M.A. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an individualized holistic psychotherapy and synergistic stress management programme for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and stress, both of which are common disorders in this present day and age. IBS is a functional bowel disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that leads to change in bowel habits with the additional features of abdominal pain and distension (Drossman, 1994b). This functional disorder has been associated with stress since time immemorial and it is only recently that research has begun to examine how and by what mechanisms IBS and stress are related. A review of the literature suggests a resurgent interest in IBS and stress. Tantalizing questions like ‘IBS – irritable bowel, irritable body, irritable brain or irritable mind?’ gives one an idea of the genesis from which the disorder has come, the complications in which it has been mired and the directions in which it is aspiring to go (Farthing, 1995). Using both the historical context and the present level of understanding in the research literature, one becomes aware of the shifting paradigm from the dualistic Cartesian-Newtonian biomedical perspective, to the biopsychosocial and integrative mind-body approaches which reflect the move to a holistic and non-linear quantum scientific worldview. The ecosystemic paradigm on which the present study is based, represents this shift whereby systemic changes in cyclical rhythmic patterns within the psychophysiology of clients reflect new ways of conceptualizing psychosomatic (mind-body) ill-health (Weiner, 1992). Within the behavioural and medical health fields, both psychologists and physicians as well as a number of other disciplines are moving towards more integrative solutions which include the mind-body-spirit dimensions of the individual. Drossman, Whitehead and Camilleri (1997) have begun to consider the individualized expression of the illness in the patient and to situate him among his wider systems, as well as incorporating a referral team approach to the treatment of IBS. Salt (1997) extends the use of the biopsychosocial model to include the spiritual dimension in his treatment of IBS patients. Broom (1997) weaves the various internal systems of the person into the story of the client’s illness that integrates the mind and body. The psychologically based holistic intervention of this study was developed in response to the calls for more integrative approaches to treatment which incorporate whole-person care. The specific aim of this study is to compare a group of IBS participants who receive the holistic individualized psychotherapy and synergistic stress management intervention with a group of IBS participants who do not receive the treatment. The sample consisted of two groups, an experimental (N = 20) group and a control (N = 20) group. The IBS Client Questionnaire also known as the Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index (FBDSI) (Drossman, Zhiming, Toner, Diamant, Creed, Thompson, Read, Babbs, Barreiro, Bank, Whitehead, Schuster & Guthrie 1995) was used to verify a diagnosis of IBS as well as a measure of the severity of symptoms. This index is based on the current international diagnostic criteria for IBS. The Occupational Stress Inventory was used as a measure of vocational stress and was developed to provide an integrated theoretical model linking sources of stress in the work environment, psychological strains experienced by individuals as a result of work stressors and the coping resources available to counterbalance the effect of stressors and alleviate strain. It consists of three scales, namely Occupational Roles, Personal Strain and Personal Resources scales respectively. Wilks’ Lambda was used for the between-groups comparisons between the intervention and non-intervention groups and Paired Samples t-test was used for the within-groups analysis. The comparisons were made in terms of improvement in symptoms, determined by the Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index (FBDSI) and lowering of occupational stress, determined by two of the scales of the Occupational Stress Inventory, namely the Occupational Roles and Personal Strain scales and an increase in coping responses determined by the Personal Resources scale. Both of these were administered as pre- and post-test measures before and three months after the intervention was completed. The results of the study indicate that the experimental group of IBS participants who received the intervention improved in symptom severity, their occupational stress was lowered and they began utilizing more coping resources than the group of IBS participants who did not receive the intervention. Thus it is concluded that an individualized holistic approach for the treatment of IBS is indicated and that individuals with refractory IBS can be helped to manage their illness and their lives. In particular, this psychologically based study confirms a very definite and specific place for psychologists in the treatment of clients with IBS and stress. An invitation was extended to the control group to use the facilities for therapeutic intervention offered by the RAU Psychogastroenterology project once the post-tests had been completed, thus addressing any ethical questions that could have arisen. This was an initial investigation using an ecologically based meta-theoretical framework as well as specific stress techniques for the holistic treatment of clients. A number of recommendations arose from this particular intervention and are included for future studies.

