Background Inner strength has been described as an important phenomenon in association with disease management, health, and ageing. To increase the knowledge of the phenomenon of inner strength, a meta-theoretical analysis was performed which resulted in a model of Inner Strength where inner strength comprises four interrelated and interacting dimensions; connectedness, creativity, flexibility, and firmness. The model was used in this thesis as a theoretical framework. Aim The overall purpose of this thesis was to develop and validate an inner strength scale, describe inner strength among an older population, and elucidate its significance for experience of health, despite disease and adversities. Methods The studies had quantitative approaches with cross-sectional designs (I-III) and a qualitative approach with narrative interviews (IV). Studies I-IV was part of the GErontological Regional DAtabase (GERDA) Botnia project. In study I, the participants (n = 391, 19-90 years old) were mostly from northern Sweden. In studies II and III, the participants (n = 6119, 65, 70, 75 and 80 years old) were from Sweden and Finland, and in study IV the participants (n = 12, 67-82 years old) were from Västerbotten County. Data was analysed using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), various statistics, structural equation modelling, and qualitative content analysis. Results In study I, the Inner Strength Scale (ISS) was developed and psychometrically tested. An initial 63-item ISS was reduced to a final 20-item ISS. A four-factor solution based on the four dimensions of inner strength was supported, explaining 51% of the variance, and the CFA showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit. In study II, ISS scores in relation to age, gender and culture showed the highest mean ISS score among the 65-year-olds, with a decrease in mean score for every subsequent age (70, 75, and 80 years). Women had slightly higher mean ISS scores than men, and there were minor differences between the regions in Sweden and Finland. In study III, a hypothesis was proposed and subsequently supported in the results where inner strength was found to partially mediate in the relationship between disease and self-rated health. The bias-corrected bootstrap, estimating the mediating indirect effect was significant and the test of goodness-of-fit was satisfactory. In study IV, from the narratives of inner strength it was found that inner strength comprised feelings of being connected and finding life worth living. Having faith in oneself and one’s possibilities and facing and taking an active part in the situation were also expressed. Finally, coming back and finding ways to go forward in life were found to be essential aspects of inner strength. Conclusions The newly developed ISS is a reliable and valid instrument that captures a broad perspective of inner strength. Basic data about inner strength in a large population of old people in Sweden and Finland is provided, showing the highest mean ISS score among the 65-year-olds. Inner strength among old people is a resource for experience of health, despite disease and adversities. This thesis contributes to increase knowledge of the phenomenon of inner strength and provide evidence for the importance of inner strength for old people’s wellbeing. Increased knowledge of the four dimensions of inner strength; connectedness, creativity, flexibility and firmness, is proposed to serve as an aid for health care professionals in their efforts to identify where the need of support is greatest and to find interventions that promotes and strengthen inner strength. / Bakgrund Inre styrka har beskrivits som ett viktigt fenomen associerat till att hantera sjukdom, till hälsa och åldrande. För att öka kunskapen om fenomenet inre styrka genomfördes en metateoretisk analys som resulterade i en Inre Styrka modell där inre styrka omfattar fyra samverkande dimensioner; samhörighet, kreativitet, flexibilitet och fasthet. Modellen har använts i denna avhandling som ett teoretiskt ramverk. Syfte Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling var att utveckla och testa en skala som mäter inre styrka, beskriva inre styrka i en population av äldre, och att belysa dess betydelse för upplevelsen av hälsa, trots sjukdom 0ch motgångar. Metod Studierna som genomfördes hade kvantitativ ansats med tvärsnittsdesign (I-III) och kvalitativ ansats med narrativa intervjuer (IV).  Alla studier var en del av GErontologiska Regionala DAtabas (GERDA) Botnia projektet. Deltagarna i studie I (n= 391, 19-90 år) var mestadels från norra delarna av Sverige. I studierna II och III var deltagarna (n=6119, 65, 70, 75 och 80 år) från Sverige och Finland. I studie IV var deltagarna (n=12, 67-82 år) från Västerbotten. Data analyserades med hjälp av principalkomponentanalys och konfirmatorisk faktor analys (CFA), varierande statistik, strukturell ekvationsmodellering, och kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat I studie I utvecklades och testades Inre Styrka Skalan (ISS). En inledande 63 frågors ISS reducerades till en slutlig 20 frågors ISS. Baserad på de fyra dimensionerna av inre styrka bekräftades en fyrafaktors lösning med 51 % förklaringsgrad och CFA visade ett tillfredställande goodness-of-fit. I studie II beskrevs inre styrka i relation till ålder, kön och kultur. Det högsta totala ISS medelvärdet skattades bland 65-åringarna med lägre medelvärden för varje efterföljande ålder (70, 75 och 80 år). Kvinnor skattade ett något högre totalt ISS medelvärde än män och det var inte några större skillnader mellan regionerna i Sverige och Finland. I studie III bekräftades den hypotes som lagts fram, att inre styrka kan mediera i relationen mellan sjukdom och upplevelsen av hälsa. Bias-corrected bootstrap visade en signifikant indirekt effekt i relationen mellan sjukdom och upplevelsen av hälsa, medierad av inre styrka, och test av modellens goodness-of-fit var tillfredsställande. I studie IV, utifrån berättelserna om inre styrka visade det sig att inre styrka omfattar känslor av samhörighet och att finna livet värt att leva. Att ha tillit till sig själv och sina möjligheter, och att kunna möta och ta aktiv del i situationen beskrevs också. Slutligen, att komma igen och hitta vägar att gå vidare i livet var viktiga aspekter av inre styrka.  Slutsatser Den nyutvecklade Inre Styrka Skalan är ett reliabelt och valitt instrument som fångar ett brett perspektiv av inre styrka. Basdata om inre styrka i en stor population äldre i Sverige och Finland har presenterats, och visar det högsta ISS medelvärdet bland 65-åringarna. Inre styrka bland äldre är en resurs för upplevelsen av hälsa, trots sjukdom och motgångar. Denna avhandling bidrar till att öka kunskapen om fenomenet inre styrka och ger evidens för att inre styrka har en viktig betydelse för äldres välbefinnande. Ökad kunskap om de fyra dimensionerna av inre styrka; samhörighet, kreativitet, flexibilitet, och fasthet, föreslås kunna vara en hjälp för vårdpersonal i deras arbete att identifiera var behovet av stöd är störst och att sätta in insatser som främjar och stärker inre styrka. / GErontologiska Regionala DAtabas (GERDA) Botnia projektet

