Thesis (B.A. Hons. 1979) from the Department of Psychology, University of Adelaide.

Thesis ((MPhyst.)--Faculty of Health Sciences)-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-113). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Portland State University, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [213]-221).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Seton Hall University, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-144).

The majority of research on academic procrastination has been conducted among undergraduate students, and there is relatively little research investigating procrastination among doctoral students. PhD students are different from undergraduates: they might need a higher level of self-regulatory ability to conduct research. The aim of this thesis was to fill the research gap in the investigation of academic procrastination among PhD students in the UK. More specifically, the current investigation combined different perspectives to examine the extent to which PhD students procrastinate, explores the relationships between a variety of psychological variables, doctoral satisfaction and academic procrastination, and identifies the antecedents and influence of procrastination in relation to PhD students’ own experience. This thesis comprises three studies. Firstly, a cross-sectional study (N=285) was conducted in order to assess the relationship between doctoral satisfaction, Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and academic procrastination. In Study 2, a longitudinal research design was employed to examine the stability of the identified relationships over a 12-month period (N=79). The results indicated that doctoral satisfaction and depression had long-term influence on PhD students’ procrastinatory behaviour. In addition, conscientiousness was found to have an effect on academic procrastination only in the cross-sectional study, while openness was found to predict procrastination longitudinally. Moreover, doctoral satisfaction also had meditional effect on the relationship between personality traits, self-efficacy, anxiety, and procrastination. In Study 3, the antecedents and consequences of academic procrastination in terms of UK PhD students’ own perspectives were explored in twenty-one in-depth interviews. Data were thematically analysed and a description of the themes concerning antecedents, positive and negative consequences of procrastination, and coping strategies used to help reduce procrastination, is provided. The findings indicates that PhD students’ procrastination is a multifaceted phenomenon with cognitive, affective, and behavioul factors influencing its likelihood. Causes and effects of academic procrastination among PhD students are discussed on the basis of findings from the quantitative and qualitative studies, by considering individual differences, psychological state, and contextual factors in a new conceptual model of academic procrastination. The findings point to a range of possible procrastination-reduction interventions focused on doctoral satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. The strengths and limitations of this work are discussed.

Substantial benefits can be gained by participating in regular physical exercise, however only a minority of women meet current pregnancy exercise recommendations and there is limited understanding of women’s decision-making regarding exercise in pregnancy. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a theoretical insight into the factors that influence women’s decisions regarding exercise in pregnancy and how they process the influences and multiple alternatives they encounter. The constructivist approach drew on the subjective researcher/participant interrelationship to co-construct meaning from the data and ultimately render the women’s experiences into theoretical interpretations. The theory presented was built inductively from the experiences of 10 pregnant women who exercised regularly, supplemented by insights from theoretical sampling of fitness experts, internet forums and extant literature. Longitudinal, audio-recorded semi-structured interviews occurred twice during each pregnancy and 6-8 weeks postnatal. Data generation and data analysis ran concurrently and iteratively using the constant comparative method of analysis. Theoretical constructs generated by the data were progressively amplified and clarified through a series of inductive-deductive cycles and theoretical sampling that drove the evolving interview schedules. Theorising ideas in the form of detailed memos was a fundamental part of the analysis and enabled a detailed audit trail to be established. The resultant substantive theory of ‘Accommodating the pregnant self’ conceptualises pregnancy as a transitional period during which women’s self-identity is modified. ‘The exercising self’ was a salient and valued facet of the women’s self-identity and continuing to exercise enabled women to maintain a degree of continuity and control that was integral to their sense of maintaining and to a degree regaining their past valued self. Decisions regarding exercise were influenced by a complex interplay of contextual factors that simultaneously encouraged exercise and rest. This consequently triggered a degree of identity conflict between two domains of their self-identity, ‘the exercising self’ and ‘the pregnant self’. The women reacted to the challenges to their identity through the process of self-identity regulation. Through this process they gradually re-constructed their self-identity to accommodate their pregnant self while contemplating possible future selves against various self and social normative standards. Negotiating conflicting identities was an integral component of the decision-making process, and ultimately resulted in many of the women modifying their activities to accommodate the pressures they faced to conform to social ideologies of ‘the pregnant self’. The theory explores a range of strategies that the women used to deal with identity conflict, particularly drawing on selective perception and self-justification to resolve cognitive dissonance. It also highlights a duality in the factors that influenced their decisions which suggests women’s identity characteristics resulted in a propensity for behaviour to be steered by either internal (personal) or external (relational and environmental) influences. The substantive theory underscores the significance of self-identity in steering the decisionmaking process. The findings provide insight into how women might be better supported to make informed and assured decisions regarding lifestyle choices. The theoretical potential to inform interventions to enhance activity levels in a wider population is highlighted.

