Objective To explore the perceived therapeutic benefits of Reiki on health outcomes in a local community of patients attending treatment at a Cancer Treatment Centre (CTC). Background Reiki was introduced as a new therapy to enhance the provision of a holistic complementary care package to patients at the Cancer Support Centre (CSC). At the time of its delivery, not a great deal was known about its benefits, thus emphasising the need for a Reiki service evaluation to develop an understanding based on patient experiences concerning its perceived benefits. Method An exploratory service evaluation was conducted using an uncontrolled before-and-after design with a group of inpatients (n= 75) and outpatients (n = 25) from the CTC. Reiki therapy was evaluated using an in-house instrument comprising four surveys. Measures were taken at baseline assessment and same-day follow-up in both inpatients and outpatients, with two additional follow-up time points at week two and five for outpatients. Findings An exploration of the data indicated that Reiki can provide significant therapeutic relief for the rest of the day and up to one week. Participants felt Reiki was helpful in improving symptoms of pain, tension, calmness, anxiety, stress, low mood, and trouble sleeping. Positive correlations were also found between expectations of Reiki’s perceived helpfulness at baseline and perceived symptomatic improvement in tension and calmness at follow-up. Overall, the experiences were positive; 88% of participants stated they were likely to seek Reiki elsewhere and 100% stated they would recommend it to others. These findings demonstrate that Reiki is a valuable complementary therapy that is able to attenuate the stress of cancer, and its provision within hospitals settings can improve supportive care services offered to patients.

Background: The relationship between art and mental health has evolved from a main focus on art therapy to include community arts approaches with wider and more socially-based links to health. The proliferation of community arts approaches across the UK is not met, however, with a research focus that provides insight into the mechanisms by which the activity might contribute to improving mental health. Aims: The aim of this study is to qualitatively explore the meaning of taking part in community arts for those with mental health problems and to learn about the process and ethos of group experience that was interpreted to form a necessary foundation for mental health benefit. Methods: The community arts experience of six art group members was explored through semi-structured interviews (four of whom participated in a second round of interviews). Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: Community arts for mental health, in this particular study, span multiple aspects of participants’ life contexts that were found to fall into two main aspects of meaning; that is, a sense of freedom from expectation and a trajectory of personal growth. When taken together, these two superordinate themes further represent the meaning of art group experience as a process whereby the art group culture can allow, and facilitate, positive change and long-term development. Conclusions: The investigation of benefit and outcome in relation to community arts for mental health can only go so far in providing insight into the journey of participatory experience. Instead, this study’s exploration of the meanings of art engagement within a group context goes beyond description of benefit to suggest a complex process whereby the ‘ingredients’ of the art group culture is pivotal to the role of community arts in improving the lives of those experiencing mental health problems. The journey of growth that was experienced by participants evokes important and complex questions for community arts in relation to public health goals, therapeutic approaches to improve mental health and concepts within mental health arenas, such as the nature of ‘recovery.’ Furthermore the study suggests a pivotal role for health psychology in sparking a collaborative dialogue about the learning that can be gained from community arts approaches, as well as in facilitating community arts in designing approaches to working with mental health groups that are based on the insightful reflections of those who engage in them.

This thesis is an exploration of the experiences of young people on the autism spectrum as they navigate their social world. There is a dearth of qualitative literature which gives voice to the unique challenges faced by this population within society. The experiences of both victimisation and romantic relationships are explored; phenomena which are well recognised as impacting on wellbeing and mental health. It is hoped that this thesis will contribute to understanding how young people make sense of and manage these experiences to inform future clinical support. Chapter one is a critical systematic review of the qualitative literature exploring how children and young people on the autism spectrum experience and cope with victimisation. A database search yielded ten studies which met the specified criteria for inclusion. Young people's experiences fell broadly into two themes: impact on wellbeing and self as at fault with methods of coping sought from both internal and external sources. The findings had important clinical and research implications and called for further exploration of the potential impact that the phenomenon may have on this vulnerable group. Chapter two is a qualitative empirical study which explored the lived experience of romantic relationships for young women on the autism spectrum. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to analyse the data of five participants from which three superordinate themes emerged: 'Navigating Ambiguity', 'Identifying Vulnerability' and 'Constructing the Future Self'. The findings served to broaden our understanding of the needs of this group to guide future clinical support. Directions for further research and limitations are discussed. Chapter three is a reflective account of the researcher's experience of conducting qualitative research and working clinically with young people on the autism spectrum. Parallels are drawn between the experiences reported by participants and those experienced by the researcher as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist. The impact of these experiences is discussed in terms of construction of the future self.

