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Morgan, Mary Helen. "Superfund communities and psychological stress : does a correlation exist between living in a superfundcommunity and high levels of psychological stress?" Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28760.
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Walker, Douglas W. (Douglas Wallace). "Effects of Experimental Psychological Stress on Human Physiological Functioning: Mediation by Affiliation." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1995. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc277708/.
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This investigation sought to identify differences in the human psychophysiological stress response when mediated by affiliation, by assessing heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), electrodermal activity (EDA), serum Cortisol (SC) concentration, interleukin-2 (IL-2) concentration, and state anxiety among subjects who underwent an anagram solution task. Thirty male subjects from the University of North Texas were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions and asked to solve a series of difficult anagrams either alone or with a companion. Subjects assigned to the control condition were asked to copy permutations of the anagrams. Before, and immediately after the anagram/copying tasks HR, SBP, DBP were measured, blood samples drawn, and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) administered to all subjects. EDA was measured throughout all trials. Changes from baseline through the experimental period for all dependent variables were analyzed by employing difference scores derived from contrasting baseline and experimental measures. These scores were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA) resulting in one significant between group effect among all dependent variables examined. Contrary to stated hypotheses, the alone condition significantly differed from the companion and control conditions by demonstrating a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure from baseline through the experimental period. It was concluded that the decrease in systolic blood pressure from baseline through the experimental period for the alone group was a result of chance sampling of individuals possessing unique psychophysiological response patterns. Appraisals of inter-group differences in response patterns across all dependent variables suggest that an insufficient stressor, and limitations in design, statistical analysis, and measurement may have contributed to this investigation's results. Implications of findings were discussed along with suggestions for future research.
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France, Christopher R. (Christopher Robert). "Cardiovascular responses to psychological stress and caffeine." Thesis, McGill University, 1990. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=74649.
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While considerable information exists regarding the independent effects of caffeine and psychological stress on cardiovascular activity, there is relatively little information on their combined effects. Since caffeine may enhance cardiovascular responsivity to psychological stress, research on hemodynamic responses to caffeine-stress combinations may help elucidate mechanisms of hypertension development. In a series of studies, regular consumers of caffeine were exposed to laboratory and naturalistic stressors with and without prior caffeine intake. Among the findings were (1) caffeine and stress produced additive increases in blood pressure, (2) caffeine appears to potentiate beta-adrenergic responsivity to active coping, but not passive coping, stressors, (3) caffeine enhanced emotional responses to stress, and (4) cardiovascular responses to caffeine and stress in a naturalistic setting were similar to those observed in the laboratory. These results indicate that caffeine may enhance cardiovascular and psychological responses to stress, and that these responses may contribute to risk for essential hypertension.
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Van, der Merwe Elanza. "Infertility-related stress and specific aspects of the marital relationship." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4099.
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Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In all or most cultures, the experience of infertility has the potential to threaten the well-being of individuals and relationships. The marital relationship of couples experiencing infertility might be impacted negatively by infertility-related stress. This study aimed primarily to examine the nature of the relationship between perceived infertility-related stress, experienced by husbands and wives in infertile couples, and four specific aspects of the marital relationship. In addition, it was examined whether there were significant differences in four specific aspects of the marital relationship between infertile couples at the onset of different types of infertility treatment, and a pregnant control group. This cross-sectional, baseline study utilised standardised self-report questionnaires to make onceoff assessments of infertility-related stress and four specific aspects of the marital relationship: communication, satisfaction with the sexual relationship, intimacy, and marital adjustment. The demographic characteristics of the participants were also recorded. A total of 84 women and 32 men from two infertility clinics in the Western Cape (N = 116) were studied. From calculating Pearson correlation coefficients, highly significant correlations (p < .001) were found between infertility-related stress and all aspects of the marital relationship as measured in this study. Multiple regression analyses revealed communication as an important predictor of aspects of the marital relationship, in addition to infertility-related stress as a predictor. ANOVAs revealed no significant differences in specific aspects of the marital relationship between the infertile groups and the pregnant control group. The findings suggest that high levels of infertility-related stress might be detrimental to the wellbeing of the marital relationship of couples experiencing infertility. In addition, the importance of communication as a buffer against the potential negative effects of infertility-related stress was emphasised. Future research should incorporate a longitudinal design and investigate the nature of the relationship between infertility-related stress and the marital relationship.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Infertiliteit word in alle of die meeste kulture beskou as ’n krisis wat die welstand van individue en verhoudings kan bedreig. Die huweliksverhouding van pare wat infertiliteit ervaar kan negatief beïnvloed word deur infertiliteitsverwante stres. Die primêre doelstelling van hierdie ondersoek was om die aard van die verhouding tussen waargenome infertiliteitsverwante stres, soos ervaar deur die mans en vroue in infertiele pare, en vier spesifieke aspekte van die huweliksverhouding te ondersoek. Bykomend is daar ook ondersoek of daar beduidende verskille voorgekom het in vier spesifieke aspekte van die huweliksverhouding tussen infertiele pare aan die begin van verskillende tipes van infertiliteitsbehandeling en ‘n swanger kontrolegroep. Hierdie deursnee-, basislyn ondersoek het van gestandaardiseerde selfrapporteringsvraelyste gebruik gemaak ten einde eenmalige assesserings te doen van infertiliteitsverwante stres en vier spesifieke aspekte van die huweliksverhouding: kommunikasie, tevredenheid met die seksuele verhouding, intimiteit, en huweliksaanpassing. Demografiese besonderhede van die deelnemers is ook ingesamel en aangeteken. In totaal het 84 vrouens en 32 mans (N = 116) van twee infertiliteitsklinieke in die Wes-Kaap aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Met die berekening van Pearson korrelasiekoëffisiënte is hoogs beduidende korrelasies (p < .001) gevind tussen infertiliteitsverwante stres en die vier gemete aspekte van die huweliksverhouding. Op grond van meervoudige regressieontledings het kommunikasie na vore gekom as ‘n belangrike voorspeller van aspekte van die huweliksverhouding, bykomend tot infertiliteitsverwante stres. ANOVA’s het geen beduidende verskille in spesifieke aspekte van die huweliksverhouding tussen infertiele groepe en die swanger kontrolegroep getoon nie. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat hoë vlakke van infertiliteitsverwante stres nadelig kan wees vir die huweliksverhouding van pare wat infertiliteit ondervind. Daarbenewens moet die belangrikheid van kommunikasie as ‘n buffer teen die potensiële negatiewe gevolge van infertiliteitsverwante stres beklemtoon word. Toekomstige navorsing sal baat by ’n longitudinale ontwerp en daar behoort voortgegaan te word met ondersoeke na die verband tussen infertiliteitsverwante stres en die huweliksverhouding.
