Health Psychology Commons^™

Changes In Spirituality Partly Explain Health-Related Quality Of Life Outcomes After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction., Jeffrey M Greeson, Daniel M Webber, Moria J Smoski, Jeffrey G Brantley, Andrew G Ekblad, Edward C Suarez, Ruth Quillian Wolever

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a secular behavioral medicine program that has roots in meditative spiritual practices. Thus, spirituality may partly explain Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction outcomes. Participants (N = 279; M (SD) age = 45(12); 75% women) completed an online survey before and after an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis that, following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the relationship between enhanced mindfulness and improved health-related quality of life is mediated by increased daily spiritual experiences. Changes in both spirituality and mindfulness were significantly related to improvement in mental health. Although the initial mediation hypothesis …

Facial Expression Discrimination In Adults Experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Brian N. Lee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study examined the impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on adults’ ability to discriminate between various facial expressions of emotions. Additionally, the study examined whether individuals reporting PTSS exhibited an attentional bias toward threat-related facial expressions of emotions. The research design was a 2 (expression intensity) x 3 (emotional pairing) x 2 (PTSS group) mixed-model factorial design. Participants for the study were 89 undergraduates recruited from psychology courses at Western Kentucky University. Participants completed the Traumatic Stress Schedule to assess for prior exposure to traumatic events. A median split was used to divide the sample into two groups …

Comparison And Correlates Of Three Preference-Based Healthrelated Quality-Of-Life Measures Among Overweight And Obese Women With Urinary Incontinence, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Miriam Kupperman, Sanae Nakagawa, Eric Vittinghoff, Rena R. Wing, John W. Kusek, William H. Herman, Leslee L. Subak

Publications and Research

PURPOSE: To compare three preference-based health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) measures and examine independent correlates of HRQL among overweight and obese women with urinary incontinence (UI) enrolled in a weight loss intervention trial.

METHODS: Participants completed baseline questionnaires, which included the Health Utilities Index 3 (HUI3) and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). The SF-36 was used to derive SF-6D and estimated Quality of Well-Being (eQWB) scores. Height, weight, medical history, incontinence measures, and level of physical activity also were assessed. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed, and differences in mean scores across HRQL measures were examined. Potential correlates of HUI3, …

Effect Of Environmental Conditions On Perceived Psychological Restorativeness Of Coastal Parks, J. Aaron Hipp, Oladele A. Ogunseitan

Brown School Faculty Publications

We investigated the hypothesis that perception of psychological restorativeness during visits to coastal parks is modified by objective and perceived environmental conditions. Visitors (n=1,153) to California beaches completed a survey on perceived weather, environmental quality, and perceived restorativeness. We used generalized ordinal logistic models to estimate the association between environmental parameters and odds of perceiving higher levels of restorativeness. Visitors perceived greater restorativeness at beaches when ambient temperatures were at or below mean monthly temperatures and during low tides. The odds of perceiving the environment as more psychologically restorative were three times greater when visiting on days defined by government …

The Influence Of Ethnic Identity And Family Support On Posttraumatic Symptoms In Maltreated Youth, Harpreet Kaur

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Maltreated children are at greater risk of developing PTSD than nonmaltreated children (Ackerman et al., 1998; Epstein et al., 1997; Famularo et al., 1996; Kilpatrick et al., 2003; Widom, 1999). This study sought to assess the role of ethnicity, ethnic identity, and family support on the effects of maltreatment and trauma in adolescents. Participants (n=145) included adolescents from Child Haven, a Department of Family Services (DFS)-related site in Las Vegas, and youths in foster care assessed at the offices of Dr. Stephanie Holland. The first hypothesis was that non-Caucasian youth would have higher levels of PTSD-related symptoms than Caucasian youth. …

