As a whole, eating disorders have been characterised as having the following key features: a persistent over concern with body size and shape; and weight control behaviours such as fasting, exercise, and self-induced vomiting. However, there tends to be a blurred line between those that do and do not meet diagnostic thresholds as the level of psychological distress is comparably similar. This study examined whether psychological inflexibility (from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy perspective) was associated with eating disorders and whether it mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and invalidation and eating disorders. This was considered to be important because high rates of abuse have consistently been found in this population, yet not everyone goes on to develop an eating disorder. In addition, the role of emotional abuse has been largely neglected. A clinical sample of 190 participants with a clinical or subclinical eating disorder were recruited from eating disorder charities and support forums; they completed a range of questionnaires measuring experiences of abuse and maternal/paternal emotional invalidation in childhood, current levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance and current levels of eating pathology. The sample was split into three groups based on their Eating Disorder Risk Composite scores: elevated, typical and low clinical range. It was found that those in the elevated clinical range (most severe eating pathology) had the poorest emotional processing and significantly higher levels of psychological inflexibility, thought-shape-fusion, depression and anxiety than those in the low clinical range (least severe eating pathology). In terms of predicting current levels of eating pathology, three variables emerged as significant predictors: emotional processing, thought-shape fusion and depression. In terms of predicting current levels of psychological inflexibility, five variables emerged as significant predictors: childhood emotional abuse, emotional processing, thought-shape-fusion, depression and anxiety. The results add novel findings to the literature regarding the role of early experiences on the development of psychological inflexibility, and the role of psychological inflexibility in the maintenance of eating pathology and psychological distress. Clinical implications of these findings in relation to assessment, formulation, intervention and prevention are discussed.

Appendices were not supplied with the digital version of the thesis but are available in the print version. / The present research includes two studies. Study I was based on the research finding that exposure to nuclear radiation and other toxic chemicals results in those who were exposed not only believing their health to be affected, but experiencing significant and chronic stress. It was hypothesised that ongoing stress for New Zealand’s nuclear test veterans resulting from the inability to adapt to their past nuclear exposure would result in them experiencing greater depressive symptomatology, poorer perceived health, and poorer perceived memory performance than a control group. Psychological profiles of 50 nuclear test veterans and 50 age-matched Control participants were obtained through postal survey and face-to-face interview, using the Geriatric Depression Scale, Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, and the Memory Assessment Clinics Self-Rating Scale. As predicted, the nuclear veterans exhibited more depressive symptoms, and perceived their health and memory performance to be poorer than the Control group. A stress theory framework is applied to help conceptualise the experience of the nuclear veterans, and to provide an explanation for their lower scores and consequent poorer functioning. Through the pathway of poor perceived health leading to anxiety, health anxiety was considered a form of chronic stress the nuclear veterans were experiencing. Consequently, Study II aimed to examine whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) could be usefully applied to relieve this anxiety. Most psychotherapeutic approaches have been developed for problems that have an "irrational" or "pathological" foundation. However, these approaches often fit poorly with psychological distress that stems from cognitions that are reality-based and may need to be accepted rather than changed, such as in the case of nuclear exposure-related health anxiety. ACT may be particularly useful in these situations in which cognitive change is not warranted. Study II examined the use of ACT with 5 NZ nuclear test veterans (of either Māori or Pākehā descent) experiencing moderate to high levels of health anxiety. Results of self-report measures administered at baseline, during treatment, post-treatment, and at 6-week follow-up indicated varying results amongst these men. One participant showed clinically significant post-treatment reductions in health anxiety, experiential avoidance, and general psychological distress that were maintained at follow-up. Two participants showed clinically significant post- vi treatment reductions in health anxiety, experiential avoidance, and distress, despite not engaging in therapy as they did not wish to make changes. For the same reason, a fourth participant chose not to engage in therapy, despite high baseline scores on all measures, and showed no improvement during or after therapy. The fifth participant had low baseline scores on all measures, maintaining these throughout therapy, and at follow-up. Results are explained in terms of cohort and gender effects, with suggestions for adapting ACT with NZ older adults, particularly males. Implications for the utility of ACT with toxic exposure populations, older adults, and various cultures are discussed.