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Oosthuizen, Janine Dalnet. "The relationship between stress and salutogenic functioning amongst employees in a state owned enterprise." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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&lsquoHuman capital&rsquo
is the buzzword of the 21st century and is becoming the core value of organisations. In South Africa it is estimated that more than R500 million is lost annually through absenteeism and loss of productivity as a result of stress. Employees are key contributors to the bottom-line and should be selected, placed and applied in such a way that the company only benefits from their output. Therefore, if the human element is a crucial element it becomes essential for the organisation to nurture, protect and optimise individuals to their full potential.
There is a fair degree of agreement on the variables that act as organizational stressors, however, studies on stress and salutogenic functioning in a state owned enterprise have not been found. According to the literature, salutogenic factors function as generalised resistance resources and a high score on sense of coherence, as well as an internal locus of control correlates with low scores on stress. The present research has a general aim of exploring the relationship between stress and salutogenic functioning, within a state owned enterprise. The levels of stress were correlated with the presence of high or low levels of sense of coherence and whether the individuals display an internal or an external locus of control. A sample of 240 employees (N=240) was used from the organisation.
The following questionnaires were utilised to measure the range of variables. Levels of stress were measured by the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire (WLQ). Whereas the salutogenic construct, sense of coherence was measured by the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the second salutogenic construct, locus of control, was measured by the Locus of Control Inventory (LCI). The statistical analyses included inferential (correlation, t-test and analysis of variance) and descriptive statistics. The results demonstrated significant relationships between low stress levels, sense of coherence and internal locus of control. As such, salutogenic functioning in terms of sense of coherence and locus of control, had a significant correlation with levels of stress.
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Moomaw, Michael E. "Work and nonwork stress : effects on job performance." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/30287.
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Lee, Ka-kui, and 李家駒. "Music therapy on mechanically ventilated patients in reducing psychological and physiological distress in ICU and HDU." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B44623987.
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Plumb, Sarah. "A positive clinical psychology approach to developing resilience among state employed nurses." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018879.
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Nurses are confronted with numerous work-related stressors that can result in burnout. This can contribute to absenteeism and high turn-over rates in the nursing profession. A review of the literature indicated that psycho-educational interventions to increase resilience could be an effective way of addressing this problem. The study aimed to develop a positive clinical-psychology approach to increasing resilience in State employed nurses. The study used a mixed-method approach to determine the current psychological functioning of a sample of 87 nurses. Quantitative data on personality traits, character strengths and levels of resilience were obtained, using the NEO PI-R, VIA – IS, and Resilience Scale. Qualitative data on the coping responses of nurses were obtained through the thematic analysis of focus groups. These data were integrated to create a positive clinical psychology conceptualisation of resilience and to develop therapeutic guidelines for a group psycho-educational intervention. The results of the study indicated a struggling psychological profile. This was defined as the ability to deal with work-related stressors – but with the potential risk of developing symptoms of burnout. The moderate levels of resilience were attributed to elevated character strengths in the sample. The distribution of personality traits indicated that the nurses in the sample were at risk of developing burnout; and this prevented them from flourishing. These data were synthesised to create therapeutic guidelines for developing resilience aimed: (1) increasing emotional stability and invulnerability; (2) increasing agreeableness; and (3) increasing conscientiousness. These guidelines were based on the personality traits that were deemed to negatively impact the resilience of the nurses. These personality traits were correlated with several character strengths that displayed strong relationships with resilience. This indicated that resilience could be developed through the cultivation of the following character strengths: perspective; perseverance; fairness; forgiveness; leadership; love; zest; hope; curiosity; and appreciation of beauty and excellence. These character strengths were identified to facilitate the positive adaptation of the personality traits identified in the therapeutic guidelines. A group psycho-educational intervention was developed, using the positive clinical psychology conceptualisation of resilience. The literature was reviewed to identify techniques to cultivate the ten character strengths specified in the therapeutic guidelines. These techniques were adapted to create experiential learning processes for the intervention. This psycho-educational programme can be applied as a secondary and tertiary intervention. It can be used to increase resilience to prevent burnout among nurses. It can also be used to psychologically empower nurses that have existing symptoms of burnout.
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Morrison, Rebecca. "Suicidal thinking and psychological distress : the role of personality and cognitive factors." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1108.
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Objectives. This thesis aimed to examine a series of personality and cognitive factors as prospective predictors of suicidal thinking and psychological distress. A secondary objective was to examine any causal relationship between rumination and attentional biases. Method. In order to achieve the above objectives, a series of four studies were conducted. Studies one and three were prospective studies, using analogue samples, to examine the role of personality and cognitive factors in distress and suicidal thinking. In addition, study one also investigated the effect on attentional bias of manipulating rumination. Study two was an experimental study in which two different methods of manipulating attentional bias were piloted. The final study in this thesis employed a clinical sample of general hospital parasuicide patients to investigate whether relationships between personality and cognitive factors were replicable in a clinical population. Results. The personality and cognitive factors understudy were investigated within a research framework to examine their interactive effects. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a number of moderating and mediating relationships between these personality and cognitive factors to prospectively predict both suicidal thinking and psychological distress. In addition, rumination was found to have a causal influence on positive attentional bias. Conclusions. Evidence from this thesis links personality and cognitive factors to both suicidal thinking and psychological distress in a series of moderating and mediating relationships. These are discussed in relation to the possible theoretical and clinical implications.
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Burkhart, Brian. "The influence of life stress on athletic performance and occurrence of injury among intercollegiate track and field throwing event athletes." Virtual Press, 1998. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1115742.
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The primary purpose of this study was to determine if life stress had any affect on athletic performance and the occurrence of injury. The athletes in this study ranged in age from 17 to 22, and all had the potential and ability to practice and compete at the Division I level in track and field. The goal of the researcher was to collect as much information as possible on each athlete. Each athlete was required to write in a daily journal. A standard set of questions were asked in interviews prior to competition and following competition. Each athlete completed two types of scales prior to competition as well: Everyday Problem Scale (EPS) and Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). Through this information five common trends emerged: injury with treatment, external distractions, a higher performance was perceived if their family and friends were present at competition, teammate support, and teammate frustration.The researcher believed there was sufficient evidence to dismiss the comparison between the five common trends and the scores of the SCAT and EPS. The SCAT scores were mainly at the moderate level. The average score among all the athletes was approximately "19" or moderate. The EPS dealt with life stress and not athletic stress.The most frequently cited concern by the athletes were financial problems, difficulties with a girlfriend, wanting a relationship with someone, and so forth, but none were consistently cited.The perception of the stressor was an important factor in this study since the athletes perceived each competition either as distressful or eustressful. Depending on how much the athlete perceived each competition as a stressor may have effected his performance. Few stressors were identified but depending on the competition the athlete may have focused so much on the stressor that it became distressful while at another competition the same stressor was not focused on as much so it was viewed as eustressful.School of Physical Education
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Malhotra, Damini. "Psychological Stress Reactivity and Recovery: The Role of Cognitive Appraisals, Ethnicity and Sex." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2009. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc12158/.