Pain Tolerance And Thresholds In Women With Dyspareunia: Do Pain And Sex Primes Have Differential Effects?, Lea Thaler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dyspareunia, defined as recurrent pain in the genital/pelvic region during sexual intercourse, is one of the most common types of female sexual dysfunction, affecting approximately 15% of women between the ages of 18 and 24. Women with dyspareunia display similar cognitive and emotional styles evidenced in other chronic pain conditions (e.g. hypervigilance for pain information, catastrophization, and negative affect); however, dyspareunia is a unique pain disorder in that it directly involves sexual functioning. This pairing of pain and sex raises the issue of conditioning. Is it possible that because intercourse is painful for women with dyspareunia, the presentation of any …

Getting Started In Evaluation Consulting: Questions To Ask And Answer Along The Way, Judah J. Viola,

Faculty Publications

This PowerPoint presentation includes a four phase approach to considering the main questions you'll need to ask and answer before taking the leap needed to begin working as an independent evaluation consultant.

Mindfulness Predicts Less Texting While Driving Among Young Adults: Examining Attention- And Emotion-Regulation Motives As Potential Mediators., Greg Feldman, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Megan Renna, Kendra Robbins-Monteith

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Many young adult drivers read and send text messages while driving despite clear safety risks. Understanding predictors of texting-while-driving may help to indentify relevant targets for interventions to reduce this dangerous behavior. The present study examined whether individual differences in mindfulness is associated with texting-while-driving in a sample of young-adult drivers. Using path analysis, we tested whether this relationship would be mediated by the degree to which individuals use text-messaging as a means of reducing unpleasant emotions (emotion-regulation motives) and the degree to which individuals limit texting in order to focus on present-moment experiences (attention-regulation motives). Individuals lower in mindfulness …

A Student's Guide To Overcoming The Pressure To Succeed In Higher Education [Brochure And Video], Amber R. Sellers, Tori Holmes

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

All college students experience some sort of internal and/or external pressure to reach their definition of success. Family members, friends, professors, future employers, coaches, student organizations, and most importantly, students themselves expect certain behaviors to lead to a successful collegiate career (Newton, 2000). This video highlights the experiences and viewpoints of one student’s struggle with residual stress and offers support resources found on most campuses across the country. With the prevalence of stress and anxiety related disorders found within today’s collegiate population (Levine, 2005), this video hopes to raise awareness and assist struggling students who are seeking relief by providing …

Changes In Mindfulness, Well-Being, And Sleep Quality In College Students Through Taijiquan Courses: A Cohort Control Study, Karen Caldwell, Lisa Emery, Mandy Harrison, Jeffrey M. Greeson

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether participants in taijiquan classes would report increases in mindfulness greater than that of a comparison group, and whether changes in mindfulness were associated with improvements in mood, perceived stress, self-regulatory self-efficacy, and sleep quality.

Design: The study design was quasi-experimental with repeated measures.

Settings/location: The study was set in a midsized public university.

Subjects: Students aged 18–48 years old enrolled in 15-week courses of either taijiquan (n = 76) or special recreation (control group, n = 132).

Intervention: Chen-style taijiquan classes were offered 2 times per week for 50 minutes each time.

Outcome …

Depression And Its Associated Risk Factors In Medical And Surgical Post Graduate Trainees At A Teaching Hospital: A Cross Sectional Survey From A Developing Country, Aisha Yousuf, Sidra Ishaque, Waris Qidwai

Department of Family Medicine

Objectives: To determine the frequency of depression among post graduate medical trainees in a teaching hospital of Pakistan and to explore the associated factors contributing to depression in them. Methods: It's a cross-sectional study at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. It was done in June 2008 till August 2008. Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale was administered among 172 post graduate trainees. Self administered questionnaires were used to assess the associated demographic and work related risk factors. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated by logistic regression. Results: The survey response rate was 172(82.69%). Depression in the overall sample was 103(59.88%), of …

The Effects Of Caffeine And Expectancy On Short Term Memory, Sara J. O'Brien

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Although caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world, research on the effects of caffeine on mental performance tasks (especially short term memory tasks) is inconclusive. One possible explanation for this limited understanding is the lack of studies accounting for participant expectancy surrounding caffeine. This study examined the effects of caffeine dosage (0mg, 200mg, and 400mg) and expectancy related to past caffeine use (positive, negative) on short term memory span task. A two-way Analysis of Variance showed that the two independent variables (caffeine dose and expectancy), did not significantly influence the short term memory span score. However, the …

