This paper reviews the theoretical, conceptual and empirical literature relating to emotional regulation in borderline personality disorder. A number of issues relating to the disorder are discussed, including problems with the categorical system of diagnosis and potential co-morbidity. The prominent models of treatment are reviewed along with the evidence for their effectiveness. The concept of a core dysregulation of emotion in the disorder is considered and the psychological models of emotion explored. A systematic review is then described that identified twenty-one experimental studies that investigated aspects of emotional dysregulation in the disorder. The results of this review are categorised into subgroups on the basis of the experimental methods used, and discussed within this context. The results provide limited support for the concept of emotional sensitivity, with empirical evidence for increased attention to emotional stimuli but no evidence of a lower threshold of emotional response. Increased emotional intensity has been demonstrated with self-report and time-sampling data, however results from physiological measures are inconsistent. The limitations of the current literature are discussed, and the implications for future research and clinical practice are considered.

There has been very little research into repeat pregnancy in teenage mothers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of pregnant teenage mothers who were expecting their second child. Six pregnant teenage mothers were interviewed and asked to complete a number of questionnaires. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the interview transcripts demonstrated the four following super-ordinate themes: "Being a good mum", "It's not easy but it's a case of having to cope", "Perceptions and misjudgements", and, "Building my life". A number of theories are presented that may help us understand the experience of second pregnancies in teenage mothers. It is hoped that the findings of this study will help us to begin to understand more about the experiences of this population from their perspective and facilitate professionals to be in a better position to provide teenage mothers and their children with appropriate support.

This thesis is divided into 3 parts:Part 1 is a systematic literature review entitled ‘Living Positively with Dementia’. The notion that people living with dementia can have positive experiences in spite of - or even because of - their illness remains widely disputed. In light of this controversy and the potential conceptual and clinical importance of documenting the subjective experience of dementia in all its variations, this review examines the current research evidence relating to positive lived experience in dementia. The review uncovered 63 studies containing evidence of positive experiences reported by people living with dementia. The methodological quality of the studies is evaluated along with consideration of how researchers have managed such reports. The findings of the review suggest that people with dementia are capable of experiencing positive emotions, and furthermore that dementia can uncover strengths in people, such as hope; faith; resilience; wisdom; altruism; humor; optimism; perseverance; and courage.Part 2 is an empirical study which investigates one of the positive constructs highlighted by the review - hope. The paper examines the subjective experience of hope in older people with early-stage dementia and explores factors that facilitate or hinder hopefulness in this population. Ten participants were each interviewed and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify themes within their accounts. The study considers how hopefulness in dementia compares with existing definitions of hope and the existing literature on age; dependency; and coping, in order to provide a thematic framework for understanding how hope may support individuals with dementia to maintain their quality of life, and to consider the scope for hope-fostering strategies.Part 3 consists of the appendixes relating to the research, including a reflective statement on the process of carrying out the research. The statement includes reflection on all aspects of research from planning to carrying out the research project.

There is thought to be a link between characteristic reward-oriented processes in bipolar disorder and dysregulation in the behavioural activation system (BAS). This study aimed to assess differences between bipolar and healthy control individuals in their response to reward, failure and a reasoning task sensitive to data-gathering biases. Participants were 25 adults with bipolar I disorder and 25 healthy controls. Measures of sensitivity to reward and failure were collected during the first task (Go task), which included visual analogue ratings of mood and success expectancy, reaction time of button-pressing, and the difficulty level set by the participant. There were no significant differences between groups following reward feedback or failure feedback on the Go task. Results from the second task showed that bipolar individuals needed less data than controls before making a decision on the emotionally-neutral, difficult version of the task. The results are discussed in relation to current trends in bipolar research.

This portfolio thesis comprises of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical report and the appendices. Part one is a systematic review looking at the relationship between infant massage and subsequent parent-infant interactions. The review brings together literature that looks at dyads with and without health problems, and explores whether outcomes differ between dyad types. The review attempts to use the findings to discuss the role of touch in dyadic processes. Part two is an empirical paper that attempts to explore the psychological processes underlying touch through studying the Alexander Technique. Both qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys are used to address how pupils of the technique experience touch, how it changes their psychological wellbeing and how it influences the pupil-teacher relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for the use of touch within psychological therapies. Part three is made up of the appendices, including a reflective statement which discusses the researcher’s experiences of all aspects of the research process.

