This portfolio thesis consists of three parts; a systematic literature review, an empirical study, and a set of appendices. Part one is a systematic literature review, reviewing literature regarding the relationship between the way patients with Parkinson’s Disease cope with their illness and the degree of depressive symptoms they experience. This review was undertaken as it has been suggested that psychological variables may influence the presence of depressive symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease, and coping may be one such variable. Identification of adaptive or maladaptive ways of coping could potentially aid effective targeting of psychological interventions for depressive symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease. Part two of this portfolio is an empirical study exploring the impact of specialist palliative care on coping for patients with Parkinson’s Disease and their carers. Despite recommendations that palliative needs are considered throughout the course of Parkinson’s Disease, referral to specialist palliative care is less common for this population than in other illnesses such as cancer, despite these illnesses being associated with similar challenges. Specialist palliative care appears to be beneficial in helping patients with other illnesses and their carers cope, however there is a lack of research exploring the impact of such services in Parkinson’s Disease. This study aimed to contribute to the discussion regarding whether such services should be developed and made more accessible for patients with Parkinson’s Disease and their carers. Part three consists of a set of appendices relating to both parts one and two.

The thesis portfolio is divided into three parts: Part one is a systematic literature review, in which quantitative literature considering the role of relational connectedness in the recovery process for people with mental health difficulties is reviewed. A systematic search of five databases identified twelve studies in the area. A narrative synthesis of the findings is provided. Methodological quality of the area, as well as implications and directions for future research are discussed. Part two is an empirical paper which explores relational connections among care leavers. This study has an idiographic focus using semi structured interviews and employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Nine care leavers took part in the study. Five super-ordinate and eighteen subordinate themes emerged from the data. These themes are discussed in the context of relational aspects of wellbeing, self-identity, emotional coping and barriers to help-seeking. Part three comprises the appendices supporting the systematic literature review and empirical papers. It also contains a reflective statement.

The portfolio thesis is separated into three parts: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research, an empirical study and appendices. Part one is a meta-synthesis reviewing the published qualitative literature regarding the decision to remain childfree in women. The aim of the synthesis was to provide healthcare professionals with an in depth insight into the influences and consequences of the decision in order to inform aspects of their practice when working with childfree women, alongside infertile women and those contemplating the motherhood decision. Five broad themes were discovered from six papers eliciting that the childfree decision is multifaceted and individual. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical implications and potential future research. Part two is an empirical study that explores the experience of the motherhood decision in women diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Eleven women were interviewed, and data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Though the study involved both women who had children and women who did not have children following diagnosis, several themes occurred across interviews with participants. Key implications for the aid of the decision making process within health care services are discussed. Part three consists of appendices supporting both the meta-synthesis and the empirical study. It also includes a reflective statement detailing the process of the research from beginning to end.

This portfolio thesis consists of three parts. Part one is a systematic literature review investigating existing research on the illness perceptions of men with erectile dysfunction (ED). The following five online databases were searched; PsycINFO, MEDLINE via EBSCO, Scopus, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Web of Science Core Collection. With the application of relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in the review. A narrative synthesis of the findings of the included studies was conducted. Findings were organised into five categories of men’s perceptions about ED. These were as follows; severity and permanence of ED, communicating about ED, causes of ED, consequences of ED and treatment for ED. A discussion of the findings is presented, with consideration of the impact of illness perceptions on communication about and treatment-seeking for ED. The limitations and the clinical implications are proposed, as well as avenues for future research. Part two is an empirical paper investigating the experiences of South Asian men with diabetes mellitus (DM) and ED, utilising exploration of their illness perceptions and the impact on quality of life. Qualitative methodology was employed. Semi-structured interviews based on the Self-Regulatory Model (Leventhal, Nerenz, & Steele, 1984) were conducted with six South Asian men with DM and ED. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed. Four superordinate and ten subordinate themes were identified. The findings are discussed in consideration of clinical implications and limitations of the study. Avenues for future research are proposed. Part three consists of the appendices for the systematic literature review and the empirical paper, including an epistemological statement and a reflective statement.

This portfolio thesis comprises of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical report and supporting appendices. Part one is a systematic literature review of empirical papers examining current literature on the psychophysiological and behavioural mechanisms by which type-D personality influences health outcomes in the cardiovascular population. The findings of the review are discussed in relation to theory and the conceptual issues surrounding the validity of individual psychophysiological and behavioural mechanisms. The review concludes with recommendations for clinical practice and future research. Part two is an empirical report of a study that used quantitative methodology to examine type-D personality as a potential predictor of quality of life in an atrial fibrillation population. In addition, the study investigates the role of illness perceptions as a mediator in the relationship between type-D personality and quality of life. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical implications. Methodological limitations and areas of future research are also identified. Part three comprises supporting appendices. These include a statement reflecting on the research process and supplementary information pertaining to the literature review and empirical study.