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The aim of this research was to investigate the role of sex, ethnicity and cognitive appraisals, separately and in combination, on the physiological stress response. One hundred and eight undergraduate students from two North Texas universities participated in the study. They were subjected to a laboratory stressor and heart rate, peripheral temperature and cortisol levels were measured pre-, during-, and post- stressor. Perceived stress and cognitive appraisals were measured via self-report. Multivariate analysis of variance tests were conducted to analyze the main and interaction effects during baseline, reactivity and post-stress recovery. Results indicated some significant main effects for sex and ethnicity but no consistent pattern of results or interactions among variables were revealed. The study's implications and areas of future research are discussed.
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Roberson, Mary Larson. "How Parenting Stress and Discouragement Impact Functioning Within Stepfamilies." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2003. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4295/.
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The study analyzed how parenting stress and discouragement affect stepfamily functioning. Whether the parent was a biological parent or stepparent, whether the stepparent was a stepmother or stepfather, or whether the marriage had been formed more or less than two years was also considered. One assumption made was that increased parenting stress and discouragement will lead to decreased family functioning. Other assumptions were that there will be more increased parenting stress and discouragement and decreased family functioning found in stepparents than biological parents, in stepmothers more than stepfathers, and in parents in families formed less than two years more than those in families formed more than two years. Complete data was collected from 30 subjects. Three instruments were used in the study. The Parenting Stress Index measures how much stress parents experience in areas relating to how they see their child and how they see themselves as parents. The Discouragement Scale for Adults was developed to measure the Adlerian concept of discouragement in an adult population. The Family Assessment Device measures how a family functions.
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Wu, Yikun. "Stress, satisfaction and resilience : the psychological aspects of life for elders in a Chinese setting." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/942/.
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Little research to date has focused on personal accounts of psychological aspects of the aging process of elders and their relationship with adult-children in an urban Chinese setting. The present study aimed to explore such aspects in Chinese elders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 varied samples of elders (aged 70 to 87), with those living with their family (study 1), those in a residential setting (study 2) and those in a sheltered community (study 3). Grounded Theory, was used as the method for data collection and analysis, and in addition to the interviews, focus groups and a written account also provided data. The overarching theme of “family communication” was highlighted in the studies, reflecting the central position of participants’ concerns with their relationship with adult-children, and their understanding of their roles in the family. The variety of responses seemed to be connected with whether the person was self-reliant or dependant as well as with individual personality. The study’s findings suggest that this small sample of older people in a large urban city in China generally live closely with their families and take great pride in retaining their independence and supporting families and friends.
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Nuñez, Seana Maria. "The effects of procedural justice and work overload on job performance." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2006. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3052.
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This thesis explored the relationship between work overload and procedural justice on job performance. It used planned comparisons to test three hypotheses, which were tested by having the participants (N=132) randomly assigned to groups and perform a proofreading task in two timed intervals. The study design used quantitative methodologies and the procedures and measures were piloted before data collection. A participant exit survey was also employed. Suggestions for future research and study are discussed. The proofreading samples, the exit survey questions and the Mini-Marker Personality Inventory, the informed consent form, and results tables are included.
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Wolfel, Audrey Kloski 1954. "STRESSES EXPERIENCED BY PRIMIPAROUS WOMEN IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS POSTPARTUM." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276893.
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Lalak, Nadia. "Restorative benefits of the natural environment : enhancing restoration of directed attention & stress reduction through raising levels of cognitive awareness & physical encounter." University of Sydney, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/6622.
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Philosophy(PhD)Interaction with the natural environment has a vital role in human well-being - physical, social, spiritual and psychological - and yet in the twenty-first century many people lead a way of life totally separated from natural environments. Built environments and the increasing complexity of technological tasks necessitate increased demands for attention and a constant processing of information. Adaptation to such demands can result in depletion of psychological resources leading to stress and mental fatigue. Psychological resources must then be “restored” as they are critical for effective functioning. A review of restorative environments literature suggests there is further scope for enhancing restorative opportunities. A hypothetical model of enhanced restoration is proposed. It posits that an individual assuming a more active role, through raised cognitive awareness and physical encounter in the person-natural environment interaction will experience enhanced restoration in terms of restoration of directed attention and reduction of stress. The research hypotheses are tested using a quantitative field-based pretest-posttest experimental design with a sample of 100 volunteers. Data is collected through computerised objective and subjective measurement scales of attention and affect. Data is analysed through ANOVA. The major finding is that posttest scores improved compared to pretest scores in all 3 attention tests, 2 subjective attention scores and both affect measures, averaged over all 4 intervention groups. This means that the participants’ directed attention improved and they considered themselves to be less stressed regardless of the allocated experimental intervention group. Therefore, the most effective intervention in improving directed attention fatigue and reducing stress was raising an individual’s level of physical encounter with the natural environment. Further research is warranted, into the contribution that an individual can make to enhance the restorative process, and the need for education to raise awareness of the importance of the natural environment as a valuable (health-care) resource.
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Kestenbaum, Naomi R. (Naomi Ruth). "The role of dietary restraint and weight in stress-induced eating." Thesis, McGill University, 1992. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=39758.
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This thesis examined the effects of weight and dietary restraint on eating at times of emotional distress. The emotional reactivity of subjects differing in weight and restraint was also examined. Forty female and 40 male subjects were classified as high, moderate, or low on Body Mass Index (BMI), and as high, moderate, or low on each of the factors of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ; Stunkard & Messick, 1985). Mood was manipulated by exposing all subjects to a challenging cognitive task, which had been made insoluble for half the subjects. All subjects were then asked to taste and rate a variety of cookies. Mood was evaluated using self-report measures and by monitoring changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance. Distressed male subjects with high scores on two TFEQ subscales were found to eat significantly more than their non-distressed counterparts. Female subjects with high scores on the third TFEQ subscale were shown to eat less when distressed. Weight was found not to have a significant effect on the amount consumed by male or female subjects. There was some evidence to suggest that females with high scores on two TFEQ subscales are more emotionally reactive than those scoring lower. The evidence for increased reactivity in restrained males was weaker. There were no differences in reactivity as a function of BMI. Differences in emotional reactivity could not account for observed differences in eating among groups varying in restraint. The results suggest that, as has been found for female subjects in other studies, restrained males are also susceptible to the breakdown of control that leads to overeating in the face of distress. They should be included in future examinations of restraint.