Guidelines For Culturally Informed Interventions: Culture, Attributions And Continuity Of Care, Chung Mu Seo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although early detection can improve survival of breast and cervical cancer, U.S. Latinas are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of cancer and have poorer survival rates compared to Anglo women. Poorer continuity of care and adherence to recommended screening are seen as contributing factors to this disparity. Existing interventions have tried to reduce human, system, and culture barriers. However, they lacked a systemic guidance in the process of identifying cultural factors and the pathways in which they affect the specific behavior of interest through psychological processes in a minority population. Guided by Betancourt’s integrative model of culture, …

Perceptions Of Beauty Among Female Chinese Students In The United States And China, Carly R. Staley, Ginny Qin Zhan

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This pilot study compared the perceptions of beauty among Chinese women who were exchange students in the United States with Chinese women who were students in their homeland. We interviewed 19 women in China and 19 women in the United States to determine differences in responses. In accordance with the sociocultural approach and the social comparison approach, we expected Chinese women in the United States to have a be more acculturate, more frequently conclude that American women were more beautiful than Chinese women, be more likely than those studying in China to report body dissatisfaction, be more likely to dislike …

Testing For A Descriptive And Injunctive Norm Interaction In Promoting Health Behavior, Robert E. Low

Master's Theses

Social norms-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy as tools for behavior change interventions. Nonetheless, there is some theoretical and empirical evidence that the efficacy of injunctive norms-based appeals can be undermined by their tendency to 1) arouse psychological reactance among participants, and 2) inadvertently imply that few others are completing the target behavior. The author hypothesizes that supplementing an injunctive appeal with evidence of a supporting descriptive norm will counteract these problematic tendencies. The present research describes a test of of this hypothesis in the context of an intervention to fight H1N1 on campus. Boxes of sanitizing keyboard wipes were placed …

The Effect Of Choice In Exercise Intensity On Affect And Cognition, Annegracien Delaunay

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

While there are studies linking positive psychological outcomes with exercise, few have focused on choice as a moderating factor. The research that has examined choice as a moderator yielded mixed results. Currently no research has looked at the impact of choice of exercise intensity on the psychological benefits of acute exercise; specifically, affective and cognitive gains. According to Landers (2008), acute exercise refers to a single bout of exercise usually lasting a short duration, whereas chronic exercise refers to long term repeated bouts of exercise (e.g., weeks, months, or years). Participants in this study consisted of 117 collegiate psychology students. …

Examining The Experience Of Recent War Veterans Who Report Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Neda C. Raymond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that develops following exposure to a traumatic event, has long been associated with military combat. Despite the well-documented negative effects of PTSD, careful, in-depth accounts of the experience of those suffering from PTSD are rare. The present study employed Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore the inner experience of seven Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans with combat-related PTSD. Potential participants completed the PTSD Checklist - Military Version to determine the presence and severity of PTSD symptomatology. Participants who reported significant symptoms of combat-related PTSD participated in DES. A …

Impact Of An Online Support System On Health Related Quality Of Life Among Men Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, Daniel K. Osei

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Prostate cancer is a major public health issue worldwide and a significant cause of male cancer death in the USA. Though early screening and treatment has greatly enhanced the outcome, men diagnosed with prostate cancer face problems that compromise quality of life after treatment. Online support for prostate cancer clients is a convenient way to help because it is anonymous, inexpensive, and can be used at clients’ convenience. Yet few studies have explored how these supports impact these clients. This study used a longitudinal randomized experimental design to examine the impact of online services on quality of life of prostate …

Parenting A Chronically Ill Child: Social Support, Coping, Family Hardiness, And Maternal Stress, Kathryn Lynch Bigalke

