Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1990. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: B, page: 1731. Chair: Sean Sammon.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 2004. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-09, Section: B, page: 4636. Adviser: Theodore Jacob.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of History and Dept. of Psychology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A dissertation in religious studies and health psychology." Advisors: Gary Ebersole and Lisa Terre. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed July 30, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-287). Online version of the print edition.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2003. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-02, Section: B, page: 0972. Chair: Neil A. Massoth. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2534. Adviser: Nancy B. Hertzog. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-131) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

The efficacy of intercessory prayer as an adjunct to well-being coupled with psychological and/or medical treatment has long been of question. Anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of prayer abounds yet hard empirical evidence remains slim. This pilot study explored the efficacy of intercessory prayer in 95 hemodialysis patients. The research design consisted of a randomized double-blind 2 x 3 factorial design investigating intercessory prayer, transpersonal positive visualization (PV), and expectancy. An intervention was completed over 4 weeks where patients received one of the following conditions: Receive prayer/expect prayer; receive PV/expect prayer; receive no treatment/expect prayer; receive prayer/expect PV; receive PV/expect PV; receive no treatment/expect PV. Intercessors and visualizers consisted of individuals with extensive experience in these respective functions. Pre and post-test measures included the: SF-36 Quality of Life measure, Beck Depression Inventory, Brief Symptom inventory, and a prayer questionnaire designed for this study. Medical measures included: KT/V; hematocrit; albumin; serum inorganic phosphorous, blood pressure; and interdialytic weight gain. ANOVAs found a significant main effect of treatment on social functioning (F[2,87] = 4.699, p < .012) where subjects receiving Prayer showed significantly greater improvement in social functioning compared to the no treatment group (F[2,90] = 4.2319, p < .0175). There was a significant main effect of expectancy on systolic blood pressure (F[1,89] = 5.048, p < .027); subjects Expecting Prayer showed significantly greater improvement in systolic blood pressure compared to subjects Expecting Positive Visualization (F[1,93] = 5.1290, p < .0259). Similarly, there was a significant main effect of expectancy on phosphorous (F[1,87] = 7.074, p < .009); subjects Expecting Prayer had significantly greater improvement in their phosphorous level compared to subjects Expecting Positive Visualization, who significantly worsened (F[1,91] = 6.8724, p < .0103). There were no significant PV treatment effects. These findings beg the question, “Why were these results significant and not others?” Psychological issues related to coping, social support provided by organized religions, and the mind-body connection may all contribute to these results along with an effect of God. Yet the selectivity of results suggests that the efficacy of prayer remains a mystery. Future findings will be necessary to define intercessory prayer as an efficacious adjunct to medical and psychological therapies.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-102). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-102). Also available on the Internet.

Addiction has been a global health crisis over recent decades and worsened substantially during COVID-19 lockdowns. We report on the development, validation, and findings from an instrument developed to assess the readiness of churches in the Appalachian Highlands to address addiction. The Church Addiction Response Scale (CARS) is a 41-item, three section measure assessing “What are your views about addiction?” (14 items), “What are your views about interacting with people who are addicted to drugs?” (11 items), and “What do you think the church’s role is in addressing addiction?” (16 items). The CARS was found to be unidimensional with strong internal consistency and initial evidence of construct validity was positive. Most respondents reported willingness to assist people living with addiction, but many reported that they felt underprepared, thus were not ready. Areas of preparation were largely those that could be addressed through training, such as understanding the physiology and psychology of addiction, available treatment options, and how to avoid doing harm. Thus, with adequate training, the likelihood of equipping a church-based workforce to provide support for people living with addiction seems attainable.