Mean daily vegetable consumption is below the recommended 7-10 servings in the diet of adult Canadians. This thesis aimed to investigate the moderating role of perceived barriers on the relationship between motivation and (greater) vegetable consumption. 606 people from the Ontario Food panel participated in the online study. The results identified a positive moderating effect of perceived barriers on the relationship between autonomous motivation and vegetable consumption (p < .05) and negative approaching significance moderating effect of perceived barriers on controlled motivation and vegetable intake (p = 0.056). Also four motivational profiles of consumers were identified and described in terms of vegetable consumption, food related behaviors, stages of change and socio-demographic characteristics. These results extend the Self-Determination Theory with perceived barriers component and can inform intervention program development for social marketers and policy makers.

Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) is a persistent and refractory medical condition that is characterized by chronic pelvic pain along with abnormal urinary frequency and urgency. There is no widely accepted etiology or efficacious cure for IC/PBS, thus treatment often relies on pain and symptom management. IC/PBS is associated with strong functional disability but theoretical models of disability have yet to be tested with these patients. As well, psychosocial factors associated with various IC/PBS outcomes (i.e., depression, catastrophizing, social support) are also associated with disability in a variety of chronic painful medical conditions but remain untested in disability models for IC/PBS. Thus, this research evaluated psychosocial factors as potential mediators of disability within the Disablement Process Model. Female patients diagnosed with IC/PBS by a urologist in a tertiary care hospitals were recruited (n=196; females). In using structural equation modeling of a final IC/PBS disability model, negative affect and catastrophizing were found to be partial mediators on the relationship between impairments and functional disability and social support was not a significant mediator of disability. Negative affect and catastrophizing may be key psychosocial factors in IC/PBS disability. Research implications for the Disablement Process Model and potential clinical interventions are discussed in light of the current findings. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 14:18:29.478

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No description available.

Two prominent emotions in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are anger and shame. Rumination has been demonstrated to occur in response to shame and to escalate anger, and rumination, particularly anger rumination, has been shown to predict BPD symptoms. The present study examined whether one way that shame leads to the features of BPD is via increased anger and anger rumination. A sample of 823 undergraduates completed self-report measures of global and situational shame, trait- level anger, anger'rumination, and BPD features. A structural equation model was constructed using these measures. The hypothesized model of shame to anger and anger rumination to BPD features was largely supported. Bootstrapping was used to establish significant indirect effects from both forms of shame via anger rumination to BPD features, and from global shame via anger to BPD features. Recognizing this function of anger rumination may be important in developing and practicing interventions to reduce it. Further research into other ways individuals maladaptively respond to shame and functions of anger rumination is recommended.

