching as it relates to the topic of autism. A review of existing search strategies is presented and their limitations are discussed. A new method for deriving a set of search-terms for comprehensive searching, Pearl Harvesting, was tested here to determine the necessary search terms (i.e., synonym ring) for ERIC and PsycINFO databases. Once discovered and validated, a synonym ring can be copied and pasted directly into the search box of the database, providing a simple, thorough and time saving way of conducting on-line research in the field. This easily used method …

Gender And Age Considerations In The Relationship Of Frequency Of Nssi And Emotion Regulation In Comparison To Ssi, Kathryn Harrison

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Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a pervasive problem within our society and has been increasing since the late 1980s. NSSI is the deliberate destruction of body tissue without the intention of suicide. In comparison, suicidal self-injury involves the intention of suicide. A sample of 8-18 year olds (N=519) were studied to explore how differences in age, gender and emotion regulation impacted their engagement in NSSI and SSI. Participants were grouped into NSSI, SSI and control groups. Findings indicated that emotion regulation abilities did not significantly differ between groups, the SSI group were significantly older than both NSSI and control groups, the …

Caregivers' Experiences Raising A Child With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Aamena Kapasi

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The purpose of this study was to identify challenges and strengths of caregivers to a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Thirty-two caregivers raising a child with FASD participated in phone interviews that included the questions: "What challenges do you face in making your household function well?" and "What strengths do you have to make your household function well?" Responses to the questions were sorted by participants and the data was analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis. In response to the question about challenges, seven concepts emerged: 1) Extra Responsibility on Caregivers, 2) Difficulty Keeping Daily Routine, 3) …

Food For Health: An Investigation Of Infant Feeding Practices, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Barriers And Facilitators, Jessica W. Smith

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Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with numerous health benefits for both mother and child, and is recommended for the first 6 months of an infant’s life. The purpose of this prospective study was to examine, using a survey-based design, the breastfeeding practices, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers and facilitators of primiparous mothers in London, Ontario. A total of 71 women (M_age = 30.0, SD = 4.3) participated in the study. Women (breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding) were asked to complete online surveys at three time points: < 4 weeks postpartum, 3 months postpartum, and 6 months postpartum. Results indicated that rates of exclusive breastfeeding decreased over time, whereas partial and non-breastfeeding rates increased. Women in the exclusive breastfeeding category reported the greatest levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy at all time points. Lastly, participants identified a number of breastfeeding-related facilitators (e.g., partner support, community services) and barriers (e.g., insufficient milk supply, latching difficulties).

Seeing With Sound: Investigating The Behavioural Applications And Neural Correlates Of Human Echolocation, Jennifer L. Milne

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Some blind humans use the reflected echoes from self-produced signals to perceive their silent surroundings. Although the use of echolocation is well documented in animals such as bats and dolphins, comparatively little is known about human echolocation. The overarching goal of the work presented in this thesis was to shed light on some of the basic functions of human echolocation, including the perception of the shape, size, and material. I addressed these aspects of echolocation using behavioural psychophysics and neuroimaging.

In Chapter 2 I show that blind echolocators were able to accurately identify the shape of 2D objects, but that …

Mixed Methods Pilot Study Of Peri-Diagnostic Exercise Behaviour Change Among Women With Suspected Breast Cancer, Amy L. Deckert

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Approximately 1 in 9 Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime (CCS, 2013). Over the past 30 years, population-based screening programs have contributed to decreased mortality rates (CCS, 2013), however the psychosocial sequelae associated with screening for breast cancer cannot be ignored (Holland et al., 2010). Although the majority of women screened will receive a benign diagnosis, the threat of malignancy can induce elevated levels of distress (Andrykowski et al., 2002).

We conducted a mixed methods pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a 6-week self-managed exercise behaviour change intervention to attenuate distress in women with …

From Their Perspective: How Adolescents And Young Adults Experience And Conceptualize Life And Occupation Surrounding Parental Divorce Or Separation, Laura R. Hartman

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Parental divorce affects adolescents’ emotions, routines, habits, occupations and relationships. The current body of research indicates that parental divorce leads to many unfavourable social, behavioural, and mental health outcomes for adolescents. This dissertation explores the daily lives and occupations of adolescents and young adults surrounding the transition of a parental divorce or marital separation.

This thesis contains four manuscripts in addition to the introductory and final reflection chapters. The first manuscript explores the current North American literature relating to adolescent life surrounding a parental divorce or marital separation, ranging form 1998 to 2014. The second manuscript provides an overview of …

Secondary Traumatic Stress And Alexithymia In High-Risk Professionals, Matthew R. J. Vandermeer

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This study investigated the role that cognitive deficits in emotional processing (i.e., alexithymia) play in the development of traumatic responses, such as secondary traumatic stress (STS), following work with clients who have experienced trauma. Using a prospective cohort of novice counselling psychology and pre-service education students, participants were measured for traits of alexithymia and STS before and after their first practicum placements. Elevated rates of STS consistent with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder were identified in participants following initial practicum placement. Correlation analyses demonstrated that alexithymia and alexithymia symptom clusters were significantly, and robustly, associated with STS and STS …

Resilience As Health Promotion In Action: University Students Who Grew Up Amid Violence Directed Towards Their Mothers, Tatiana Murkin (Zdyb)

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Abstract

Violence against women is among the greatest threats to the health of our population. An estimated three hundred and sixty thousand children in Canada, and over two million worldwide are exposed to violence in their homes (UNICEF, 2006). Growing up amidst such violence seriously compromises children’s capacities for healthy development. Violence against women is not limited by culture, geography or socioeconomic status. It constitutes one of the most pervasive and yet least openly discussed human rights violations and public health issues known today.

Researchers and allied health professionals generally agree that children whose development has been interfered with by …

The Effects Of Pre- And Postnatal Administration Of Propionic Acid And Lipopolysaccharide On The Behaviour Of Adolescent Male And Female Rats, Kelly A. Foley

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The gut microbiome plays an important role in immune functioning and neurodevelopment. Altered microbiome composition, leading to short chain fatty acid, and/or immune system dysfunction has been observed in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This thesis describes the developmental influence of prenatal exposure to propionic acid (PPA), a metabolic fermentation product of enteric bacteria, or prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial mimetic and product of enteric bacteria, on a range of behaviours in male and female neonatal, adolescent and adult rats. Study one evaluated the effects of prenatal PPA and LPS, and postnatal PPA, on developmental milestones in …