Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1979. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-145).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 69 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-39).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (November 14, 2006) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--La Salle University, 2004. / ProQuest dissertations and theses ; AAT 3139151. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 30-36).

Background: Worry is theorised to function as a form of cognitive or experiential avoidance wherein an individual uses repetitive thinking in an attempt to avoid a future event or an aversive internal experience. There is evidence of a closer link between non-verbal thought (e.g. mental images) and emotion, physiology and behaviour than with verbal thought. Based on findings that worry is predominantly a verbal-linguistic activity, with less imagery occurring during worry episodes than during relaxation; it is theorised that worriers may move from non-verbal to verbal thought in order to avoid the greater arousal associated with non-verbal thought intrusions. This carries with it the unintended consequence of reducing emotional processing, leading to a subsequent increase in intrusive thoughts. Whilst cognitive science has emphasised the content of cognition and how this links to emotion, the psychological flexibility model suggests that content is less important than how we relate to our cognitive events. The degree to which we get entangled in our thinking, lack perspective on our thoughts and the degree to which cognition comes to regulate our behaviour over other sources is known as cognitive fusion. It is postulated that some individuals may be more prone to avoiding internal experiences due to the stance they take toward these experiences. In the long-term, worry should lead to a reduction in the experience of intrusive images and memories and an increase in intrusive thoughts; and this relationship should vary depending on an individual’s stance in relation to their internal experiences. The purpose of the current study is to explore the experience of intrusive memories, images and thoughts in an older adult sample, and the relationship of these experiences to level of worry, cognitive fusion and psychological inflexibility. Method: Sixty-two community dwelling older adults were involved in the study. Each completed questionnaire measures to assess level of trait worry, depression, cognitive fusion and psychological inflexibility, as well as an interview to determine whether diagnostic criteria were met for any mood or anxiety disorder and to complete an interview exploring the experience of intrusive memories, thoughts and images. Findings: Higher levels of trait worry were strongly associated with higher levels of cognitive fusion and psychological inflexibility. Intrusive memories, images and thoughts were all reported in low levels across the sample. Level of worry was positively associated with the severity but not the occurrence of intrusive memories and thoughts. Higher levels of psychological inflexibility were associated with less occurrence of intrusive memories and images; whereas higher levels of cognitive fusion were associated with the increased occurrence of intrusive images. Higher levels of worry, cognitive fusion and psychological inflexibility were all associated with increased severity of intrusive thoughts. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research and to the Avoidance Theory and Acceptance Model of GAD. Implications are considered for further research and clinical applications.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Objective: The cancer worry is associated with preventive behaviors for the detection of this disease; However, there is no instrument with evidence of validity and reliability to measure this construct in Latin American countries, including Peru. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the evidence of validity based on the internal structure and reliability of the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS) in a sample of people without cancer diagnosis with a family history of cancer. Method: It counted with the participation of 215 healthy people with a family history of cancer who attended the outpatient service of two public and private health institutions in the city of Chimbote with an average age of 42.10 years (SD = 14.05). For the collection of information, an ad hoc sociodemographic record and the Cancer Worry Scale were used. Results: The one-dimensional model presented a good fit of the data (SBχ2 (8) = 14.39, SB χ2 / df = 1.79, CFI = 0.991, SRMR = 0.025, RMSEA = 0.061 [IC90%: 0.000-0.111], AIC = 47.701) and adequate reliability (ω corrected = 0.90; IC95%: 0.88-0.92). Conclusion: It is concluded that the CWS presents adequate psychometric properties, being a measure that provides valid and reliable interpretations of the cáncer worry in the peruvian context. / Revisión por pares / Revisión por pares

Attentional bias is commonly associated with emotional disorders. However, potential transdiagnostic mediators of attentional bias, such as repetitive negative thinking (RNT) have been overlooked. The current study examined attentional biases associated with three forms of RNT and tested a proposed mediation model. Participants (N = 249) completed self-report measures, a repetitive thought induction, and an emotional face dot-probe measure of attentional bias. I hypothesized that RNT would be associated with attentional bias to angry, sad, and disgust faces, worry with angry faces, and rumination with sad faces after a negative thought induction. I also hypothesized that attentional bias scores would mediate the association between negative affect and RNT. Overall study hypotheses were not supported. Clinical worry was associated with slower reaction times to sad faces in the negative induction. RNT, worry, and rumination were not associated with attentional bias scores to emotional faces, and the mediation model was not supported.

No description available.

The term dementia refers to a progressive decline in cognitive functioning resulting in a significant impairment in daily living. Given the devastating impacts of the disease and lack of a cure, it is reasonable to expect people fear developing a dementia. Alzheimer's disease ranks high among the most feared diseases in national samples of the American population. As a topic of study, little is known about the determinants of fear of Alzheimer's disease and how this fear may change as a function of aging, time, or experience. The current study sought to fill this gap by investigating the nature of changes in fear of Alzheimer's disease by following participants (N = 227) over the course of two years. Volunteers completed measures on fear of dementia, knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, knowledge about the aging process, personality traits, memory self-efficacy, anxiety about aging, and Alzheimer's-related experiences (i.e., family history, caregiving experience, number of people known with the disease, personal diagnosis, etc.). Results supported the notion that fear for becoming a burden to others, a component of fear of dementia, decreased over the two years. In addition, personality traits and memory self-efficacy mediated the two-year change in concerns about perceived symptoms of cognitive decline. In predicting fear for various aspects of Alzheimer's disease, anxiety about aging and experience/exposure to the disease emerged as prominent predictors. These results highlight dementia concerns and offer guidance for early interventions, such as an open communication with family and health care providers about fear of dementia.

No description available.