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The Relationship Between Self-Reported Cancer Pain And Personality In Black And White Older Adults Receiving Outpatient Cancer Care, Jessica Krok

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well-established that personality not only affects physical health and longevity, but also mental health and coping mechanisms. One area of limited research is the relationship between cancer pain and personality. This study examined how personality traits affect reported cancer pain severity in older patients (N = 150) receiving outpatient treatment at a comprehensive cancer center. Participants were interviewed regarding their pain severity, personality, affect, and self-efficacy for pain management. Symptom data were collected from the Brief Pain Inventory, while personality data were gathered from the Ten Item Personality Inventory and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Self-efficacy for …

Daily Experiences Of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Elizabeth Hahn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rationale and study aims: Persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) experience declines in everyday functioning and cognitive performance greater than what is experienced in normal aging but less than that of dementia. Daily stress and daily memory complaints associated with cognitive deficits may contribute to greater psychological distress in the day-to-day experiences of persons with MCI. However, research examining the occurrence of daily stressors, daily memory complaints and psychological distress in MCI is limited, and it is not clear how the daily processes of stress and affect in persons with MCI compare to cognitively healthy older adults. This dissertation examined …

The Impact Of Continuous And Discontinuous Cycle Exercise On Affect: An Examination Of The Dual-Mode Model, Sam Greeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-volume, high-intensity interval training has been garnering attention in the exercise physiology literature recently due to its proposed time-efficiency. Also, recent work comparing continuous exercise to high-intensity interval training demonstrated superior ratings of perceived enjoyment following interval training. However, the dual-mode model suggests that exercise above ventilatory threshold (VT) done continuously will result in an almost homogenous decline in affect, which may reduce adherence.

Numerous studies confirm the dual-mode model's prediction of reduced affect when exercising above VT, but no research to date has applied the model's predictions to interval training. The purpose of this study was to examine the …

Goal Attainment As A Function Of Depressive Status In Women: The Role Of Problem-Solving, Lindsay Brauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the theoretical importance of goal-related deficits in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), relatively empirical research has examined goal generation and perceived goal attainment in depression vulnerable individuals. The

current project sought to examine the impact of depressive status on perceived goal attainment in currently depressed, remitted depressed, and never-depressed women. In addition, perceived problem-solving skills, a construct thought to be critical for goal

striving and in goal attainment was also examined. Unexpectedly, no effects of depressive status on perceived goal attainment or overall perceived problem-solving skills were observed. Results did however reveal group differences in perceived control in …

Emotion-Modulated Startle And The Course Of Major And Minor Depression, April Taylor-Clift

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly recurrent. Researchers have proposed that certain traits predispose people to repeated episodes of this disorder. The current study examined the hypothesis that maladaptive emotional responding to stimuli would predict a worse depression outcome over six months. Participants were 58 individuals--18 controls, 22 individuals with MDD, and 18 individuals with minor depression (mD; subthreshold depression)--who participated in a diagnostic interview and emotion-modulated startle procedure at time one, and who returned for a second diagnostic interview six months later at time two. An identical emotion-modulated startle procedure was then repeated at time two with 33 individuals--12 …