Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Measuring The Sixth Vital Sign: A Descriptive Analysis Of Distress In Individuals With Head And Neck Cancer And Their Caregivers, Catherine C. Bornbaum

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Introduction: Distress has become so problematic in oncology that it has been recognized as the “sixth vital sign” implying that distress monitoring should occur as routinely as the monitoring of one’s temperature or blood pressure. The research reported herein investigated the impact of head and neck cancer on levels of distress, commonly reported problems, and perceptions of quality of life in individuals with head and neck cancer and their caregivers.

Method: Two distinct studies were conducted; the first explored the patient experience of distress and quality of life while the second assessed the caregiver experience of these same constructs. A …

Exploring Parental Experiences And Decision-Making Processes Following A Fetal Anomaly Diagnosis, Ramona L. Fernandez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Often the first indication that something may be wrong in a seemingly normal pregnancy occurs during the first detailed ultrasound appointment between 16 and 20 weeks gestation. Even the most tentative suspicions of fetal anomalies is jarring. Parent’s default reality of a normal pregnancy and a ‘perfect child’ changes to one of risk factors and the possibility of an ‘unhealthy child’. This study begins with the realization of this first loss in a series of losses that follow for parents as they grapple with diagnostic information to be able to make informed medical decisions regarding their fetus and pregnancy. The …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Brain Tissue Abnormalities: Transverse Relaxation Time In Autism And Tourette Syndrome And Development Of A Novel Whole-Brain Myelin Mapping Technique, Yann Gagnon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The transverse relaxation time (T2) is a fundamental parameter of magnetic resonance imaging sensitive to tissue microstructure and water content, thus offering a non-invasive approach to evaluate abnormalities of brain tissue in-vivo. Prevailing hypotheses of two childhood psychiatric disorders were tested using quantitative T2 imaging and automated region of interest (ROI) analyses. In autism, the under-connectivity theory, which proposes aberrant connectivity within white matter (WM) was assessed, finding T2 to be eleveted in the frontal and parietal lobes, while dividing whole brain data into neurodevelopmentally relevant WM ROIs found increased T2 in bridging and radiate WM. In Tourette syndrome, tissue …

Exploring The Neural Basis Of Top-Down Guided Action In Macaque Monkeys, Jessica M. Phillips

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

To thoroughly characterize any brain mechanism requires an appropriate animal model for invasive studies. An invaluable model system used toward a comprehension of cognitive neurophysiology is the macaque monkey. It is important to delineate similarities and limitations for this model in relation to the human brain and cognition. In this thesis, we have thus conducted three experiments to investigate putative generalizations between monkeys and humans regarding the neural processes associated with top-down action control in monkeys.

Our daily behaviour is largely comprised of automatic routine actions. The frequent repetition of certain behaviours in response to particular contexts can give rise …

Awareness Of Physical Activity Levels And Sedentary Behaviour: An Assessment Of Awareness Of Physical Activity Levels And Sedentary Behaviour Among Parents And Children, Tripat Simran Kaur Grewal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to assess awareness of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among parents and children aged 10-13 years. Associations between awareness and factors including age, BMI, gender, and obesity status were also examined. A total of 53 parent-child dyads participated in the study. Agreement between parent and child subjective measures (self-report) and objectively measured physical activity was examined to determine awareness. Most parents (87%) and children (83%) overestimated child moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) beyond 30 minutes/day. The majority of parents (87%) and children (85%) also underestimated child sedentary behaviour by at least 3 hours/day. Older children …

The Impact Of Protection Motivation Theory Grounded Messaging On Diabetes Prevention Behaviours Following Gestational Diabetes, Jennifer M. Jacob

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes (GDM) are more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Despite this risk, few women are engaging in diabetes prevention behaviours. Methods: The Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) was employed to design and evaluate a post-GDM diabetes prevention information session. The utility of this theory in predicting intentions and diabetes prevention behaviours was assessed using regression analysis. Results: Two of the four PMT variables, response efficacy and self efficacy were found to be consistent predictors of intention across most of the recommended behaviours, accounting for between 25% and 77% of the variance in intention. Intention was …