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Ng, Kwai-sang Sam, and 吳桂生. "Psychological perspectives of periodontal disease." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2005. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B36918210.
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Frazer, Kirk Jack. "Factors affecting coaches with stress and burnout." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2896.
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Rumzek, Harold A. "Does Unemployment Become a Major Stressor in the Evolution of Chronic Pain?" Thesis, University of North Texas, 1997. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278597/.
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Pain has been described as the most complex human experience and most frequent reason patients seek medical treatment. Few people fail to experience the pain associated with disease, injury, or medical/surgical procedures. However, the impact of unemployment that results from chronic pain suffering has not been widely researched. To present a comprehensive view of the effect unemployment has upon the chronic pain experience, this study focused upon stress philosophy, chronic pain, employment, and coping effectiveness. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a Personal Data Questionnaire (PDQ) were administered to 96 persons (four groups of 24 subjects) representing either unemployed or employed and either chronic or non-chronic (acute) pain populations.
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Sakala, Ruvimbo. "The study of the psychological health of first year students at the Univesity of Limpopo." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2387.
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Thesis (M. A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018Upon entering the university environment, first year students encounter what could be described as a “foreign culture”, and have to reconcile conflicting transitional spaces of their home and university identities. This adjustive demand can lead to some considerable levels of psychological distress. This study examined the level of psychological health in first year students. It also evaluated whether factors such as monetary background, residential area, race and the availability of bursaries affect students’ transition into “university life”. First year students (N = 300; male = 135; female = 165) completed the General Health Questionnaire-12 at the University of Limpopo. A substantial percentage (that is, 30.33%) of the participants was found to have or is prone to psychological health problems. This finding is consistent with the results of previous studies which have found that some students may be susceptible to mental health problems predating their entry into university. There was no significant difference between the levels of psychological health between males and females and bursary users and those that are funded by their parents or guardians. There was also no significant difference between those that live in the rural areas and those from the cities. However, the figures between those that are poor and rich were strikingly noteworthy.
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Zhou, Peilin. "The effect of social support on job satisfaction at the varying levels of job stress and task structure." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1992. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/466.
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Potrafka, Kristopher. "Impact of passive relaxation training on the anxiety of patients in a physical rehabilitation setting." Virtual Press, 1999. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1124727.
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There is a paucity of research on the effects of passive relaxation training on the anxiety of patients going through physical rehabilitation. The fourteen participants of this study were Caucasian and between the ages of 45 and 82 years of age. Participants reported levels of anxiety through the use of a self-report instrument called the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Measurements were made at four different time periods; on intake, prior to relaxation training, following relaxation training, and at discharge. A two-way Analysis of variance was implemented with time and gender being the independent variables. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant differences. Qualitative reports of the participants feedback and Post-hoc analysis of the data for Pearson's r and Pairwise Comparisons indicate further research is needed to fully determine the effects of passive relaxation training on participant's anxiety.Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
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Ditton, Donna S. "Humor, stress, coping, and communication apprehension : a test of empirical relationship." Virtual Press, 1993. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/864917.
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The purpose of this study was to test the relationship among sense of humor and three constructs: stress, humor as a coping mechanism, and communication apprehension. The participants were 352 midwestern university students. Respondents answered Likert type scales regarding the constructs.Pearson's correlations were computed to test the hypotheses and research questions. The results show significant, though not strong, relationships among all variables regarding sense of humor: stress, humor as a coping mechanism, and communication apprehension. The relationships between sense of humor and the two constructs, stress and communication apprehension, are unexpectedly positive. There are nonsignificant results between communication apprehension and stress.Since the results between sense of humor and stress are contrary to previous research and this is an original test between sense of humor and communication apprehension,further research is indicated. Future reliability and validity checks on the instrument are necessary.Department of Speech Communication
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Roberts, Craig Brendan. "The judgement of risk in traumatised and non-traumatised emergency medical service personnel." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/51990.
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Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2000.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Judgement of risk for negative events in certain situations was investigated in a group of emergency medical service (EMS) personnel with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 27) and a group without PTSD (n = 74). Participants completed the PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report version (Faa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993), an EMS work experiences questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), and an event probability questionnaire designed to assess judgement of risk. Participants with PTSD overestimated amount of risk involved in comparison to participants without PTSD, thereby demonstrating a judgement bias for risk related events. The present study found that the judgement bias in PTSD participants extended to include not just external harm related events but also general negative events (without potential threatening/harmful consequences), negative social events, and negative workrelated events. Of the posttraumatic symptomatology assessed, avoidance symptomatology was found to be the best predictor of judgement bias. The results of the present study are discussed in terms of the cognitive clinical psychology theories of PTSD, which predict the manifestation of judgement bias in PTSD, and cognitive experimental psychology explanations of the effect of negative emotional states on judgement processes.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oordeeloor risiko vir negatiewe gebeurtenisse in sekere situasies is ondersoek by "n groep mediese nooddienspersoneel met "n diagnose van posttraumatiese stresversteuring (PTSV; n = 27) en "n groep sonder PTSV (n = 74). Deelnemers het die PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report version (Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993), "n mediese nooddiens werkservaringe-vraelys, die Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), en "n gebeurtenis-waarskynlikheidsvraelys wat opgestel is om oordeeloor risiko te meet, voltooi. Deelnemers met PTSV het die mate van risiko betrokke oorskat in vergelyking met deelnemers sonder PTSVen sodoende "n beoordelingsydigheid vir risiko-verbandhoudende situasies gedemonstreer. In die huidige studie is gevind dat beoordelingsydigheid by PTSV deelnemers nie beperk was tot eksterne skade-verbandhoudende gebeurtenisse nie, maar dat dit ook veralgemeen het na algemene negatiewe gebeurtenisse (sonder potensieel skadelike gevolge), negatiewe sosiale gebeurtenisse, en negatiewe werksverwante gebeurtenisse. Daar is gevind dat, wat PTSV-simptomatologie betref, vermyding die beste voorspeller van beoordelingsydigheid was. Die resultate van die huidige studie word bespreek in terme van kognitiewe klinies-sielkundige teorieë van PTSV, wat die aanwesigheid van beoordelingsydigheid voorspel, en kognitiewe eksperimentele-sielkunde verklarings van die effek van negatiewe emosionele toestande op beoordelingsprosesse.
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Jacobs, Laurie Marie. "Work Stress Reactivity and Health Outcomes: A Study of Nurses." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1515.