Given the credence nature of food quality and food safety attributes, consumers cannot easily verify whether food is high quality or is safe to eat, thus they rely on abstract systems of regulation and quality signals such as brands to make informed consumption choices. In fact, trust is recognized as a rational strategy that reduces consumers’ uncertainty when purchasing goods with credence attributes. While trust in food is a topical issue in an era of increasingly complex food systems, how trust and more precisely brand trust affects consumers’ perceptions of food is a relatively new research area in food economics. This thesis aims to answer questions such as what drives trust in the actors within the Canadian food system (i.e. government, farmers, food manufacturers, and food retailers) and in food brands, and the relationship between that trust and consumer confidence in food quality and food safety. Previous studies on institutional and system trust have been carried out primarily in the sociology, marketing and political sciences disciplines, while a few studies in food economics have investigated the influence of institutional trust and reported the degree of public trust in market actors. This study extends previous research on consumer trust in the context of food by developing a conceptual model in which trust in the food system and brand trust are expected to evolve to public confidence in credence attributes and lead to consumer commitment to food brands. Inspired from a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on consumer trust, the theoretical background suggests that consumer confidence in food attributes is jointly determined by trust in the food system (system-based trust) and brand trust (product-based trust), and it is moderated by consumer characteristics (personal-based trust) – namely: risk, past consumption experience and ethically-motivated behaviour. As well, consumers are assumed to perceive an actor or a brand as trustworthy through the influence of four postulated dimensions of trust: perceived competence, credibility, benevolence and reputation. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach is used for the empirical analysis. Data were gathered through an online survey of consumers conducted across Canada in July 2012 focusing on fresh chicken and packaged green salad products. The results show that individually none of the postulated antecedents of trust (i.e. competence, credibility, benevolence and reputation) was a significant driver for trust, especially for packaged salad. Unlike previous research on institutional trust and brand trust that uses a number of separate dimensions to measure trust predominantly in non-food contexts, this thesis finds that trust in the food system and food products could be measured differently by taking into account the interactive effects of perceived competence, credibility, reputation and benevolence on public trust. As such, the findings suggest that Canadian consumers tend to trust brands of chicken and packaged salad when these products are perceived as high quality, are backed by credible information, have a good reputation and, at the same time, enhance consumers’ welfare. In fact, a brand cannot be perceived as high quality and safe to eat (brand competence) without containing transparent information signalling its quality and safety (brand credibility). Additionally, results reveal some apparent product-specific effects: brand trust matters in fostering consumer confidence in chicken but not for salad. Furthermore, trust in the food system as a whole appears to be more influential in leading to public confidence in credence attributes than trust in food brands in the case of chicken. As such, it appears that trust in actors within the food supply chain is more important than relying on individual products. As well, the analysis shows that while psychographic variables (risk aversion, past consumption experience) and some demographics (e.g. gender, education) moderate the relationship between trust in the food system and brands for chicken, this is not the case for salad. In terms of marketing implications, the results suggest that while brands are useful signalling mechanisms, trust in these brands is not the main driver for consumer confidence in credence attributes. Furthermore, the much stronger effect of system trust implies that decision-makers would benefit by investing in building trust relationships with the public. Transparent communication and credible assurances about the practices and the intentions within the food system could be a way to gain and maintain public trust and, ultimately, consumer confidence in food quality and food safety.