<p> This study investigated whether pet-friendly workplace policies, specifically dog-friendly policies, serve as a buffer against stress, as well as impact perceived organizational support (POS). Using a mediational questionnaire design, this study examined whether the availability of a pet-friendly policy was significantly related to employee occupational stress levels and employee POS, with POS mediating the relationship between a pet-friendly policy and stress. One-hundred eighty-eight full-time employees recruited via crowdsourced and snowball sampling methods completed an online survey, including several measures of workplace attitudes. Results supported all hypotheses, revealing that the presence of a pet-friendly policy was significantly related to lower stress, and POS fully mediated this relationship. Significant interactions were also found, indicating that this effect was stronger for dog owners than for employees without dogs. Ultimately, these findings provide support for the affordance of a pet-friendly policy in organizations, when appropriate. </p>

<p> The relationship between income and happiness is often found to be positive, though modest. Materialistic (or extrinsic) values are associated with decreased happiness for many people. Researchers have not clearly identified how these values impact happiness or other measures of well-being. Further, materialistic and extrinsic values have been found to decrease with age. However, researchers have not explored how these values change over time. In the U.S., the primary pathway for meeting financial and extrinsic goals is through paid employment. Therefore, the response to unemployment may reveal ways that extrinsic values impact happiness, as well as how extrinsic values may shift through life experiences. Using in-depth interviews, this research examined how an adult age population in a diverse, metropolitan area experience unemployment and whether participants' reported shifts in values and goals during a period of unemployment. Participants were currently unemployed, had been unemployed at least 6 months, had been in the workforce at least 5 years, continuously worked during the 5 years before layoff, and were planning to return to work. Interviews included questions about values and goals included in the brief Aspiration Index. The interviews were processed using a multiple case study approach, where thematic analysis was used to identify major themes as well as themes that are less common but reveal further information about values and development. Participants ranged in age from 28 to 64 years old. Time unemployed ranged from 10 months to 5 years of unemployment. Participants each had completed some college courses, and three had master's degrees. Participants did identify changes in values measured by the Aspiration Index. There were 72 possible instances of change, and participants stated their values had changed in 33 instances. Participants believed those values may change back in only 8 instances, indicating that participants experienced shifts in values, which they perceived likely to be permanent changes. The change process involved shifting behaviors due to situational constraints, and identifying advantages to the new behaviors. Previous goal attainment reduced some participants' interest in extrinsic goals.</p>

<p> The Matrix Predictive Uniform Law Enforcement Inventory (M-PULSE &trade;) is a self-report, actuarial instrument used to predict job performance and liability risk, as well as assist law enforcement agencies in selecting qualified candidates. This study examined whether there is a statistically significant difference between two clusters of candidates' Empirical Scales scores as they relate to applicants' mean scale score differences on the M-Pulse&trade; liability scales. This study was conducted in an effort to confirm predictive and ecological validity and used archived data from a proprietary database retained by MHS, Inc. This data consisted of 1,000 randomly selected individuals from a normalized database of 5,000 individuals who had previously completed the M-PULSE &trade; and were subsequently hired by a law enforcement agency. A series of independent-samples t-tests were conducted to compare each of the M-Pulse &trade; liability scales scores of law enforcement applicants in each cluster. Post hoc Bonferroni correction resulted in &agr; &le; .003. Statistically significant differences were found in Potential for Resignation when comparing scores for Cluster 1 (<i>M</i> = 49.49, <i> SD</i> = 9.85) and Cluster 2 (<i>M</i> = 51.85, <i>SD </i> = 10.97); <i>t</i>(998) = -3.545, <i>p</i> &lt; .003; <i>d</i> = .226 and in Potential for Termination: Cluster 1 (<i>M</i> = 49.05, <i>SD</i> = 9.48) and Cluster 2 (<i> M</i> = 52.14, <i>SD</i> = 10.57); t(998) = -4.833, <i> p</i> &lt; .003; <i>d</i> = .308. This study suggests the M-PULSE &trade; can tease out candidates who show a propensity to prematurely resign or be terminated. Predicting foreseeable liability risks helps law enforcement agencies manage ecological issues that affect officers.</p>