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Negative events encountered in daily life influence individual well-being. Individuals vary in their reactivity to these events, the extent to which they are behaviorally, physiologically, and psychologically influenced by them (Almeida, 2005; Neupert, Almeida, & Charles, 2007). Reactivity to events in the form of changes in health behavior could represent either an attempt at coping (Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995) or a stressor-related failure of self-control (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). Such changes in behavior could have later effects on health.
Although a great deal of attention has been paid to both the immediate and long-term effects of stressors on individuals, little is understood about the potential relationship between these immediate and long-term consequences. Exploration of this connection could not only expand the understanding of the relationships between stressors, behavior, and well-being, but also inform intervention strategies.
One important domain in which stressors occur is work; certain occupations such as nursing expose individuals to a greater likelihood of experiencing stressors simply by nature of the tasks and/or environment involved. As a nursing shortage continues, stress is in fact one of the most-often cited reasons for nurses to leave the profession (Cangelosi, Markham, & Bounds, 1998). Using a sample drawn from the Oregon Nurse Retention Project and the relatively novel statistical method of slopes-as-predictors, I examined the relationships between work stressors and nurses' health behaviors (alcohol consumption, diet, exercise) and then used those relationships as predictors of follow-up outcomes (depression, life satisfaction, perceived health).
Significant variability was found for five combinations of stressors and health behaviors, indicating that varying patterns of health behavior reactivity were indeed present in this sample; moreover four of those five stressor-behavior (reactivity) slopes emerged as significant predictors of later health and well-being. Notably, reactivity in the form of increased days of exercise during weeks of greater demands or negative events was associated with lower depression scores, and reactivity in the form of increased days of exercise during weeks of greater conflicts was associated with greater satisfaction with life. Implications of these findings, including the importance of exercise in maintaining well-being, are discussed.
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Murphy, Lauren Ann. "Psychological detachment as a moderator in work-family conflict relationships." PDXScholar, 2008. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4166.
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Psychological detachment from work during off-job time has great significance in the field of Occupational Health Psychology because it affects the process of work recovery. Recovery from work helps people to achieve a work-life balance that leads to psychological health and general well-being.
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Flor, Karen K. "The relationship between personality hardiness, stress and burnout in selected collegiate athletes." Virtual Press, 1996. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1020159.
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The relationship between hardiness, stress and burnout has been established in occupational settings (Kelley, 1994; Talarico, 1989; Topf, 1989). This relationship has not been established with athletic populations, however. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between personality hardiness, perceived stress and burnout in a selected sample of collegiate athletes. Participants were 181 male (n=129) and female (n_=52) Division I athletes from three Midwestern universities representing four sports (baseball, softball, tennis and track). Each subject was asked to complete a survey - consisting of the Third Generation Hardiness Test, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - during the regular season and at least 24 hours prior to an athletic contest. It was hypothesized that hardier athletes would report lower levels of perceived stress and burnout, and that higher levels of stress would be related to higher levels of burnout. Pearson product-moment correlations supported the hypothesized relationships.School of Physical Education
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Berard, Raymond. "Psychiatric aspects of haematological malignant disease : the Groote Schuur experience." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25946.
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Frewen, Sharon H. "The design and evaluation of a short-term group psychotherapy model for survivors of a first myocardial infarction." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015041.
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There is extensive evidence that the rehabilitation of individuals with coronary heart disease needs to include psychological components to complement the exercise and dietary recommendations that are normally provided. However, psychological aspects have not been integrated into medical care in South Africa to any significant degree. Psychological interventions overseas have included the modification of the Type A behaviour pattern, stress management, cognitive restructuring, relaxation techniques, improved communication skills, the identification and expression of emotions, and emotional support. The aim of the present study was to design a short-term group intervention which incorporated these aspects and which included an exploration of the mind-body experience post infarct. In addition, the intervention aimed to increase participants' awareness of the compensatory dynamics of the Type A behaviour pattern. The intervention was tailored to South African conditions and was evaluated by means of a multiple case study design. The intervention was delivered to a group of nine coronary heart disease patients which included six survivors of myocardial infarction, the remaining participants having undergone a by-pass operation. Data included weekly feedback sheets evaluating each session, repeated measures on the Profile of Mood States, the Jenkins Activity Survey, a Spouse Rating Scale and extensive qualitative data on each participant including tape recordings of each session and data collected from a series of interviews before, during and after the programme. The feedback sheets and recordings of the sessions were used as a basis for recommendations for revising the content and structure of the programme for future use. Case narratives were written for three of the participants and provided an in-depth look at how and why individual changes did or did not occur in response to the intervention. In addition, the case narratives revealed the role played by the compensatory dynamics of the Type A behaviour pattern in complicating rehabilitation for survivors of myocardial infarction. Two participants were offered a series of individual sessions at 18-month follow-up and the material from these sessions was also used to aid in the interpretation of the data. The content of the 18-month follow-up sessions provided evidence for the importance of conducting a developmental analysis of the origins of low self-esteem and insecurity that maintain and drive the Type A behaviour pattern. In these sessions, this analysis provided the basis for a brief focused psychodynamic psychotherapy that facilitated marked changes that had not been achieved in the 12-week structured group intervention. It is recommended that future research investigate the use of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy on an individual basis as a complement to a group intervention focusing on psycho-education, building social support and management of problematic emotions in everyday situations.
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Brady, Gilbert Patrick Jr. "Combat Experiences, Iso-strain, and Sleep Quality Affect Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress among Working Post-9/11 Veterans." PDXScholar, 2017. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3776.
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Despite the growing need, prior research on how the civilian work domain may affect posttraumatic stress is scarce. Moreover, few if any studies have investigated how perceptions of one's job and insomnia may shape traumatic stress symptoms, post-combat. Presently, about 4 million Americans have served in the "Global War on Terrorism," including nearly 1 million reservists. By contrast, 8.7 million Americans served in the Vietnam War: over twice the number of U.S. military personnel who have fought since 9/11. Surprisingly, combat experiences alone do not explain the majority of posttraumatic stress disorder cases, even after multiple deployments, suggesting the presence of moderators of the stressor-strain conceptual model. Based in occupational stress theories of allostatic load, job demands-resources, strain, and social support this thesis applied frequentist and Bayesian analytical strategies to investigate the psychological experiences and occupational health of three subgroups of combat veterans. In the present study, sleep quality and a job situation characterized by isolated, demanding civilian work with low decision authority (i.e., "iso-strain") were hypothesized to moderate the effect of combat experiences on posttraumatic stress. As part of the larger SERVe reintegration project, survey data were collected among a baseline sample (N=382) of post-9/11 veterans living in the Pacific Northwest. The research question of whether greater perceived psychosocial stressors among active reservists driving that group's higher perceived levels of poor sleep, iso-strain, and posttraumatic stress was unfounded. Overall, however, the central hypotheses of the simple effects of iso-strain and sleep quality on posttraumatic stress following combat were significant.