The concept of customer perceived value occupies a prominent position within the strategic agenda of organisations, as firms seek to maximise the value perceived by their customers as arising from their consumption, and to equal or exceed that perceived in relation to competitor propositions. Customer value management is similarly central to the marketing discipline. However, the nature of customer value remains ambiguous and its measurement is typically flawed, due to the poor conceptual foundation upon which previous research endeavours are built. This investigation seeks to address the current poverty of insight regarding the nature and measurement of customer value. The development of a revised conceptual framework synthesises the strengths of previous value conceptualisations while addressing many of their limitations. A multi-dimensional depiction of value arising from customer experience is presented, in which value is conceptualised as arising at both first-order dimension and overall, second-order levels of abstraction. The subsequent operationalisation of this conceptual framework within a two-phase investigation combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies in a study of customer value arising from subscription TV (STV) consumption. Sixty semi-structured interviews with 103 existing STV customers give rise to a multi-dimensional model of value, in which dimensions are categorised as restorative, actualising and hedonic in type, and as arising via individual, reflected or shared modes of perception. The quantitative investigation entails two periods of data collection via questionnaires developed from the qualitative findings, and the gathering of 861 responses, also from existing STV customers. A series of scales with which to measure value dimensions is developed and an index enabling overall perceived value measurement is produced. Contributions to theory of customer value arise in the form of enhanced insights regarding its nature. At the first-order dimension level, the derived dimensions are of specific relevance to the STV industry. However, the empirically derived framework of dimension types and modes of perception has potential applicability in multiple contexts. At the more abstract, second-order level, the findings highlight that value perceptions comprise only a subset of potential dimensions. Evidence is thus presented of the need to consider value at both dimension and overall levels of perception. Contributions to knowledge regarding customer value measurement also arise, as the study produces reliable and valid scales and an index. This latter tool is novel in its formative measurement of value as a second order construct, comprising numerous first-order dimensions of value, rather than quality as incorporated in previously derived measures. This investigation also results in a contribution to theory regarding customer experience through the identification of a series of holistic, discrete, direct and indirect value-generating interactions. Contributions to practice within the STV industry arise as the findings present a solution to the immediate need for enhanced value insight. Contributions to alternative industries are methodological, as this study presents a detailed process through which robust value insight can be derived. Specific methodological recommendations arise in respect of the need for empirically grounded research, an experiential focus and a twostage quantitative methodology.

This study investigated links between childhood victimization, adult attachment style, and adult physical health outcomes among women. Existing research has found that female survivors of childhood abuse are more likely than non-abused women to experience a host of negative long-term sequelae, particularly in terms of mental and physical health concerns. Examining the attachment security of abuse survivors may facilitate our understanding of the relationship between early victimization and later health. Attachment theory posits that the security of childhood relationships with caregivers influences the quality of later interpersonal relationships. As a consequence of childhood abuse, normal attachment patterns are thought to be disrupted. Furthermore, insecure adult attachment has been linked to poorer physical health in community samples. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), adult attachment insecurity was found to partially mediate health outcomes among female survivors of childhood victimization in an undergraduate sample. Findings suggest that the experience of childhood maltreatment is tied to an increase in women's physical health concerns in a holistic manner, where victimization affects later perceptions of symptoms, functional impairment, and illness behaviour. Furthermore, adult attachment and relational behaviour appears to be a pathway through which this association is formed. Implications for health practitioners, clinicians and researchers are discussed. / Graduate

The purpose of this study has two phases. In the first phase, a model that explains students&rsquo / mathematics achievement in TIMSS-R will be proposed. In the second phase, the proposed model will be evaluated to interpret the similarities and differences across three culturally and linguistically different countries / Turkey, the Netherlands, and Italy. This study will basically combine students&rsquo / answers on TIMSS-R Students Questionnaire items with their mathematics achievement scores obtained from TIMSS-R Mathematics Achievement Test. In order to achieve this, items in the student questionnaire will be grouped under latent variables and then the related models will be established. Thirty-seven items selected from the TIMSS-R Student Questionnaire were analyzed using principle component factor analysis for each country. The results indicated seven interpretable dimensions. Based on the results&rsquo / of factor analysis of Turkey, the latent variables were generated by selecting the observed variables with highest loadings. These latent variables were / out-of-school activities, socioeconomic status, importance given to math, math classroom iv climate, perception of failure, teacher-centered and student-centered activities. The proposed mathematics achievement model was tested by structural equation modeling for each country separately with the sample of 4772, 2728, and 2781 eighth grade students in Turkey, the Netherlands, and Italy, respectively. In all of the countries perception of failure was the strongest factor explaining the mathematics achievement of the eighth grade students. The other two important factors explaining mathematics achievement were socioeconomic status and student-centered activities for Turkey and Italy / out-of-school activities and importance given to math for the Netherlands. The results indicated that Turkey and Italy have more similar results when compared with the Netherlands. Different than the other countries in Turkey instructional activities formed two separate dimensions such as / teacher-centered and student-centered instructional activities. Since this finding emphasized the important role of teacher in the Turkish education system, it was suggested that more importance should be given to the teacher education.