M.A. (Counselling Psychology) / A correlation between academic achievement and academic self-concept has been well established during past studies. Academic self-concept may be influenced by the experience of academic stress, especially academic expectancy stress which is stress derived from the expectations of the self and significant others. With debilitating effects that academic expectancy stress may have on students, interventions need to be put in place to assist students in coping with the workload and also to protect their academic self-concept. The use of humour in an educational setting has been shown to be successful in assisting students in performing well academically. Different humour styles may, however, play a role in the relationship between academic expectancy stress and academic self-concept. This study focused on humour styles (self-enhancing, affiliative, self-defeating and aggressive humour styles) as moderators in the relationship between academic expectancy stress and academic self-concept. The sample of this study consisted of 976 undergraduate students from the University of Johannesburg. The Humour Styles Questionnaire, Academic Expectations Stress Inventory and the Academic Self-concept Scale were used to gather data. A correlational analysis was initially done to determine the relationships between the variables and to check for multicollinearity. Next, a moderated multiple regression analysis was done to determine if the four humour styles moderate the relationship between academic expectancy stress and academic self-concept ...

M.A. / The literature indicates that journalists who experience work related traumatic situations, are at risk for the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Teegen & Grotwinkel, 2001). Moreover, some journalists who develop this disorder do so after covering a relatively minor traumatic story (Castle, 2001). Certain temperament traits have been implicated as vulnerabilities to the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in police officers (Henning, 1999). Few research studies have investigated temperament and sense of coherence as mediating factors for occupational stress in journalists exposed to trauma. The aim of the present study was to address this dearth by investigating whether there are statistically significant differences in the experience of trauma, temperament traits and sense of coherence of journalists with varied responses to occupational stress and trauma. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised was used to divide journalists into three groups, namely those with minor reactions to trauma (n=10), moderate reactions (n=24) and severe reactions of clinical importance (n=16). The first group of hypotheses posed in the study pertains to group differences and postulates that the three groups will have statistically significant differences regarding trauma exposure. The second group of hypotheses deals with group differences and postulates that the three groups of journalists will differ regarding certain temperament dimensions. The third group of hypotheses formulated for the study proposes group differences regarding sense of coherence. Analysis of Variance followed by the Scheffé post hoc multiple comparisons technique indicated statistically significant differences between the three groups regarding experience of trauma as measured by the Trauma Questionnaire; certain temperament-personality traits as measured by the Personality Assessment Inventory and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire; and sense of coherence as measured by The Sense of Coherence Questionnaire. The study revealed that the group with severe reactions to stress and trauma had been exposed to intense trauma involving people and that they report significant emotional reactions to the trauma. The Personality Assessment Inventory indicated that the severe reactions group has temperament profiles characterised by somatic complaints, anxiety, depression, paranoia, borderline features, aggression, suicidal ideation, stress and treatment rejection. This group also showed greater neuroticism-anxiety and aggression-hostility prone temperament types than the other two groups as well as lower comprehensibility and manageability as indicated by the Sense of Coherence Scale. The results of the present study exhibit support that there are various factors that could have an impact on how journalists deal with the traumatic stories they cover and what their personal outcomes are after covering these stories. Journalists who develop severe PTSD have different perceptions of the trauma, temperament profiles and sense of coherence that impact on their ways of coping with the traumatic situations they face daily. Criticism of the study deals mainly with gender, age, race and the subjects' pre-testing history, which were not controlled for. Another possible shortcoming of the research is that the journalists were sourced from main stream publications as well as community papers. This might have had an impact on the amount and type of trauma the journalists were exposed to. It would have been preferable to include a greater number of participants in the study to more efficiently address the many variables. Lastly, pre-trauma temperament traits were not controlled for, due to the complexity and ethical complications involved in the subject matter. It is recommended that age, gender, race, pre-testing history and pre-trauma traits is controlled. This will however require a large sample of journalists, which was not available for the present study. It would also be beneficial to compare frequency and type of trauma exposure, PTSD and temperament in a comparative study where community journalists are compared with main stream journalists. Lastly, the development of South African measures for temperament, PTSD and trauma would be highly advantageous to this field of research.