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Spencer, Paula. "Student nurse perceptions on commuting related to ontime arrival at clinical experiences." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3243.
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As a descriptive, pilot study utilizing an online survey, this study explores the perceptions of CSUSB student nurses related to their commute and ontime arrival at clinical sites, typically in the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and whether or not the commute is perceived as being stressful.
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Gillespie, Betty Lynn. "The Feminine Gender Role Stress Scale: Development, Factor Analysis, and Preliminary Validation." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31759.
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The purpose of the present study was to develop a measure of feminine gender role stress appraisal (FGRS), the cognitive tendency to appraise threats and challenges to femininity as stressful. Stressors particularly salient for women were identified. Through factor analysis these stressors were categorized as situations involving emotional detachment, evaluation of physical attractiveness, potential victimization, assertive coping, and evaluations of nurturance. The FGRS appraisal style should create additional stress in the lives of women to the extent they are faced with these types of stressors. Thus, it was predicted that women high on FGRS would be more vulnerable to stress related disorders that disproportionately afflict women. Supporting this hypothesis, women with high FGRS scores reported more depression and, to a lesser extent, anxiety. Additionally, the psychometric properties of the FGRS scale were investigated. Women scored higher on FGRS than men and scores among women showed good two week testretest reliability. The tendency to appraise situations on the FGRS scale as stressful was moderately associated with the tendency to perceive masculine threats and challenges and daily hassles as stressful as well. Discriminant validity was demonstrated between FGRS appraisal and the expression of hostility and self-perceived femininity.Master of Science
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Forjaz, Maria João Bettencourt Pereira. "Comparative Models of the Impact of Social Support on Psychological Distress in Cancer Patients." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2000. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2533/.
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This study tested the relationship between Social Support, Psychological Distress, and Illness Stress in individuals who report cancer as a health condition. This study was based on archival data obtained from the Wave 1 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The HRS provides a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 51 to 61 in 1992 and their spouses. The study sample was limited to cancer patients with a spouse or partner (n = 503).
A structural equation modeling analysis procedure was used to test the theoretical models. Measures of social support were limited to variables assessing the participant's satisfaction with social support. Evidence was found for the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models. This is congruent with previous research using measures of social support perception. Both the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models predict a negative relationship between Illness Stress and Social Support.
In addition, a univariate analysis of variance was used to test the stress buffering model. Similarly to other studies measuring the individual's degree of integration, or its perception, in the social network, the present research supported the only the Main Effect model and not the Stress Buffering model.
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Murray, James Lee. "The role of dissociation in the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1997. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6abbb132-54c5-4ae6-84a8-d1dd920f112d.
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The aim of this thesis was to investigate psychological factors influencing the development and maintenance of post-traumatic symptoms, with particular attention to the role of dissociation. The concept of dissociation is at present not well understood, and a secondary aim of this thesis was to clarify its meaning and structure and enable its assessment. Chapter 2 reports the development and testing of a questionnaire measuring trait dissociation, and the factor analysis of this questionnaire into seven sub-factors with low to medium intercorrelations, along with an analysis of the reliability and validity of this questionnaire, which was used in the subsequent studies. Chapters 3 and 4 consist of experimental studies investigating the relationship between dissociation and later intrusive memories using a videotape of scenes from road traffic accidents as a stimulus. The first study attempted to manipulate dissociation, while the second used extreme scorers on the trait dissociation questionnaire. The manipulation of dissociation proved difficult, but both studies showed a relationship between dissociation and later intrusions. Chapters 6 and 7 report on two prospective clinical studies following road traffic accident victims over the first six months following their accident, and investigates the role of dissociation and other psychological factors in the development of post-traumatic symptoms. Both state and trait dissociation, and the emotional numbing subfactor of dissociation in particular, predict the later development and maintenance of other post-traumatic symptoms. Persistent dissociation was more predictive of later symptoms than dissociation in the first few days after the accident. These results are discussed in relation to current thinking about the concept of dissociation and the DSM diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder. In particular it seems useful to distinguish between components of dissociation in terms of their relationship to PTSD. Possible future research and clinical implications are also addressed.
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Francl, Mary Ellen. "A re-examination of stresses experienced by primiparous women in the first two weeks postpartum." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/277161.
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A replication of "Stresses Experienced by Primiparous Women in the First Two Weeks Postpartum" (Wolfel, 1986) was undertaken to identify stressors experienced by women in the first 2 weeks postpartum and to compare results with the original study. Because of changes in the standard of care, a study replication was desirable. The replication sample consisted of 20 primiparous women who completed the Postpartum Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), a new tool developed by Wolfel. Descriptive data displayed the existence of stress. Analysis of variance, t tests, and correlation coefficients were used to find significant correlations between demographic characteristics and PSQ responses. Age correlated positively with stress. Married women reported stress in physiological and psychological areas. Women who had a miscarriage were more likely to exhibit postpartal stress. No relationship was found between PSQ and variables of previous experience with child care, length of hospital stay, use of pain medication, or prenatal caretaker.
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Bizzell, Laurie. "Maternal Stress and Cystic Fibrosis." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1996. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278693/.
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The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between parent and child factors for mothers of children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis to predict mother's psychological distress. Mothers were surveyed to identify measurement models in areas of Child and Parental characteristics and a Full Causal Model of Maternal distress. Factors related to Child Characteristics include general parental stressors and cystic fibrosis specific parental stressors. Factors related to Parental Characteristics include the mother's sense of parental competence and self-esteem. Additional factors related to the Full Causal Model include social support, major and minor life events, and demographics. Results were analyzed using LISREL IV structural equation modeling. Measurement model analysis found a good fit for the Child Characteristics model (Chi Square = 6.85, df = 4, JD = .144, Goodness of Fit Indices = .972) and Parental Characteristics model (Chi Square = 5.89, df = 3, p = .117, Goodness of Fit Indices = .971), but not for the full causal model of maternal distress (Chi Square = 114.98, df = 66, E = .000, Goodness of Fit Indices = .853)
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Orr, Billie Y. "Humour and social support as moderators of life event stress in students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1985. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/220.
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Payne, Lynelle E. "The relationship between the effect of uncertainty and perceived support role performance in spouses of post-myocardial infarction clients." Virtual Press, 1989. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/543984.
