Thesis (Ph. D. in Psychology)--University of California, Berkeley, June 1959. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-135).

Issued also as thesis, Columbia University. / Bibliography: p. 162-166.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-72).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Oct. 10, 2007). PDF text: v, 73 p. : col. ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3259075. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1974. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-243). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ed. D)--College of Saint Mary -- Omaha, 2009. / A dissertation submitted by Ann Taylor-Trujillo to College of Saint Mary in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in health professions education. This dissertation has been accepted for the facutly of College of Saint Mary by: Peggy Hawkins, PhD, RN, BC, CNE - chair ; Pat Morin, PhD, RN ; Martha Brown, PhD. Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction: This thesis explored the feasibility of conducting a randomised control trial (RCT) of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) within patient’s Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) treatment pathway. Previous ACT literature has reported that this is an effective intervention with persons with chronic pain, even when in a self-help format. Whilst this growing body of ACT literature is promising, chronic pain is a broad term used for a number and varying levels of disability. Chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) is usually more complex and resistant to treatment. According to NICE guidelines SCS should be the last treatment option for CNP sufferers. However, there is currently a dearth of literature exploring the effectiveness of the addition of a psychological interventions with the SCS population. Objectives: The aim of this thesis was to explore the parameters of interest in ACT with SCS patient population including recruitment, acceptability of intervention and treatment signals. Design: A mixed between-within group design with repeated measures. There were three conditions in the study. Methods: Ethical and NHS trust approval was obtained. SCS participants were recruited from one Neuromodulation clinic during their routine appointment. Fourteen SCS patients that consented to the study were randomised to either SCS combined with an ACT self-help intervention (SCS-ACT) or SCS and treatment as usual (SCS-TAU). A third arm of the study was included to gain additional information on the ACT self-help intervention. This arm had been assessed for SCS surgery at the same neuromodulation clinic but deemed to be not suitable for the surgery. They were invited to the study via a letter from the clinic. All participants completed outcome measures pre and post-intervention. The participants in the two ACT arms (SCS-ACT and ACT-only) were given an ACT self-help manual and received telephone support sessions over six consecutive weeks. These participants also completed an interview at the end of the intervention. Results: Recruitment to the study was lower than expected and the majority of the participants in the ACT conditions (77%) did not complete the self-help manual. All the participants in the SCS-ACT condition had reliable improvement on at least two outcome domains, however, due to the small sample size it was not possible to assess whether these improvements were due to the SCS surgery or the ACT intervention. The interviews identified a number of barriers that prevented participants completing the manual. Discussion: The study demonstrated that a number of amendments need to be made to the study design and the self-help manual before a full-scale RCT is justified. Therefore it is recommended that a number of alterations are implemented in another feasibility study to assess whether this improves recruitment, retention and outcomes.

Background. This topic was proposed by the Service User and Carer Advisory Panel (SUCAP) which informs and supports Clinical Psychology training at The University of Nottingham. The project developed due to their concern about the ambiguity of crisis. They suggested that their understandings may be different from that of professionals. The reconfiguration of acute mental health services influenced the nationwide implementation of community treatment alternatives. However, crisis has remained a poorly operationalised concept, which can lead to problems in clinical practice. An increase in empirical efforts has aimed to establish clarity and increase the clinical utility of definitions. Despite these efforts, little is known about how service users and carers understand crisis. As suggested by the SUCAP, it is unclear if there is commonality within understandings of crisis. Due to the multiple stakeholders, exploring understandings of crisis from multiple perspectives could be useful in clinical practice. Aim. This study aimed to use Q-methodology to investigate multiple perspectives of crisis. By including service users, carers and professionals the research aimed to highlight consensus and discrepancy within these perspectives. Method. Twenty-six participants were recruited from a National Health Service crisis team, a third sector crisis service and an independent carer support group. In Phase One, clinical interviews with 16 participants (taken from each group) were conducted. Qualitative analysis aided the process of constructing a Q-set of 78 statements that represented the understandings of a crisis experience. In Phase Two, 13 participants (some of whom took part in Phases One and Two) completed the Q-sort procedure, in which they rated the extent to which each statement was characteristic of crisis. To support analysis and interpretation, demographic information was obtained, and pre/post questions elicited reflection on their completed Q-sorts. An inverted factor analytic method was used to analyse the Q-sort data. Results. The results of each Phase are discussed. The rotated two factor solution accounted for fifty percent of variance in people’s understandings of crisis. Factor one related to the understanding of crisis as an experience which can be defined by changes in awareness and perception of reality. Factor two related to the understanding of crisis as intense emotional pain, which is largely related to fear, anxiety and despair. Contrary to existing definitions of crisis, risk and mental illness were not highlighted as central characteristics of crisis. Different pairs of ‘groups’ (service user/professional; carer/professional; service user/carer) had little impact on the amount of shared understanding. However, understandings of crisis were highly variable between individuals. Furthermore, service users’ understandings were more variable than those of professionals or carers. Discussion. Although the findings offer some support to current theories of crisis, they contrast with the dominating characteristics of crisis represented in policy and empirical literature. This suggests that over deterministic definitions of crisis, that focus on risk and mental illness, are insufficient. These findings have implications for both clinical practice and future research.