The relationship between stress, trauma, microaggressions, overt violence and life satisfaction has long been established in the literature. This online study sought to identify significant predictors of life satisfaction in a Muslim American sample (N=247) that was 74.5% (N=184) female, 60.7% (N=150) Arab American/Middle Eastern, 21.9% (N=54) Asian American, and 10.5% (N=25) White. The sample had a mean age of 34.21 years with 70% married (N=173). Some 51.4% were born in the U.S. (51.4%, N=127); and, among those not U.S. born, 15.8% reported their country of origin was Egypt (N=39), followed by Palestinian Territories (6.5%, N=16) and Pakistan (5.7%, N=14). And 19.7% (N=49) have lived in the U.S. for 26-30 years. Also, 35.6% (N=88) completed a bachelor’s degree, 64.8% were employed (N=160) and, 31.6% reported an annual household income in the $50,000-$99,000 bracket. This sample’s mean experience of microaggressions was 7.12 (SD=6.649, min=0, max=24) indicating low experience. While the mean exposure to overt acts of violence was 0.71 (SD= 1.457, min=0, max=9), indicating very low exposure. Regarding life satisfaction, 53.5% of the sample indicated a life satisfaction score of 8 or more (N=132). The mean perception to Islamophobia was 4.076, indicating a high ability to perceive Islamophobia. Using backwards stepwise regression, higher life satisfaction was significantly predicted by: being less likely to be depressed in the past year (B=-0.59, p=0.012); older age (B=0.038, p=0.001); better overall health status (B=0.361, p=0.001); better rating of quality of provider (B=0.351, p=0.001); lower perceived stress (B=-0.07, p=0.0); lower stage for coping and responding to Islamophobia (B=-0.17, p=0.025); higher use of “stop unpleasant thoughts” coping style (B=0.129, p=0.007) with R2= 0.584 (adjusted R2= 0.566; 56.6% of variance explained). Quantitative findings were augmented by emergent themes in the qualitative data. Case in point, living in a post-9/11 America and discrimination with subthemes including Islamophobia, acceptability of public discrimination, and destruction of personal property were found to be negatively associated with life satisfaction. Five overarching themes were found to be related to higher life satisfaction and ability to cope: feeling a sense of community, wearing hijab (headscarf for women), religiosity and Islamic identity, work, and financial stability.

Despite long-held recognition of the importance of situations in psychological understanding and analysis, current research is lacking in discernment of structurally important elements of situations as they relate to behavior (Funder et al., 2012). Using the Riverside Situational Q-sort (RSQ: Wagerman & Funder, 2009), an 89-item measure used to assess the psychological properties of situations, the major aim of this study was to identify a reliable set of categories or types of situations that people experience every day. Data was collected online from a U.S. sample (N = 186). Participants were asked to recall details about a situation he or she experienced during the previous day (i.e. "What were you doing yesterday at this time?"). Participants were then asked to rate that situation using the RSQ. Inverse factor analyses revealed the following everyday situation types: 1) Social Closeness, 2) Obligatory, 3) Cognitive, 4) Enjoyable/Aesthetic, and 5) Anxiety Inducing. / by Brittany M. Thompson. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Yau Muk Leung Anthony. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-61). / Abstracts in English and Chinese, questionare in Chinese.