Master's Theses

Parents of children with cancer experience higher stress than parents of children with other medical conditions or with no developmental concerns (Canam, 1993; Cohen, 1999). Researchers are beginning to explore a number of protective factors that may influence parental stress in parents of children with cancer. Social support (Abidin, 1992), problem-focused coping (Judge, 1998), and family hardiness (Maddi et al., 2006) have been related to lower levels of stress and more positive outcomes in parents of healthy children, but have not been fully explored in the pediatric cancer population. The current study was designed to assess the relationship between parental …

An Exploratory Investigation Of The Effects Of Dragon Boating On The Psychosocial Well-Being Of Female Cancer Survivors, Clara Therese Louise Vanherweg

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the effects of dragon boat participation on the psychosocial well-being of female cancer survivors over time and compared with the population-based norms. Nine female cancer survivors belonging to the dragon boat team, SurvivOars, participated in the initial measurement process. The measurement packet was 21 page compilation of psychosocial questionnaires capturing demographics, quality of life, moods, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, social support, physical activity levels, body image, and sedentary behaviors. After 8 weeks, 8 subjects completed the same follow-up questionnaire to assess changes in psychosocial variables over time. Scores were …

Modifiable Disease Risk, Readiness To Change, And Psychosocial Functioning Improve With Integrative Medicine Immersion Model, Ruth Q. Wolever, Daniel M. Webber, Justin P. Meunier, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Evangeline R. Lausier, Tracy W. Gaudet

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Background—Stroke, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD) remain leading causes of death in the United States and are largely attributable to lifestyle behaviors. Integrative medicine can provide a supportive partnership that focuses on improving health by identifying and implementing lifestyle changes based upon personal values and goals.

Objective—This prospective observational study was designed to assess the effectiveness of an integrative medicine intervention on modifiable disease risk, patient activation, and psychosocial risk factors for stroke, diabetes, and CHD.

Design—Sixty-three adults participated in a 3-day comprehensive, multimodal health immersion program at Duke Integrative Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Participants …

When Knowing Just Isn't Enough: Examining The Role Of Moral Emotions In Health Decision Making Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Kate Duangdao

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A proposed integrated Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model aimed to examine the role of moral emotions and two health outcomes: prosocial behaviors and smoking outcomes. Based on Tangney’s work with shame and guilt-proneness, it was expected that those more prone to guilt would engage in more prosocial behaviors and those more prone to shame would engage in more smoking behaviors. Prosocial behaviors were found to be negatively associated with smoking outcomes. However, results suggested that guilt and shame-proneness seem to function similarly in predicting behavioral outcomes. Components within the TPB were generally positively correlated with each health outcome, however …

Perflurorochemical (Pfc) Exposure In Children: Associations With Impaired Response Inhibition, Brooks B. Gump, Qian Wu, Amy K. Dumas, Kurunthachalam Kannan

Falk College Research Center

Background: Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been used widely in consumer products since the 1950s and are currently found at detectable levels in the blood of humans and animals across the globe. In stark contrast to this widespread exposure to PFCs, there is relatively little research on potential adverse health effects of exposure to these chemicals.Objectives: We performed this cross-sectional study to determine if specific blood PFC levels are associated with impaired response inhibition in children. Methods: Blood levels of 11 PFCs were measured in children (N = 83) and 6 PFCs: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), …

Understanding The Behavioral Determinants Of Retention In Hiv Care: A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Situated Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills Model Of Care Initiation And Maintenance, Laramie Smith

Master's Theses

The goal of this study is to identify the content and context of critical informational, motivational, and behavioral skills related facilitators and barriers influencing retention in HIV care in an inner-city clinic population receiving clinic- and outreach-based HIV care services. Elicitation of retention-relevant factors was guided by the Situated Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of Care Initiation and Maintenance, using qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive content coding were used to identify important theory-based dynamics of retention in HIV care and to identify factors discussed as important to retention in HIV-care that were not well specified by the model. Participants’ experiences …