Sexual Reward And Depression, Andrea R. Di Sebastiano

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sexual behavior in male rats is a complex rewarding behavior and many neurotransmitters and neuropeptides play an important role in mediation of sexual performance, motivation and reward. The hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin has been shown play a key role in reward associated with food and drugs of abuse, but the role of this neuropeptide in control of sexual performance, motivation and reward is currently unclear. First, it was shown that orexin neurons in the hypothalamus are activated during sexual performance and reward. Next, using cell specific lesions of orexin neurons it was demonstrated that orexin is involved in arousal and anxiety, …

The Change Program: Comparing An Interactive Versus Prescriptive Telephone-Based Behavioural Intervention On The Psychological And Physiological Profiles Of University Students With Obesity, Erin S. Pearson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of the CHANGE (Coaching towards Healthy Actions Naturally through Goal-related Empowerment) Program was to compare the effectiveness of an interactive versus prescriptive 12-week telephone-based behavioural intervention on the psychological and physiological profiles of university students with obesity. Motivational Interviewing administered using Co-Active Life Coaching (MI-via-CALC) and a structured lifestyle treatment following the LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, Nutrition) Program for Weight Management were examined.

Article 1 provided a methodological account of the CHANGE Program which included a detailed rationale for its development and a comprehensive description of the methods used. Because goal setting has been established as an …

Individual Differences In White Matter Microstructure Predict Mathematical Achievement, Anna A. Matejko

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study uses diffusion tensor imaging to test whether individual differences in white matter predict performance on the math subtest of the preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). Grade 10 and 11 PSAT scores were obtained from 30 young adults (ages 17- 18) with wide-ranging math achievement levels. Tract based spatial statistics was used to examine the correlation between PSAT math scores, fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD). FA in left parietal white matter was positively correlated with math PSAT scores (specifically in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, left superior corona radiata, and left corticospinal tract). …

Development Of A Cohesion Inventory For Children's Sport Teams, Luc J. Martin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The general purpose of this dissertation was to develop an inventory designed to measure cohesion in children’s (ages 9-12) sport teams. To this end, three studies were conducted. In Study 1, children became active agents in the process of test construction. More specifically, children (N = 167) participated in focus groups and completed open-ended questionnaires in order to provide information on their perceptions of cohesion as well as motives for participating, continuing, and ceasing involvement on sport teams. Study 2 involved the use of the information obtained from Study 1 to develop potential items for the questionnaire. In addition, the …

The Importance Of Self-Efficacy And Basic Psychological Needs In Children’S Physical Activity: Measurement, Prediction And Intervention, Casey E. Gray

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The importance of physical activity in the overall health promotion and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease risk factors and metabolic diseases in children is well established. Nonetheless, interventions to increase physical activity among this population have been largely unsuccessful. The main objective of the research in this dissertation was to explore the suitability of self-efficacy and basic psychological needs for physical activity prediction and intervention in children. Item generation and psychometric evaluation of psychological questionnaires occurred in study 1 (Chapter 2). Using a prospective design, study 2 (Chapter 3) established task efficacy, barriers efficacy, competence, and autonomy as significant predictors …

Contextual Control Of Orienting Eye-Head Gaze Shifts In The Monkey, Brendan B. Chapman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Vision is one of the principal methods used by primates to acquire information about the surrounding environment. As a result, both humans and monkeys have a highly evolved oculomotor system that functions to rapidly relocate the line of sight to areas of interest. These orienting movements are called gaze shifts. Gaze shifts commonly include the coordinated movement of the eyes-in-head and the head-in-space. This thesis examines the muscular and neural control of orienting head movements.

The contextual control of behavior is important as it allows one to act appropriately in response to different situations. A common task used to examine …