Theory and research on emotion regulation have shifted from an emphasis on adaptiveness of specific regulatory strategies to regulatory flexibility according situational demands. Using the process model of flexible regulation (Bonanno & Burton, 2013), this dissertation reports two studies designed to investigate questions related to regulatory repertoire and responsiveness to feedback (two central components underpinning regulatory flexibility), respectively. In Study 1, participants undertook the Expressive Flexibility Task (EF Task), in which they were instructed to up- and down-regulate their emotional facial expressions, and the Affective Flexibility Task (AF Task), in which they were instructed to up- and down-regulate their subjective feelings. The results showed that the ability to enhance emotional expression, as rated by untrained observers, and the ability to enhance subjective feeling, as measured by facial electromyography (EMG), were moderately correlated, so were the abilities to suppress emotional expression and subjective feeling, suggesting regulation in distinct response systems are separable but also reflect a broader, unified capacity. In Study 2, extra trials (2nd phase) were added to examine the effect of practice and feedback instruction on expressive and affective regulatory abilities. Half of the participants were given predetermined negative feedback about their performance of the EF and AF Tasks and asked to try harder in the 2nd phase of the tasks (feedback group), and the other half were instructed to wait before proceeding to the 2nd task phases (control group). The two groups demonstrated comparable improvement in the ability to further enhance subjective feeling in the 2nd phase of the tasks, as measured by facial EMG. The feedback group also reported more or less emotion in accordance to the regulatory instructions in the 2nd task phases. Furthermore, both the abilities to further enhance and suppress subjective feeling as measured by facial EMG were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms and general distress, regardless of group status. The findings were discussed within the regulatory flexibility framework. Methodological limitations of the study and direction for future research were also discussed.

Though the scientific study of stress is relatively new, not even one hundred years old, there has been robust inquiry and discovery in stress research since its instantiation. Yet, many unanswered questions remain on how specific stressors impact the mind, brain and body. Social threat is a pervasive form of stress for species that are organized in social hierarchies, like humans and some animals. Social evaluative threat (SET), occurring when there is potential for negative evaluation or rejection from others, is a pervasive and important form of stress in humans having many links to stress-related physiological outcomes which in turn have important implications for health outcomes. The brain is a critical component in the mind-brain-body-health connection, but less is known about SET at the neural level. Here in this thesis, there are three studies that characterize the neural circuitry that responds to SET. Using a novel imaging technique, arterial spin labeling, Study 1 asks whether SET-related brain circuitry is modulated by a SET-related trait level vulnerability, Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE). Overall, Study 1 replicated previous work by showing SET-related reactivity in the left pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, right ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) and medial periaqueductal gray and extended previous work by showing that changes in the left vMPFC and the right thalamus were predicted by FNE. Using blood oxygenation level-dependent imaging (BOLD), Study 2 asks whether SET influences the brain circuitry on which the formation of relational episodic memory relies. With the use of mediation analysis, it was found that SET impaired relational episodic memory, and that the impairment was a function of activity in the right parahippocampal cortex and bilateral vMPFC. Using BOLD imaging, Study 3 asks whether SET influences the brain circuitry that subserves working memory (WM). With the use of mediation analysis, it was found that SET impaired WM, and that the impairment was a function of activity in bilateral intraparietal sulcus. Links between mind, brain, body and health are discussed throughout this work.