The Relationship Between Sleep And Bmi In Cal Poly Freshman, Jacqueline Laing

Psychology and Child Development

To understand the relationship between BMI and sleep patterns in Cal Poly Freshman (First years) over the course of their first year at Cal Poly. First year students were recruited via campus email to fill out a survey regarding various health aspects. The survey was filled out at the beginning of the year (Fall 2009), and again in June (Spring 2010). The questions used in this study only pertained to height, weight, sleep quantity, and sleep quantity satisfaction rating. The results were not significant for the cross sectional analysis of the Fall 2009 sample and the Spring 2010 sample. The …

Religious Commitment As A Predictor Of Lower Blood Pressure In High-Risk Pregnancies Of Southern Appalachia., Anna Vadimovna Ermakova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature review inspired a mediational model of the relationship between Religiosity/Spirituality (R/S) and Blood Pressure (BP) tested through secondary analyses of data from the TIPS program. Participants included 205 (92.1% Caucasian; age M=23.72, SD=5.33) pregnant Southern Appalachian women drawn from the region's at-risk pregnancy population. The only variables correlated with BP were women's weight (r=.430, r=.467, p<.01, for diastolic and systolic BP, respectively) and prenatal care use (r=.138, p<.05, with diastolic BP), but not R/S. Multiple regression analyses confirmed participant weight as the only significant independent predictor of BP. Previous findings of health benefits of R/S cannot be assumed to generalize to pregnant women without further study. Limitations of this study and possible explanations for the findings are discussed.

Community Perceptions Of Prescription Drug Abuse In Eastern Kentucky., Ashley Marie Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personal interviews exploring attitudes toward prescription drug abuse were completed by 17 residents over 18 years of age from Kentucky's Pike and Letcher counties. In respect to prescription drug abuse research nationwide, much research has been conducted in eastern Kentucky; however, there are seemingly few studies measuring the thoughts and feelings of community members toward the issue. Data gathered during these interviews were coded and themed for emergent content that revealed the prevalence of drug abuse in communities, the role of medical professionals in prescription drug abuse, and a lack of preventative measures to control the cyclic pattern of prescription …

To Consult Or Not To Consult? Investigating Barriers To Dysparenia Treatment-Seeking In Young Women, Robyn L. Donaldson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Little is known about mediators of treatment-seeking in dyspareunia. The general health belief literature as well as some existing qualitative data specific to dyspareunia, however, suggests a number of potentially significant barriers that may delay or prevent women from enlisting the aid of health care professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate influences on dyspareunia treatment-seeking behavior in young women, for whom the consequences of treatment avoidance are hypothesized to be the greatest. Given the lack of standardized health behavior measures relevant to intercourse pain, we constructed a measure assessing potential barriers to dyspareunia treatment-seeking. An exploratory principal …

The Fast Food And Obesity Link: An Investigation Of Consumption Patterns And Severity Of Obesity In Pre-Bariatric Surgery Patients, Ginny Garcia-Alexander, Thankam S. Sunil, Pedro Hinojosa

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examined selected behavioral factors associated with severity of obesity among pre-operative bariatric surgery patients in the San Antonio area; focusing specifically on the effects of fast food consumption. We used ordered logistic regression to model the effects of behavioral and attitudinal variables on obesity outcomes. Our results indicated that among the behavioral factors, fast food consumption exerted the largest influence on higher levels of obesity. After controlling for several social and demographic characteristics, the effects of fast food consumption remained significant in the model. In fact, for each increase in fast food consumption there was a 26% increase in …

Social Issues In Living With Sickle Cell Disease Pain, Jeannie L. Miranda

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The chronic painful episodes associated with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) can have serious psychological consequences that can reduce patients' ability to cope with the illness. The purpose of this exploratory research was to examine issues faced by sickle cell disease patients. In addition to providing descriptive information about this population, pain, stigma consciousness and helpfulness of disclosures about the illness were examined in relation to pain self-efficacy, benefit finding, and depressive mood.

Seventy-three SCD patients completed a self-report questionnaire. They reported an average of 8.6 SCD pain episodes in the last 12 months with an average level of pain intensity …