Thesis (Ph. D. in Psychology)--University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, 1996. / Vita. Photocopy (positive) University Microfilms No. 97-17147. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-69).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (University of Texas Digital Repository, viewed on Sept. 9, 2009). Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Psychology)--University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, 1996. / Vita. Photocopy (positive) University Microfilms No. 97-17147. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-69).

<p> In this two-part quantitative and qualitative descriptive study, the phenomenon of being engaged at work by physicians currently employed by health care organizations (HCOs) was explored. A purposive sample of eight physicians practicing medicine in the US in a variety of specialties and at seven different HCOs participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of work engagement. The job demands-resources (JD-R) model served as the theoretical framework of the study. The JD-R model was developed to describe factors associated with both work engagement and burnout, indicators of positive and negative employee well-being, respectively, with implications for individuals and their employing organizations. This study focused on identifying antecedents of positive experiences of work engagement rather than on the negative state of burnout. </p><p> Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and identify those main job demands, job resources, and personal resources that were described as associated with being engaged at work by employed physicians. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)^&copy; was used to assess physicians&rsquo; relative levels of work engagement, a three-dimensional construct which included vigor, dedication, and absorption. The most commonly identified patient-care-related job demand was patient volume, while the most commonly identified HCO demands were RVUs/financial targets and work pressure. The only job resource theme found across all participants&rsquo; interviews was their physician colleagues, while the personal resource theme of self-efficacy was common to all participants. Job resources and personal resources, individually and in combination, lead to work engagement according to the JD-R model. Implications for physician work engagement and well-being in HCOs include improved quality of patient care, safety, and satisfaction.</p><p>

The psychiatric diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) leads to service users experiencing stigmatising and disempowering attitudes from professional mental health staff. To date, a nursing theory has not been developed to understand mental health nurses’ personal and professional constructions towards service users with this diagnosis. The development of such theory may enable improved service user engagement, collaboration and recovery for this group of individuals. This study answered the questions of determining the nature of mental health nurses’ beliefs towards service users with a diagnosis of BPD and how these beliefs affect their therapeutic relationships with this service user group. An ethnographic approach was used in this study. Data was collected using a combination of observation of the patient assessment and allocation meeting within a community mental health team; and ethnographic interviews with named nurses for service users with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. A reflective journal was also kept by the lead researcher. N-Vivo Version 7 was used to aid data analysis and this involved examining the scripts for repetitive patterns or sequences including descriptions, figures of speech, metaphors etc. in order to illuminate differences between different practices and contexts. Findings from the study elicited a model of how CPNs construct BPD categorisations and a potential pathway to alienation is described together with recommendations for the development of CMHTs and CPNs when working with BPD. Development of reflexive practice can be a vehicle for developing alternative constructions of BPD and recovery informed practice can reduce stigmatising practices experienced by service users with BPD.

M.A. / Modern health-care services in general hospital settings are often characterised by mUltidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to patient care. The underlying rationale of these approaches lies in the potential pooling of specialised medical resources from a variety of medical fields. Consequently there is usually an increase in the diagnostic procedures available, theoretically offering a more comprehensive health service. Whilst the above approach is seen to be effective when the health-car~ team specialists subscribe to one encompassing paradigm, it is hypothesised that the existence of other alternative paradigms may affect the efficacy of team work. Using the interface between the Psychology and Renal units of J.G. Strijdom Hospital as an example, this study describes the effect of paradigmatic differences within a team approach on the conceptualisation of problems and treatment choices. The traditional medical approach is contrasted against a systems based psychological approach. The existence of the two approaches within a single team encounters difficulty in the gaining of consensus regarding the level of focus.

The success of the music therapy profession has been well established, though the healing properties of music are not yet fully understood. Clinical observations show the medicinal value of music therapy; however, it is challenging to quantify music's beneficial effects. Examining music therapy's effectiveness in treating neurological disorders can possibly help to better validate this profession. However, music therapy is a multidisciplinary field, and perhaps we must come to a better understanding of how the various disciplines relate to one another. Music has the power to modulate our emotions. Neurological studies involving music therapy might help to uncover the connection between our emotional states and our physical health. To truly understand the success of music therapy, we must further study the role of emotions in the healing process. Future examinations of the emotional factor in music therapy may hold the key to a better understanding of how music affects us. / by Kristin Renee Hurley. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Two potential developmental costs of high self-esteem were investigated. One was that high self-esteem leads children to act on antisocial cognitions (the disposition activating hypothesis). The other was that high self-esteem leads children to rationalize antisocial conduct (the disposition-rationalizing hypothesis). Both hypotheses were explored in two longitudinal studies with preadolescents. In Study 1 (N = 189) the antisocial behavior was aggression; in Study 2 (N = 407) the antisocial behavior under focus was avoidance of the mother. There was little evidence for the disposition-activating hypothesis in either study but considerable support for the disposition-rationalizing hypothesis in both studies. Over time, aggressive children with high self-esteem increasingly valued the rewards that aggression offers and belittled their victims, and avoidant children with high self-esteem increasingly viewed their mother as harassing and uninvolved. Results therefore suggest that for antisocial children, high self-esteem carries costs, for both themselves and others. / by Madhavi Menon. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007. / Includes bibliography. / Also available in print. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2007 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg 1995 / The large percentage of deaths attributed to recurrent Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has generated a search for behavioural and psychological factors which mitigate the consequences of CHD. An aim of the present thesis is to extend this search by identifying factors which predict prognosis fer recovery from CHD. Two key factors seen to influence prognosis are aerobic exercise and Type A behaviour. Extant research into the role of exercise has been hindered by methodological weaknesses. As a consequence, the precise means by which exercise influences CHD patients' psychological and physiological strain remains unclear. Similarly, the Type A literature has been flawed by the inaccurate conceptualisation and measurement of Type A behaviour as a global, and 110t a multidimensional, construct. Research which has examined the multidimensional nature of Type A behaviour has been restricted to low risk samples. Thus, a further aim. of the present research is to examine ; prognostic role of exercise and Type A components within the context of cardiac rehabilitation. In achieving this aim, three studies are conducted. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / MT2017

Psychosis has long been recognised as a severe mental disorder characterised by derangement of personality, disorganised thought, and a loss of contact with reality. Certain mystical and alternate states, which have been practiced throughout history by various cultures, have also been deemed as pathological through the lens of western psychiatry even though many of these states provide beneficial contributions to the individual and their community. A number of similar states have been found in modern society and have been termed "Spiritual Emergencies". The aim of this research was to determine whether "spiritual emergency". (SE) is a valid concept and to outline the differences between SE and psychosis. One-hundred-and-nine participants from the general public completed a questionnaire developed for this research, comprised of measures of psychosis and ten spiritual emergency subscales. Results indicated that participants who were prescribed medication or previously experienced a psychotic episode scored higher on the SE subscales. One strong factor was found to underlie all the SE subscales and a significant relationship was found between this factor and the measure of psychotic experience. It is open to interpretation as to whether psychosis is nothing more than SE or whether SE is nothing more than psychosis. The implications of these findings are discussed. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2008