Thesis Portfolio Abstract Background Whilst the role of Psychological Flexibility on psychosocial outcomes has been assessed in some chronic health conditions and cancers, its role in psychosocial outcomes in men with prostate cancer has not been established. Fear of cancer recurrence has been shown to be associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes. The relationship of Psychological Flexibility on the impact of fear of cancer recurrence has not be evaluated. Research into the measurement of Psychological Flexibility in individuals with chronic ill health has not revealed a definitive measure. Methods A systematic review of the reliability and validity of measures of Psychological Flexibility in individuals with chronic health conditions was conducted. A quality assessment of the included studies was conducted and relevant results were synthesised. A cross-sectional study utilising a survey methodology was conducted to establish the role of Psychological Flexibility and fear of cancer recurrence in psychological distress and quality of life in men with prostate cancer. Regression analyses were used to establish whether fear of cancer recurrence or Psychological Flexibility significantly predicted any variance in distress or quality of life. Whether Psychological Flexibility mediated or moderated the relationship between fear of cancer recurrence and psychosocial outcomes was assessed with conditional process analysis. Results The systematic review revealed no single definitive measure of Psychological Flexibility, and that many measures currently in use within research and clinical settings have not been fully validated in individuals with chronic ill health conditions. The cross-sectional study found that Psychological Flexibility and fear of cancer recurrence each significantly predict variance in psychological distress and quality of life. Psychological Flexibility mediated and moderated the relationship between fear of cancer recurrence and psychological distress and mediated the relationship between fear of cancer recurrence and quality of life. Conclusions In the absence of a definitive measure of Psychological Flexibility, information on the measures identified were provided to allow clinicians and researchers to choose the most appropriate measure for their use. Future research might focus on further validation of existing measures of Psychological Flexibility rather than the development of additional measures. The challenges underlying using a psychometric approach to measure contextual science concepts was discussed. Due to the role of Psychological Flexibility within psychosocial outcomes in prostate cancer, it was suggested as a potential treatment target. The relevance of treatments such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which aim to increase Psychological Flexibility, for men with prostate cancer was discussed. Future research avenues to further assess the role of Psychological Flexibility in psychosocial outcomes was discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:764038 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Sevier-Guy, Lindsay-Jo |
| Contributors | Gillanders, David |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33220 |
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