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"The Relationship Between the Effect of Uncertainty and Perceived Support Role Performance in Spouses of PostMyocardial Infarction Clients."Little understanding of the relationship between the illness of a family member and family functioning is provided in recent studies.Studies have indicated that recovery from an illness crisis can be influenced by support from the family. The purpose of this study was to examine spouses of myocardial infarction patients for the relationship between perceived support role performance and the uncertainty regarding the illness of the patient. The population studied consisted of a convenience sample of 36 spouses of patients currently enrolled in Phase II of a cardiac rehabilitation program in a community hospital. Human subjects rights were protected. The hypothesis examined was that "uncertainty has a direct negative relationship to perception of support role performance. Study findings also did not indicate any relationships between the variables of age, gender, support role performance, and uncertainty. The results of the study could be used in planning support groups for spouses of myocardial infarction patients and to provide opportunities for the patient and spouse to form attitudes and acquire skills to master the changes in psychological, social, and physical status. The hospital course of individuals having experienced an acute coronary event is frequently characterized by emotional distress. Nurses can assist family members to identify emotional stresses and intervene to decrease emotional stress. Uncertainty is one factor that can play a role in the perception of illness-related events.School of Nursing
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Baldwin, Carol L. (Carol Louise). "Dissociation and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Women Who Have Experienced Trauma and Sexual Assault." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1994. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc332592/.
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The relation between dissociative symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was investigated in women who had experienced trauma or sexual assault. Subjects were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the Sexual Experiences Scale (SES), and the PTSD Interview (PTSD-I). Subjects were grouped according to their scores on the SES and the PTSD-I. Analysis of variance revealed a relation between DES scores and PTSD symptom severity scores. Correlational analyses showed a relation between dissociative symptoms and PTSD symptom severity but not recency of trauma. Three factors from a previously published factor analysis of the DES were found to contribute to the DES scores of PTSD subjects.
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Priester, Michael J. "Evaluating reactions to stress following a naturalistic stressor." Thesis, This resource online, 1990. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03122009-040623/.
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Morin, Mariko Anne. "The effect of prenatal maternal stress on the development of attention problems in five-year-old children /." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=83132.
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Research indicates a relationship between prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) and attention levels in children. Studies with non-human primates suggest that both exposure to PNMS and the timing of a stressor during pregnancy are associated with greater attention problems in offspring; however, this has not been sufficiently tested in humans because of methodological constraints. We explored the relationship between objective and subjective measures of PNMS for 85 women who were pregnant during the 1998 Quebec Ice Storm and attention levels in their 5.5 year-old children, while controlling for socioeconomic status, child's sex, and maternal state anxiety. As a group, children in the study displayed significantly less attentive behaviour compared to a standardized norm. Boys in this group were significantly less attentive than girls. Objective PNMS exposure during 1st trimester correlated positively with attention problems in the children, accounting for 15.2% of the variance in attention levels as rated by Kindergarten teachers. In a behavioural task to detect sustained attention difficulties and Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, children exposed during the 3rd trimester obtained significantly worse scores compared to children exposed in other trimesters. However, in this case, objective and subjective PNMS appeared to act as protective factors, raising the possibility of the presence of another unknown mechanism that negatively affected the attention variables.
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Ward, Clay Herold. "Psychological aspects and potential pathogenic processes of achievement striving associated with the Type A personality." Diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/82607.
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The Type A personality has been associated with coronary heart disease and other psychosomatic illnesses. Previous investigators have suggested that a major stress-related feature of the Type A personality is "excessive" striving for achievement, even though ambition is often conceptualized as a positive aspect of personality. The purpose of the present dissertation was to examine whether there are psychological differences in how Type A individuals, compared to their Type B counterparts, approach and respond to an achievement situation, which, in addition to defining the Type A personality, have potential pathogenic health and personal adjustment implications.
Three experiments are reported which examined self-directed behavior in an achievement situation where subjects were required to perform sequential general information tests. The results of Experiment I support the hypotheses that Type A individuals, compared to Type B individuals, adopt very high standards for performance, which increase the probability that they will not achieve their personal goals.
The results of Experiment II expand on the findings of Experiment I by indicating that in addition to not achieving personal goals, Type A individuals, relative to Type B individuals, also tend to devalue their actual performance. Furthermore, failure to achieve personal goals was associated with increased self-report of psychological distress. The findings of Experiment III replicate previous results and further indicate that failure to achieve personal goals is associated with specific negative consequences of increased anger and decreased self-esteem. The results also indicate that Type A individuals compared to Type B individuals, tend to make internal attributions for failure, while at the same time, they take less personal credit for success. Finally, the results of Experiment III suggest that the Type A personality is related to general negative affective states, psychosomatic illness, and daily stress.
Results of the three experiments indicate that there are important psychological characteristics of how Type A individuals approach and respond to an achievement situation, which appear to have pathogenic health and personal adjustment consequences. Recent reconceptualizations of the Type A personality have emphasized a trait-like dimension of hostility, characterized by cynicism, resentment, and suspiciousness toward others as the "toxic" component of the Type A personality. The present study urges that striving toward lofty goals, devaluation of performance, self-blame for failure without taking comparable self-credit for success, along with negative self-evaluation also be viewed as important unhealthy aspects of the Type A personality.Ph. D.
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Chen, Hua, and 陳華. "Relationship between psychological status and vascular function in subjects with and without cardiovascular diseases." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B41290409.
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Acheson, Kerry. "The phenomenolgoical experience of posttraumatic growth in the context of a traumatic bereavement." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004456.
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The present study involves an exploration of the phenomenological expenence of posttraumatic growth in the context of a traumatic bereavement. An idiographic case study of a student who had witnessed her mother's death twelve years previously was conducted. Semi-structured interviews elicited data which was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IP A). Posttraumatic growth was found to have developed with regards to self-perception, relationships, and also in a broader spiritual and existential domain. The findings of this study shed light on the extant posttraumatic growth literature. In particular, findings were discussed in relation to the posttraumatic growth model as proposed by Calhoun and Tedeschi (2006). As posttraumatic growth is a relatively young concept, further research is needed in order to understand the meaning of reported growth more fully. While posttraumatic growth has been investigated in the context of bereavement, future research should distinguish more clearly between growth following traumatic and non-traumatic bereavement. Posttraumatic growth has received minimal empirical attention in South Africa, and therefore exploration of this area is suggested in the future.KMBT_363
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Crawford, Julie Schwarz. "Comparative Analysis of Chronic Versus Acute Stressors and Their Influence on Distress Consequences at Work." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2000. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2579/.