The portfolio has three parts: Part One: A systematic literature review, in which the literature relating to the assessment and identification of mental health problems in looked after children is reviewed. Part Two: A mixed methods empirical research study which qualitatively explores foster carer’s perceptions of screening measures used with looked after children and the ability of these to capture need. Clinicians’ views regarding the same issue are also explored both quantitatively and qualitatively. Part Three: Appendices including all relevant documents related to the systematic literature review and empirical papers and a reflective statement from the researcher on the process of completing the portfolio.

<p> Previous research has demonstrated mixed results that locus of control and belief in a just world impact juror&rsquo;s verdicts for defendants, however previous research is lacking on how these factors influence juror&rsquo;s likelihood of rendering a Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity verdict for a mentally ill defendant. The current study examined whether mock juror&rsquo;s belief in a just world influenced the relationship between locus of control and an NGRI verdict. Seventy-nine students completed an online survey that included locus of control and belief in just world scales and rendering a verdict for a mentally ill defendant charged with First-Degree Murder. While belief in a just world did not impact the relationship between locus of control and the likelihood of rendering an NGRI verdict, both belief in a just world and locus of control were statistically significantly correlated to an NGRI verdict. </p>

<p> Throughout the United States are institutions abundant with violent offenders who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI). The decision to release these insanity acquittees into the community is a vital one, both for the patient and the larger community. While these decisions should be informed by evaluations that combine clinicians&rsquo; opinions with validated tools of assessment, no standard of care regarding such evaluations exists. Forensic specialists are thus often left to base discharge decisions on clinical judgment alone. This dissertation assumed a critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature relevant to conditional release decisions of NGI patients, including the research on structured assessment of risk of future violence. Based on this critical review, the author proposed recommendations for five standards to enhance conditional release decision-making for violent offenders in forensic settings: (a) Adherence to professional and ethical conduct; (b) documentation of patient progress; (c) incorporation of empirically-validated risk assessment tools; (d) creation of a comprehensive release plan; (e) verification of patient&rsquo;s commitment to successful reintegration. This dissertation additionally examined the strengths and limitations of the critical review strategy, as well as delineated areas for research to empirically evaluate the recommended standards and promote improved quality of conditional release evaluation for NGI acquittees.</p>

<p> The current study examined the relationship between the worry symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), free recall memory, false memory, and metamemory. More specifically, the current research investigated the relationship between high levels of worry and individuals&rsquo; ability to accurately recall and recognize true and false memories of negative and neutral material and to determine the role worry played in an individual&rsquo;s prediction that they would remember negative and neutral words. In addition, the present study examined whether the prediction of remembering negative and neutral material coincided with actual memory performance. Participants (<i>n</i> = 62) were recruited from undergraduate Introductory Psychology, Statistics, and Senior Capstone courses at a medium-sized Midwestern public university. The participants were sorted into either a high or low worry group, and there were 31 participants in each group. All participants completed a demographics questionnaire, a measure of worry symptoms, a measure of depressive symptoms, judgment of learning (JOL) ratings, free recall tasks, math distractor tasks, and a false memory task. The hypotheses of the present study will be discussed herein. The results of the study did not support the majority of the hypotheses, but the individual results are discussed herein. The possible implications of the study relate to the role that high anxiety levels have both on academic performance and in clinical settings.</p>

<p> Pediatric oncology patients and siblings are a population at-risk for negative psychosocial outcomes due to the various procedures, treatments, late effects, and family-based stressors associated with pediatric cancer. Pediatric oncology camps were designed to creatively address psychosocial gaps experienced by this steadily increasing population. Literature focusing on psychosocial adjustment of pediatric cancer patients and siblings is generally mixed or inconclusive, although there is some evidence suggesting increased psychosocial adjustment following camp participation. Research focusing on levels of perceived social support is limited. Although campers report social support as a main benefit of oncology camp participation, most studies are exploratory and yield inconsistent findings regarding demographic differences. In order to understand the effects of an oncology camp intervention on levels of psychosocial adjustment and perceived social support for pediatric cancer patients and siblings, an archival data set collected at a pediatric oncology camp (<i>N</i> = 64) was analyzed. There were 30 patients and 34 siblings in the sample, 37 females and 27 males, and with a mean age of 11.84 (<i>SD</i> = 2.89). Participants completed the Children&rsquo;s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Social Adjustment Domain (SA) from the Child Behavior Checklist &ndash; Youth Self-Report at three time points. Data was analyzed using repeated measures MANOVAs and results indicated that psychosocial adjustment increased significantly for adolescent females but not for other demographic groups. Additionally, perceived social support was found to increase for adolescent females but decrease for adolescent males, although other demographic groups did not appear to experience significant change over time. Strengths, limitations, and areas for future research are addressed as part of the discussion. </p>