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L’objectif de cette recherche était de tester les effets de la thérapie de l’acceptation et de l’engagement (ACT) sur les étudiants en première année de la Faculté d’ Éducation, Burapha Université, Thaïlande, en développant un programme de développement des compétences émotionnelles grâce à la pleine conscience et de l’accompagnement et du conseil (MBECC) adressé aux participants. 130 d’étudiants de première année ont passé le test Thaï d’ Intelligence Émotionnelle et le test d’échelle d’évaluation de la pleine conscience (MAAS test). 18 étudiants ont été sélectionnés et répartis en 3 groupes: le Marathon MBECC, le Bref MBECC et un groupe de contrôle via une procédure d'échantillonnage aléatoire simple. Le protocole de recherche a suivi un protocole expérimental de recherche avec pré test, post- test et test de suivi, un mois après les interventions et leurs comparaisons respectives avec un groupe de contrôle. Les données ont été statistiquement analysées en utilisant une analyse multivariée des variances (procédure MANOVA). Les résultats de recherche démontrent que le programme Marathon MBECC et le programme Bref MBECC ont amélioré les scores moyens en capital émotionnel à la phase post-test et de suivi (significatif : p < .05) plus que le groupe de contrôle au post-test et de suivi. Les programmes Marathon et Bref ont amélioré les scores moyens en KE du groupe expérimental sans différence significative entre les 2 groupes, à la phase post-test et suivi. Finalement, les scores moyens et le niveau d’évaluation de la pleine conscience n'ont pas significativement affecté les scores moyens des étudiants en KE. / The purpose of this study was to study the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on emotional capital (EK) of the freshmen students of the Faculty of Education, Burapha University, Thailand, by using the Mindfulness Based Emotional Competencies Counseling (MBECC) program. 130 freshmen students completed the Thai Emotional Intelligence Screening Test (Thai-EI) and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Then, 18 freshmen students were divided into 3 groups: the Marathon MBECC, the Brief MBECC, and the control group by simple random sampling according to the score of Thai-EI and MAAS. The research design was a pretest–posttest control group design, including follow-up testing after 1 month. The data were statistically analyzed by utilizing a multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance. The research results demonstrated that the Marathon MBECC and the Brief MBEC enhanced the sample’s EK scores at the post-test and follow-up phase significantly (p < .05) more than the control group’s mean scores. The Marathon MBECC and the Brief MBECC increased the mean scores on EK of the experimental group with no significant differences between the 2 groups, at the post-test and follow-up phase. Finally, the scores on level of dispositional mindfulness did not significantly affect the students’ scores on EK.

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No description available.

Denna masteruppsats diskuterar naturens läkande effekt på människan genom att analysera nuvarande forskningsläge i både svenskt och internationellt perspektiv. Analysen förstås genom en teoretisk modell som baserar sig på ekologisk perceptionsfenomenologi, hyperrealitet och relationsinramning. Uppsatsens slutsats är att naturens läkande effekt kan förklaras med en perceptiv relation mellan människan och den mer-än-mänskliga världen, men också, att mer forskning behövs. / This master thesis discusses the healing properties of nature on the human being through an analysis of current Swedish and international research. The analysis is made by using a theoretical model based on ecological perception phenomenology, hyperreality and relational frame theory. The conclusion of the thesis is that the healing properties of nature may be explained by the perceptive relation between the human being and the more-than-human world, but also that more research is needed.

本研究では，アクセプタンス&コミットメント・セラピーによる健康関連の生活の質の向上と更年期症状の重症度への効果を検討した。質問紙調査ならびに前後比較試験と一事例の実験デザインの3つの研究により検討した。その結果，ACTによる介入が健康関連の生活の質を向上させ，更年期症状の重症度を低減させる可能性が示された。本研究により更年期症状への介入の新たな選択肢を提示するとともに，ACTの適用範囲を広げることなった。 / 博士(心理学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