At Time 2, the mother-adolescent dyads were contacted again at the end of the academic year, of which 304 dyads participated in the survey. The longitudinal model generated results similar to that of Time 1. Path analysis revealed that gender differences emerged in the complexity of the model. For girls, all stressors except emotional autonomy contributed to parenting stress, which in turn negatively influenced parenting style. Maternal control mediated the negative impact of parenting stress on achievement aspirations. However, parenting style did not predict girls' perceived academic competence. For boys, all stressors except emotional autonomy predicted parenting stress, which in turn impaired the quality of parenting style. However, parenting style did not predict any of boys' adjustment outcomes. Instead, emotional autonomy had a direct negative impact on achievement aspirations and perceived academic competence. / Based on results derived at Time 2, the model was revised and gender differences were tested using multi-sample analyses. In the final model, parenting stress had an indirect effect on girls' achievement aspirations through the mediation of parental control, whereas parenting stress had a direct effect on boys' achievement aspirations. However, only maternal academic distress predicted adolescent perceived academic competence in both genders. / The present dissertation broadened current literature in the area by proposing an integrated model of parenting stress. Findings suggested intervention to target at mother's parenting self-efficacy, and parenting alliance to ameliorate the stresses and burden of child caring. However, the validity of the findings may be impeded by limitations in relation to methodology. Implications for future research on parenting stress were discussed in detail. / There is no doubt that parenting is one of the most taxing roles. The issue of parenting stress is a complex phenomenon that requires research to be guided by theory and models (Abidin, 1990), without which advancement in the area would not be possible. The present dissertation was an attempt to propose an integrated model of parenting stress among Chinese mothers with children advancing from primary to secondary school. The integrated model was a modification of Abidin's (1992) model in that variables appropriate to the child's developmental stage and the Chinese culture were incorporated. The model postulated that parenting-relevant stressors/resources were predictive of parenting stress. Parenting stress then had a negative impact on adolescent outcomes through the mediation of parenting style. Negative outcomes would further accentuate parenting stress, thus creating a vicious cycle of maladaptiveness. The validity of the model in predicting adolescent achievement aspirations and perceived academic competence was tested at two time points over a 6-month interval. At Time 1, the cross-sectional model was tested in 510 mother-adolescent dyads. Results of path analysis revealed substantial gender differences. For girls, adolescent emotional autonomy, maternal academic distress, parenting alliance and parenting self-efficacy contributed to parenting stress. Parenting stress had a direct effect on parenting style and indirect effect on girls' achievement aspirations and perceived academic competence through the mediation of parental control. For boys, all the stressors except emotional autonomy contributed to parenting stress. Parenting stress had a direct effect on parenting style. However, parenting style did not mediate the effect of parenting stress as both parental control and parental responsiveness failed to explain boys' outcomes. Instead, boys' emotional autonomy contributed directly to lower levels of achievement aspirations and perceived academic competence. / Lai, Pui Yee. / "June 2007." / Adviser: Catherine S. K. Tang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-01, Section: B, page: 0717. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-165). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

The purpose of this study was to compare the attachment process of mothers with and without a handicapped infant and to examine the effects of stress and the social support network on this process. The research was a prospective, longitudinal study comparing two different mother-infant groups on the dependent variable, maternal attachment. The independent variables handicap-nonhandicap, maternal characteristics, perinatal events, and other stressors were analyzed for their effect on maternal attachment. The social support network was examined to determine its direct and indirect effect on the attachment process. The sample was composed of 36 mother-infant dyads. Data were gathered in the home at one, six, and twelve months postpartum using interviews, questionnaires and observation. Upon completion of data collection, comparisons were made between those mothers having a handicapped infant (n = 15) and those having a nonhandicapped infant (n = 21). Quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed to answer the study questions. The results indicate that there were significant differences in maternal attachment at one month postpartum with the mothers having a handicapped infant exhibiting fewer attachment behaviors. When the effects of prenatal support were partialled out, the handicap-nonhandicap variable no longer correlated significantly with maternal attachment suggesting that support was buffering the effects of having a handicapped infant. The results of the qualitative analysis also indicated that mothers having a handicapped infant were having problems with attachment. The support variables, affect and affirmation, were positively associated with maternal attachment for those mothers having a handicapped infant, while aid support was negatively correlated with maternal attachment. The qualitative analysis found that the mothers having a handicapped infant gained new support members and that more professionals became part of their support systems. In spite of gaining new support members, these mothers felt that they had less aid. At one year postpartum, mothers with a handicapped infant were experiencing more stressors than mothers with a nonhandicapped infant. Furthermore, stressors were negatively correlated with maternal attachment.