The portfolio has three parts: Part 1 is a systematic literature review, in which the theoretical, conceptual and empirical literature relating to the relationship between illness perceptions, mood and quality of life in coronary heart disease populations is reviewed. The results of this study provide support that illness perceptions are related to outcomes across CHD populations and disease progression, however the results do not selectively support one particular model. Recommendations are consistent with cardiac rehabilitation guidelines. Further research should focus on the systemic impact of illness perceptions. Part 2 is divided into two empirical papers: Paper 1 utilises a qualitative methodology to explore refractory angina patients' experiences of undergoing EECP, and their lives before and after the treatment. The study adds to existing literature by proposing that the process of undergoing EECP treatment not only leads to physiological improvement, but also effects psychological pathways, through providing hope, establishing a therapeutic relationship and increasing confidence and self-efficacy to confront positive and challenging health-behaviour changes. Paper 2 utilises a quantitative methodology to explore the relationship between illness perceptions, mood and quality of life in chronic refractory angina patients that have undergone EECP treatment. The current study supports constructs from relevant models; the self-regulatory model, theory of planned behaviour and an adapted version of the fear-avoidance model. A possible model demonstrating the process between illness perceptions and outcomes specific for chronic refractory angina patients is proposed. Future research could focus on concomitant interventions to improve physical and psychological outcomes, for example the Angina Plan could be delivered in conjunction with EECP to establish an integrated, multidisciplinary model of care and service delivery. Part 3 comprises the appendices. This includes a reflective statement and supplementary information relevant to all three papers.

Previous research investigating the bereavement experiences of people with Intellectual Disabilities found that carers do not always prepare people for deaths or include them in mourning rituals. It has also been found that some carers lack confidence in providing bereavement support to people with Intellectual Disabilities. This study explored the personal experiences of family caregivers and residential care staff in supporting adults with Intellectual Disabilities through the process of bereavement.A semi-structured interview was used to interview eleven carers on their experience of supporting adults with Intellectual Disabilities through the process of bereavement. The transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).A total of five super-ordinate themes were identified: (i) Factors making the experience difficult for carers (ii) Factors that helped carers (iii) Carers' perspectives on the responses of people with Intellectual Disabilities (iv) Approaches to supporting people with Intellectual Disabilities (v) Carers' perspectives on support.The identified themes are discussed in relation to existing literature on bereavement and Intellectual Disability. Clinical implications of the findings are outlined and methodological limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

The portfolio has three parts. Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the experimental empirical literature relating to memory biases in Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is reviewed. Information processing models have suggested that anxious individuals should be characterised by a memory bias towards threat. However, other models have proposed that memory biases may not be evident, as anxious individuals avoid the elaboration of threatening material. Ascertaining whether or not a memory bias exists is fundamental to the development of theories and associated treatment of GAD and worry, its hallmark feature. To answer this question, a systematic and comprehensive search of the literature was undertaken. The results of the review highlight that there is a paucity of studies in this area, which are conflicting in their findings. The majority of the studies examined memory biases in GAD utilising explicit and implicit memory paradigms and only one previous study has examined autobiographical memory biases in GAD. A series of conceptual and methodological issues are outlined and areas for future research are discussed.Part two, the empirical paper was derived from the recommendations described in the systematic literature review. This study explores Autobiographical Memory Biases in Worry. Sixty participants with varying levels of worry completed an autobiographical memory task in response to threatening worrisome thoughts which were rated by participants for personal relevance. The findings suggested that individuals high in pathological worry do not recall more threatening autobiographical memories when presented with highly personally relevant concerns, however when prompted with a concern that is not relevant evidence of a memory bias is suggested. It was also found that depression may be a key variable in whether a general memory bias towards threat is detected in worry. No significant results were found with regards to the relationship between the level of worry and retrieval latency of memories or the coping strategies recalled. However, there are a number of methodological and conceptual issues that should be taken into account and may explain the non-significant findings. Areas for further research are highlighted.Part three comprises the appendices.

In Part 1 the Literature on the Neuropsychology of Theory of Mind (ToM) was investigated in a Systematic Literature Review of scanning and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) lesion studies. The quality of study methodologies and the tests used to assess ToM were evaluated, and findings about the brain regions implicated in ToM were summarised. The quality of some tests of ToM used in the literature was critiqued due to their failure to tap into all three components of a recent definition of ToM (Stone et al, 2003). The quality of the methodology of studies was also examined. Brain regions implicated in ToM according to the review included the frontal cortices, the temporal poles and the posterior cingulate.In Part 2 an Empirical Paper is presented. Many social problems are often evident after ABI and deficits in ToM have recently been discovered in ABI populations (Milders et al, 2006). ToM deficits may contribute to and help explain social difficulties such as finding social interactions hard. Few tests of ToM are widely used with individuals with ABI. A new video test of ToM was designed and piloted on non-brain injured participants and participants with ABI. There was a correlation with performance on the new test and an existing measure of ToM and participants with ABI scored significantly less highly on both tests of ToM. The new test shows promise and further research with the measure is recommended. The results also highlight the utility of routinely assessing social cognition after ABI.

The differences between bipolar-diagnosed and non-clinical control participants were investigated for three memory processes: mood-dependent memory, mood-congruent memory and autobiographical memory perception. Fifty-eight participants generated six autobiographical memories after receiving a positive mood induction and rated them in a number of ways. They also saw four inkblots. After receiving the same or a contrasting mood induction, participants recalled and re-rated the autobiographical memories and attempted to recognise the inkblots. There were significant differences in inkblot recognition amongst the groups, showing mood-dependent memory. Mood congruent judgment was observed for some of the memory ratings. This study paves the way for further investigation into memory differences of this sort in mood disorders.