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Au Canada, près du tiers des étudiants de niveau postsecondaire souffrent de détresse psychologique (Mackean, 2011), ce qui représente la proportion la plus élevée de tous les groupes d’âge (Baraldi et al., 2015). Bien que des efforts aient été déployés pour aider les étudiants, les établissements d’enseignement supérieur assistent à une augmentation notable de la demande de services psychosociaux et peinent à y répondre. Face à cette situation alarmante, les ateliers KORSA, une intervention de groupe basée sur la thérapie d’acceptation et d’engagement (ACT), ont été implantés dans plusieurs universités et cégeps du Québec afin de promouvoir la santé mentale des étudiants. Les résultats des études réalisées pour évaluer l’efficacité de cette intervention sont prometteurs (Grégoire et al., 2016; Grégoire et al., 2018) et vont dans le même sens que d’autres essais contrôlés randomisés ayant montré que des programmes d’intervention basés sur l’ACT permettent de réduire les symptômes de stress, d’anxiété et de dépression des étudiants (Levin et al., 2017; Muto et al., 2011; Räsänen et al., 2016). Cependant, la plupart de ces études se sont concentrées sur des indicateurs négatifs de santé mentale et n’ont pas exploré les médiateurs de changement qui pourraient expliquer l’efficacité de ce type d’intervention. Afin de pallier ces limites, l’objectif de cette thèse visait à évaluer l’impact des ateliers KORSA sur le bien-être psychologique des étudiants, de même que sur certains de ses déterminants (c.-à-.d. l’auto-compassion, les valeurs intrinsèques et les valeurs extrinsèques) qui n’avaient pas été testés à ce jour. La thèse visait aussi à déterminer si l’auto-compassion et ces valeurs pouvaient agir en tant que médiateurs de changement dans l’efficacité de cette intervention sur le bien-être bien-psychologique. À ces fins, 137 étudiants universitaires ont été recrutés pour participer à un essai contrôlé randomisé de type liste d’attente. Les données ont été recueillies à l’aide de questionnaires auto-rapportés avant et après l’intervention. Dans le premier article de la thèse, l’effet des ateliers KORSA sur l’auto-compassion et le bien-être psychologique (mesuré par la satisfaction de vie et par la présence de sens dans la vie) a été évalué. L’étude visait également à déterminer si l’auto-compassion représentait un médiateur de changement de l’intervention sur ces indicateurs de bien-être. En comparaison avec le groupe contrôle, les résultats ont révélé que l’intervention a permis d’accroître significativement le niveau de satisfaction de vie, de présence de sens dans la vie et d’auto-compassion des participants. Les analyses de médiation ont montré que l’auto-compassion médiait partiellement les effets de l’intervention sur la satisfaction de vie et la présence de sens. Dans le deuxième article de la thèse, l’effet des ateliers KORSA sur l’importance accordée aux valeurs intrinsèques et extrinsèques a été évalué, de même que l’impact de l’intervention sur le niveau de bien-être psychologique des étudiants, mesuré cette fois-ci par l’épanouissement personnel. Le rôle des valeurs comme médiateurs de l’effet des ateliers KORSA sur l’épanouissement personnel a également été examiné. Les résultats ont révélé que les étudiants qui ont participé aux ateliers KORSA ont accordé moins d’importance aux valeurs extrinsèques au terme de l’intervention et ont rapporté un niveau d’épanouissement personnel plus grand, en comparaison aux participants du groupe contrôle. Aucune différence statistiquement significative n’a été observée entre les deux groupes pour les valeurs intrinsèques, possiblement en raison d’un effet plafond. Les analyses de médiation ont montré que l’intervention augmentait significativement l’épanouissement personnel des étudiants via la diminution de l’importance accordée aux valeurs extrinsèques. Les deux études soulignent la pertinence de continuer à offrir les ateliers KORSA en milieu universitaire afin de favoriser le bien-être psychologique des étudiants. Elles mettent également en lumière que le niveau d’auto-compassion des étudiants ainsi que l’importance qu’ils accordent à certaines valeurs représentent des leviers intéressants pour favoriser leur bien-être. / In Canada, nearly one third of postsecondary students experience psychological distress (MacKean, 2011), which represents the highest proportion among all age groups (Baraldi et al., 2015). Although efforts have been made to support students, requests for psychological help have significantly increased over the years, and counselling centers have struggled to respond. To address this alarming situation, the KORSA workshop, a group intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), has been implemented in various postsecondary institutions in Quebec to help promote students’ mental health. Results of studies conducted to evaluate KORSA’s efficacy are promising (Grégoire et al., 2016; Grégoire et al., 2018) and consistent with other randomized controlled trials that have shown that ACT-based interventions help reduce students’ stress, anxiety and depression (Levin et al., 2017; Muto et al., 2011; Räsänen et al., 2016). However, most of these studies have focused on negative indicators of mental health and have rarely explored potential mediators of change that could explain why this type of intervention leads to mental health benefits. To address these limitations, the objective of this thesis was to assess the impact of the KORSA workshop on students’ well-being, as well as on some of its determinants that had not been explored thus far (i.e., self-compassion, intrinsic values and extrinsic values). This thesis also aimed to determine whether self-compassion and values could mediate the benefits of this intervention. To these ends, 137 university students were recruited to participate in a waitlist randomized controlled trial. Data were collected with self-report questionnaires both before and after the intervention. In the first article, we evaluated the effect of the KORSA workshop on self-compassion and psychological well-being (measured by life satisfaction and meaning in life). We also explored whether self-compassion could mediate KORSA’s well-being benefits. Results showed that compared to students on the waitlist, participants in the intervention group reported higher life satisfaction, meaning in life, and self-compassion at post-intervention. Mediation analyses suggested that the intervention indirectly influenced life satisfaction and meaning in life, partly through its positive effect on self-compassion. In the second article, we assessed KORSA’s impact on students’ intrinsic and extrinsic values and on psychological well-being (measured this time by life fulfillment). We also examined whether the importance ascribed to intrinsic and extrinsic values could mediate KORSA’s impact on life fulfillment. Results revealed that KORSA led to a decrease in the importance placed on extrinsic values as well as an increase in life fulfillment, compared to the control group. There was no significant between-condition difference in the importance of IV, possibly due to a ceiling effect. Path analyses revealed that the intervention indirectly influenced life fulfillment through a lower importance placed on extrinsic values. Together, these studies suggest that continuing to offer the KORSA workshop in universities is a worthy avenue to promote students’ psychological well-being. They also highlight that students’ self-compassion and the importance they ascribe to some values represent interesting mechanisms involved in the promotion of well-being.