<p> Survey administrators go to great lengths to make sure survey questions are easy to understand for a broad range of respondents. Despite these efforts, respondents do not always understand what the questions ask of them. In interviewer-administrated surveys, interviewers can pick up on cues from the respondent that suggest they do not understand or know how to answer the question and can provide assistance as their training allows. However, due to the high costs of interviewer administration, many surveys are moving towards other survey modes (at least for some respondents) that do not include costly interviewers, and with that a valuable source for clarification is gone. </p><p> In Web surveys, researchers have experimented with providing real-time assistance to respondents who take a long time to answer a question. Help provided in such a fashion has resulted in increased accuracy, but some respondents do not like the imposition of unsolicited help. There may be alternative ways to provide help that can refine or overcome the limitations to using response times. </p><p> This dissertation is organized into three separate studies that each use a set of independently collected data to identify a set of indicators survey administrators can use to determine when a respondent is having difficulty answering a question and proposes alternative ways of providing real-time assistance that increase accuracy as well as user satisfaction. </p><p> The first study identifies nine movements that respondents make with the mouse cursor while answering survey questions and hypothesizes, using exploratory analyses, which movements are related to difficulty. The second study confirms use of these movements and uses hierarchical modeling to identify four movements which are the most predictive. The third study tests three different of providing unsolicited help to respondents: text box, audio recording, and chat. Accuracy and respondent satisfaction are evaluated for each mode. There were no differences in accuracy across the three modes, but participants reported a preference for receiving help in a standard text box. These findings allow survey designers to identify difficult questions on a larger scale than previously possible and to increase accuracy by providing real-time assistance while maintaining respondent satisfaction.</p>

<p> Gender issues in aviation signify substantial areas of interest for aviation leaders. Gender issues relating to male and female attitudes and beliefs have influenced historically male and female interactions. Males and females must interact in flight, and gender stereotypes negatively could influence crew interactions. Aviation leaders introduced the concept of crew resource management to address pilot skills and reactions in flight. The present study used the phenomenological qualitative study to explore the experiences of pilots on mixed gender crews. The researcher conducted 12 interviews with commercial pilots, focusing on individual experiences of flying in a mixed crew. The results of the study produced five major themes including aviator attitudes, crew communication, differential treatment between genders, gender differences, and the belief there were no issues in mixed gender crews. The themes revealed differences between males and females have a direct impact on crew resource management while flying.</p>

<p> Employees' retaliatory behaviors in relation to perceptions of injustice have recently become a subject of interest. Findings have established that perceptions of injustice increase ones' propensity to engage in retaliation. The present study extends prior work by examining identity threat as a mediator and organizational retaliatory behaviors (ORBs) towards three distinct targets (i.e., organization, leader, and work group members). In contrast to previous studies, data are to be analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as it allows greater insight and can determine whether retaliation is greater for certain targets over others. Responses collected from 220 individuals are used. Results from the present study may demonstrate that certain parties in an organization (i.e., group members) have a higher likelihood of being targets of retaliatory behaviors in comparison to others (i.e., the organization and group leader). Moreover, insight into the underlying mechanisms driving retaliation after experiencing injustice may be afforded.</p>

<p> As organizations become increasingly complex, research into the sources and effects of employee stress is increasingly warranted. The present study examined the relationship between personal life stress, work stress, and job performance. In addition, the role of conscientiousness as a possible moderating variable was analyzed. Several studies regarding the relationship between stress and work performance were reviewed. In the present study, participants completed measures of life stress, job stress, and personality. Supervisors rated the job performance of participants. A significant relationship was found between personal life stress and job stress such that each type of stress was higher when the other was present. Neither personal life stress nor job stress were related to job performance. Conscientiousness was not found to moderate the stress-job performance relationships. Implications of the study and future directions are explored.</p>