Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1990.

Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains vii, 101 p. Bibliography: p. 67-79.

Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-213). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99250

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Fernando Rivera. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-34).

This dissertation investigated the effect of a Doctor Interactive Group Medical Appointment (DIGMA), a unique multidisciplinary medical treatment modality, upon the health behavior of hypertensive patients at the Veterans Health Administration Outpatient Clinic (VA-OPC) in Austin, Texas. Health behavior modification, differences in stress perceptions, blood pressure changes due to the intervention and differences in coping strategies were assessed. Integrated healthcare utilizes a multidisciplinary approach in considering physiological and psychological aspects of health, promoting patients to act on their own behalf in managing health. Increased healthcare costs, decreased patient satisfaction of care received and practitioner satisfaction in care provided currently afflict primary healthcare. Earlier, a “drop-in” shared medical appointment aimed to improve continuity of care, and increase patient and physician satisfaction by allowing patients better access to physicians without taxing more resources. Contrasting the “drop-in” model, this study examined the efficacy of a multi-session DIGMA. Functioning as an adjunct to hypertensive management, participants attended 5 sessions, including one introduction meeting, three consecutive weekly group sessions and an individual telephone session occurring one week following the intervention. The study utilized a pretest/posttest design, with participants acting as their own controls. Self-report measures and blood pressure readings were administered prior to the onset, and again at termination of the DIGMA program. Analyses of variance and hierarchical regression models helped reveal any significant changes in health behaviors, perceptions of stress, and coping styles related to hypertension among 58 participants occurring over time for 7 distinct cohorts participating in the DIGMA. Findings revealed significant differences in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings between pre and post intervention. Significant changes in health promoting behaviors among participants who successfully completed all components of the program were also detected. In addition, adaptive coping strategies were found to significantly impact components of health behaviors. Qualitative information supports the quantitative data in determining whether the agent of change is the group process itself, the information imparted in the group, or some other variable. Findings reveal the dynamic of the group, as well as the modality in which information was conveyed positively influenced health behavior changes. Results, implications, and limitations of the study as well as future directions are discussed. / text

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Metatheoretical constructs are believed to be philosophical commitments that affect a variety of areas in an individual's life. This study was designed to investigate two questions. First, do individuals subscribe to personal definitions of health and illness because they are committed to different philosophical and epistemological positions. Second, does an individual's personal definition of health and illness predict the frequency of health and illness related behaviors.Two studies were conducted to investigate these questions. In the first, 102 undergraduate subjects expressed a preference for one of three possible definitions of health and illness. Further, these definitions were shown to predict rates of health and illness behaviors. In the second, 72 nursing professionals also selected one of the three definitions of health and illness. A combination of health and illness definition, and personal worldview were shown to strongly predict an individual's frequency of engaging in health and illness behaviors.These data suggest that individuals have personal preferences for defining health and illness. - Further, their health and illness definition, plus personal worldview, reliably predicts health and illness behavior frequency. These results have implications for health psychology research and practice. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Previous researchers have suggested that cognitive avoidance occurs for stimuli describing social threats but not for stimuli describing physical threats. The present research examined whether individuals can cognitively avoid physically threatening stimuli, such as the words 'HIV' or 'cancer'. Three studies investigated (a) personality characteristics that predict cognitive avoidance of physically threatening stimuli, (b) whether the stimuli have to be relevant to the avoider and (c) circumstances that may disrupt the avoidance mechanism. / Study 1 was an exploratory study examining the personality characteristics that predict avoidance of thoughts concerning physical threats, specifically, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The study found that lower sexual self-efficacy and less assertiveness predicted greater self-reported avoidance of thoughts concerning STIs. The more participants tended to avoid thoughts concerning STIs the less likely they were to discuss safer sex practices with their partner and the less consistent they were in their condom use. The findings suggest that individuals can avoid thoughts of physical threats (i.e., STIs) and that this avoidance can have consequences such as engaging in riskier sexual behaviours (i.e., not consistently using condoms). / In study 2, participants were presented threatening words on a computerized task (the emotional Stroop task) to assess if they would automatically attend to or avoid physically threatening words. Dispositionally avoidant participants (participants low in anxiety and high in repressive defensiveness) avoided physically threatening words but only if they were perceived to be self-relevant, otherwise the avoidance mechanism was not elicited. / Study 3 examined if the avoidance of physical threats may be disrupted when there is a temporary reduction in dopamine, such as when cigarette smokers abstain from smoking. Results showed that non-abstaining smokers with an avoidant disposition superficially processed (avoided) threatening words related to smoking on an emotional Stroop task. Abstainers however did not demonstrate this superficial processing suggesting that the avoidance mechanism was disrupted. / The three studies demonstrate that individuals avoid physical threats if they perceive them to be self-relevant and that this avoidance mechanism can be disrupted by a temporary reduction in dopamine.

Thesis (M.S.)--Purdue University--[West Lafayette, Indiana], 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-96).