Biological Psychology Commons^™

Predictors Of Emotional Reactions In Women Treated For Breast Cancer, Erin E. Ramirez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Breast cancer can be a devastating disease that impacts a woman in all spheres of her life (Ingram, 1989). Previous studies have examined the impact of breast cancer on body satisfaction, as well as the impact on emotional well-being. Studies have also examined the role of the coping style that a woman engages in response to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the woman's psychological adjustment to the disease. However, to date, no research has introduced and tested a multifaceted model.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model predicting psychological maladjustment in women treated for …

The Impact Of The Chip Program On Depression And Well-Being: A Pilot Study, Carmen Diehl Thieszen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Reliable studies have demonstrated that intensive and comprehensive lifestyle changes can reduce coronary risk, which, in turn, can prevent, postpone, and reverse coronary heart disease (CHD) and affect its underlying atherosclerotic lesions. These well-established studies have focused their interventions on moderating biophysical risk factors. In the past 10 years, however, burgeoning research is supporting the idea that psychological factors, such as depression and well-being, are also important CHD risk factors. Little research has addressed, in a non-subjective way, how an intervention program focused on modifying biophysical risk factors may influence psychological factors. Using the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, the Dartmouth …

Psychological Factors Associated With Anticipatory Nausea And Vomiting, Melinda L. Nielsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many cancer patients experience adverse chemotherapy-related side effects. The present study examined the relationships among disease variables (i.e. stage of cancer, type of breast cancer), medical treatment variables (i.e. toxicity of chemotherapy regimen, strength of antiemetic treatment), psychological variables (i.e. health locus of control, anxiety sensitivity, desire for control, coping strategies), and anticipatory nausea and vomiting in women with breast cancer. One hundred women with breast cancer completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale - Form C, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Krantz Health Opinion Survey, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and the Morrow Assessment of Nausea and …

Validation Of A Serotonin Checklist In A Parkinson’S Disease Population, Kelly Diane Darby-Holder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although the distinctive pathological marker of Parkinson’s Disease is the progressive death of neurons that produce dopamine, there are also alterations in the production of quantities of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and serotonin that contribute to the disease. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can be divided into two distinct classes based on the manifestation of motor symptoms, Type A and Type B Parkinson’s Disease. Type B PD patients often manifest symptoms in which serotonin deficiency plays an important role, which often includes a history of depression. Within the brain and spinal cord serotonin has wide spread projections, acting as an important …

The Cardiac Correlates Of Attention In The Denervated Heart: A Study Of Infant Heart Transplant Recipients, Stephanie Dianne Griffone

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The cardiac correlate of attention is a deceleration in heart rate, controlled by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. This has been extensively studied in infants; the findings indicate that this deceleration is affected by a number of factors, several mediated by the vagus nerve. However, the effects of denervation on this response are not known. Studies with adult heart transplant recipients have shown attenuated acceleration in response to stressful mental tasks. This study investigated the cardiac response to attention in infants who had received a heart transplant, using a habituation paradigm. The hypothesis that they would show …

Locus Of Control, Coping, And Anticipatory Nausea In Women With Breast Cancer, Melinda L. Nielsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many cancer patients experience adverse chemotherapy-related side effects. The present study examined whether the perception that one can control and effectively cope with her treatment for breast cancer mitigate against any nausea and vomiting that she may experience in anticipation of chemotherapy treatments. Seventy-five women with breast cancer completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale - Form C, the Krantz Health Opinion Survey, the Ways of Coping Scale - Revised, and the Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis. As hypothesized, internal health locus of control was significantly positively related to positive reappraisal coping strategies. This relationship was moderated by …

The Cardiovascular Effects Of Human Contact With Coronary Artery Disease Patients In The Coronary Care Unit, Margaret A. Palmour

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ten coronary artery disease patients were selected using purposive method of sampling and observed for six hours. It was postulated that 1) Human contact with coronary artery disease patients in the coronary intensive care unit would be associated with significant (p = 0.05) changes in the electrocardiogram such as: (a) increased heart rate more than 10 per cent, (b) changed atrio-ventricular conduction more than 10 per cent, (c) changed ST segment one millimeter or more and (d) increased frequency of ectopic beats more than 10 per cent. 2) The degree of stress and cardiac response was related to a number …

Effects Of A Series Of Nurse-Patient Interactions On Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Lynne Campbell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the study was to learn whether a series of nurse-patient interactions would result in changed psychophysiologic functioning in multiple sclerosis patients.

Psychophysiologic relationships were described in the theoretical framework. Literature, reviewed in the areas of disease description and psychotherapeutic approaches to treatment, indicated that there is a high incidence of multiple sclerosis in the United States; that symptoms often include psychological alterations; that there is an emotional component to the illness; that these patients have a need for a psychotherapeutic relationship; and that psychotherapeutic approaches may have beneficial psychophysiologic effects.

Two groups of multiple sclerosis subjects were …