Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 64 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-58).

Thesis (M. Nurs.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

M.A. / New job and study opportunities were created for many people because of political changes in South Africa. This implied that many people left their homes and moved to new areas. Research indicated that 60% to 70% of first year students suffered from homesickness during their first semester at university. For some of them it was only a light experience; for others it was an intense negative experience with serious social-, academic-, and financial implications which could result in illness or even death. The role of salutogenic factors (factors that contribute to health) in the occurrence of homesickness, experienced by Afrikaans- and English speaking male and female first year students at the Rand Afrikaans Universiy, was investigated. It was found that the experience of homesickness was diminished by the salutogenic factors "sense of coherence", "self-efficacy", learned resourcefulness" and social support. These factors thus contributed to health. The factor "hardiness" did not play a salutogenic role in this study. Although the multicultural context of South Africa was not taken into account, the study should be useful in identifying students who would be prone to homesickness and illness during their first year at university.

There is mounting evidence that psychological reactions to criminal victimization can be far more severe, much longerlasting, and recovery less complete than had been originally thought. The plight of crime victims is often compounded by a suspectibility to a 1 'second wound', or aggravation of their distress, arising from the neglect or mistreatment by those whom victims rely on for support. There is, at the same time, evidence that both the criminal justice system and the mental health profession have often been ill-equipped to adequately tend to the needs of this population. Despite a growing research interest in victimization (e.g., social psychology, counselling psychology, psychiatry, criminology), there is a lack of integration of victimization-related research both across and within these disciplines. As a result, those counselling crime victims and their families find insufficient guidance in the literature for intervening with this population. In the aftermath of their misfortune, victims need to regain what was abruptly taken from them (i.e., a sense of safety, trust, agency, self-esteem, intimacy, a sense of the world as meaningful). To facilitate post-trauma counselling, an assessment of crime victims' coping needs is presented in the context of an interventive framework. The framework distinguishes victims' identified needs according to (1) victims' intermediate vs. long-term coping needs, (2) what victims need from others vs. what they can do for themselves, and (3) what victims need from whom. These distinctions serve to operationalize crime victims' adjustment processes. Furthermore, these distinctions require an integration of an otherwise diverse victimization literature. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Physical exercise is frequently prescribed by clinicians and researchers as an effective stress reduction technique. There has been some research to support this assertion, however the research has been varied in its methodological rigor. The design problems, variations in exercise programs, and the use of a wide range of psychological measures have made results difficult to interpret. Additionally, the psychological benefits and underlying change processes have not been clearly delineated. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the research in this area in an attempt to answer specific questions regarding the role of exercise in stress reduction. This meta-analytic approach was chosen because it permits the quantitative integration of findings of several studies and consideration of the variables that may influence the variance in study outcomes. The effectiveness of exercise as a treatment for stress, the type of exercise that was most beneficial, and the type of individual who gained the most from the exercise intervention was examined. The 61 effect sizes, which were calculated from 24 studies included in the meta-analysis, were coded along with other variables considered important. Study components such as design type, stress level, type of exercise program, program length, frequency of exercise sessions, attrition rate, psychological measure, composition of sample, gender, and study type were coded as independent variables. Effect size was the dependent variable. Analysis of variance revealed that exercise was an effective stress reducer, stressed people gained a greater stress reduction effect than minimally stressed people, and there were no differences between trait and state anxiety reduction from pre- to post-exercise program. In addition, a one-way ANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference between program lengths. Examination of the means revealed that an 8- to 12-week program was most effective in reducing stress. Although there was a greater effect size for unpublished studies than published studies, the pattern of change for each study type was similar. The significance of these results and recommendations for future studies are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The efficacy of an aerobic conditioning program (jogging) in modifying self-reported chronic intermittent stress is compared to stress-innoculation training (self-statement modification) and a waiting list control group. Guiding this research is a transactional model of stress. The participants were community residents; 48 were females and 25 were males. Therapy sessions were conducted over a 10-week period with subjects meeting in groups for 1 1/2 hours per week and also completing homework assignments and activities. The State and Trait Anxiety Inventories, the Tension Thermometer, a Thought-listing Technique and a Self-efficacy Scale were administered at pre, post, and three-month follow-up. In addition, a submaximal bicycle ergometer test was utilized to predict maximum oxygen uptake (a measure of cardiovascular fitness). Multivariate analyses of variance indicate that both the aerobic conditioning program and the stress-innoculation training were effective in reducing self-reported anxiety and increasing self-efficacy. These changes were maintained three months after completing the program. Subjects who experienced stress more cognltlvely than somatically reduced their level of stress from pre- to post-testlng significantly more than those who experienced stress more somatically, regardless of treatment condition. However, from post to follow-up the somatic subjects continued to improve while the cognitive subjects stayed approximately the same. Compared to the waiting list control group, subjects' positive self-statement ratings increased significantly from pre- to post-testing for the stress-inoculation group. Subjects' self-statement ratings and judges self-statement ratings changed differentially between groups and over time. Subjects in the aerobic conditioning program improved their cardiovascular fitness compared to the stress-inoculation and waiting list groups. Participation in an aerobic conditioning program was found to be a viable alternative to stress-innoculation training as a stress-management treatment. Although the pattern of changes differed between treatment groups and among types of individuals from pre- to post-testing on some measures, at three-months follow-up few differences were found between treatment groups. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

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