The extent and nature of the impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the feet from the point of view of those with the disease is unknown. Most epidemiological studies of foot involvement in RA have been based upon radiological scoring or the findings of clinicians' examination of feet in clinically based populations. This thesis aimed to explore foot involvement in RA from the perspective of people with the disease integrated with the perceptions of rheumatologists and podiatrists. Three questionnaires were developed de novo through an iterative process of integrating information gained from focus groups, illness narratives and literature reviews. Following piloting, questionnaires sent to participants enquired about symptoms in the feet, the anatomical distribution of those symptoms, and their impact on quality of life from the perspectives of 1040 people with RA, 78 podiatrists and 414 rheumatologists throughout the UK. Additionally, the availability of podiatric services and the usefulness of interventions for foot symptoms and foot function were triangulated from participants. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and a process of thematic analysis was used to interpret qualitative data. Results from participants indicated that symptoms due to RA were prevalent in all parts of the foot and ankle but the metatarsophalangeal and ankle joints were most commonly and severely affected. Most people with RA (79%) reported suffering recurrent, moderate or severe foot pain every day. Other symptoms (stiffness, numbness and swelling) were also common. Overall, these findings were greater than those that have been reported previously. Foot complaints were noted to have a profound effect on quality of life, with loss of mobility due to symptoms in the feet, and difficulties finding comfortable footwear, leading to loss of independence, anger, frustration and depression; findings that have not been previously reported in detail. A gap between the need for specialist foot care and receiving such care was highlighted, with a total 82% of respondents having discussed their foot symptoms with their rheumatologist. Amongst these patients 64% had been referred to a podiatrist. Clinicians' assessment practices varied widely both within and between professions. Patients reported that on average rheumatologists examined their hands every 6.2 months, whereas their feet were only examined every 16.5 months; this led some patients to feel that rheumatologists were disinterested in their foot complaints. Additionally, the type of assessment undertaken by clinicians did not fully take account of the issues people with RA were reporting. Issues that were key to patients were quality of life and the ability to participate in valued life activities. Difficulties with obtaining adequate foot health care were noted by those with the disease and clinicians alike. Symptoms in the feet in RA are common, severe and tend to be under-reported by clinicians. Involvement of the metatarsophalangeal joints and ankles is especially troublesome. Motion in these joints is vital for normal propulsive gait. Severe involvement causes reduced mobility and impedes independence with considerable consequences for social integration. Outcome measures that exclude the feet discourage foot examination and thus do not fully account for domains of importance to those with RA. Rheumatologists and podiatrists need to work more closely in order for a more patient-centred service to be developed, where a biopsychosocial approach to foot care would more fully address the needs of people with RA.

Previously documented evidence suggests that motherhood is potentially an important time for change in drug-using behaviour. My research interest for this longitudinal phenomenological study stemmed from practice observations where methadone-treated women struggled to prove their trustworthiness as mothers. They consistently reported frustration in the face of continued professional suspicion of their identity as drugusers. The essence of the phenomenon is therefore described as an existential tension experienced by breastfeeding mothers in methadone maintenance treatment during the first 12 weeks of motherhood. The aim of this thesis is to reveal the previously hidden inter-subjective and social realms of their lived worlds.

The presence of environmental variables associated with the occurrence of podoconiosis was indicated in studies by Price in the 1970s. Observation of red clay soil of volcanic origin and barefoot people in podoconiosis-endemic areas were starting points for investigating these factors. Recently, demonstration of genetic susceptibility to the disease has shown the added value of understanding individual level variations and the presence of gene-environment interactions in the development of podoconiosis. Deeper understanding of which environmental and individual variables determine the development of podoconiosis, and at what spatial scale these variables act, will assist intervention at national and local levels. The present study aims to investigate individual and environmental level variables related to podoconiosis at local scale.