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Workplace stress has been found to be a causal agent of psychological distress consequences in employees. Chronic stressors have been well researched, in particular, role conflict, role ambiguity, and work overload have been extensively studied. A meta-analysis was conducted in order to aggregate past research to gain a better understanding of the impact these stressors have on the psychological distress consequences of depression, tension/anxiety, somatic complaints, and generalized feelings of stress. Only role ambiguity was found to be a significant contributor to psychological distress, in particular to feelings of depression and stress. In general, however, effect sizes for all three stressors were moderate to large. While chronic stressors have been well researched, acute stressors have been widely overlooked. Since research in this area is limited, the Daily Work Hassles Survey was developed and validated in order to analyze the role daily hassles play in the workplace. The survey yielded two factors, Interpersonal Hassles and Task Hassles. The former of which was found to be significantly related to the distress consequences of depression, tension/anxiety, somatic complaints, and general feelings of stress. The ultimate goal of this project was to compare chronic and acute stressors. Results from the daily hassles study were contrasted to the results of the aforementioned meta-analysis. It was found that the chronic stressors of role ambiguity, role conflict, and overload are significantly greater predictors of selected distress consequences than the acute factors of Interpersonal Hassles and Task Hassles. However, when somatic complaints was employed as the dependent variable, no significant differences were found between chronic and acute stressors.
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Spatny, Jerry. "The positive effects of humor on affect and coping skills." Virtual Press, 1997. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1045630.
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The present study examined the relationship of sense of humor to affect and coping with humor ability. The participants were 147 Introductory Psychology students from Ball State University. Participants first took the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire (SHRQ: Martin & Lefcourt, 1984), then observed 1 of 3 videos (i.e., sad, neutral, or humorous), which was then followed by the Coping with Humor Scale (CHS: Martin & Lefcourt, 1983) and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL: Zuckerman & Lubin, 1965). The results indicate that sense of humor is inversely related to depression and hostility regardless of video condition but not with anxiety. Low sense of humor participants were influenced greatly as a function of the video condition but the high sense of humor paticipants were not. High sense of humor paticipants used humor to cope more than the low sense of humor participants in the sad video condition. The findings indicate that sense of humor is strongly related to depression, that depression levels can be reduced with a humor stimulus, and that those with a high sense of humor are more likely to use humor to cope with problems.Department of Psychological Science
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Broyles, Susan Elizabeth. "The relationship of chronic tension headache to individual and family stressors." Diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54771.
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Tension, or muscle contraction, headache is by definition associated with life stress. However, there has been relatively little empirical research on the role of naturally occurring stressors in causing tension headache. The current investigation sought to examine some psychological variables hypothesized to be related to chronic tension headache, particularly psychosocial factors. The temporal relationship of headache activity and stress was a major focus. A second purpose of the study was to investigate the family as a particularly salient environmental source of stress for the headache sufferer. Experimental subjects were 18 family pairs, with one member diagnosed as having chronic tension headache. Control subjects were 15 family pairs in which one member had recently sustained an orthopedic injury, resulting in pain. All subjects kept a 14-day diary, monitoring mood swings, the occurrence of stressful events, headache and other somatic complaints. Subjects participated in a semi-structured interview and completed questionnaires concerning depression, anxiety, physical complaints, life hassles, previous illness experiences, and family life. Analyses revealed moderate correlation between targets' average headache activity and average diary ratings of their own hassles and their families' hassle. Additionally, correlations between targets' average headache activity and their own average mood ratings and physical symptom ratings approached significance. Concerning temporal relationships, analyses revealed mild-to-moderate isomorphic correlations between target headache activity and diary ratings of target hassles. Cross-lagged correlations indicated daily headache fluctuations were also mildly-to-moderately related to target hassles from the previous day and the following day. Temporal results are discussed in terms of potential cause and consequence. Implications are discussed in terms of support for a multi-component model of chronic tension headache.Ph. D.
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Hait, Aaron Vincent. "Cardio-respiratory responses to mental challenge : high, moderate, and low heart rate reactors." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26825.
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Three issues were examined in this study: (1) the extent to which psychological challenge or stress elicits changes in the breathing patterns of normal subjects; (2) whether breathing pattern changes covary with cardiovascular arousal; and (3) whether individuals identified as being potentially at-risk for developing hypertension respond to mental challenge tasks with breathing pattern and cardiovascular changes that are reliably different from those of lower risk individuals. Subjects were 100 healthy young men divided into reactor quintiles on the basis of their heart rate (HR) changes to a 1-minute cold pressor test. Those in the upper quintile were designated as being at-risk for developing hypertension. Their cardiovascular and respiratory changes to two counterbalanced versions of a 5-minute mental arithmetic test (Easy & Hard) were compared with those of the third and fifth quintile subjects. Marked individual
differences were evident in the direction and extent of breathing changes. Overall, the rate, amplitude, variability, and predominant mode of breathing increased substantially over resting levels in response to the math tasks. Only breathing rate and variability reliably covaried with task difficulty. Little correspondence was found between breathing changes and cardiovascular arousal. The data did indicate a trend for breathing to shift towards greater ribcage dominance as task difficulty increased. This was especially true for the at-risk group and least true for the low reactor quintile. The expected group differences in cardiovascular reactivity were not found however, implying that the HR reactivity to cold stimulation is not a good predictor of reactivity to acute mental challenge or stress. Overall, the results suggest that breathing patterns change in response to psychological stress but are not clearly associated with cardiovascular arousal. The attempt to identify subgroups of aberrant breathers on the basis of HR reactivity also yielded equivocal results.Arts, Faculty of
Psychology, Department of
Graduate
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Parisien, Lynne S. "Anxiety and coping of female counselling students : responses to sexual, physical abuse and role conflict." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28907.
Full textAbstract:
The focus of this study was an examination of the anxiety level and coping processes of female counselling students when confronted with a client who has either been sexually abused, physically abused, or who is experiencing role conflict. It was hypothesized that students who were exposed to a sexually abused client would demonstrate a significant increase in anxiety and poorer coping processes than the comparison groups. Coping processes were construed as coping thoughts (the relationship between negative and positive self-statements), and operationalized as the proportion of negative self-statements to total self-statements. It was further expected that there would be a moderate, positive correlation between anxiety and relative negative self-statement scores after viewing the client videos. Sixty female volunteer counselling psychology students (M age 35.8) at the University of British Columbia were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: exposure to a video presentation of a client who had either been sexually abused, physically abused, or was experiencing role conflict. Each student completed the State Form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the thought-listing procedure before and after viewing the client. Data were analyzed by two repeated measures, 2-way (group x time) ANOVAs, with anxiety and relative negative self-statement scores as the dependent variables. A Pearson product-moment correlation was also conducted between these two variables at post-test. The ANOVAs revealed no significant differences between the three groups from pre- to post-video, and, unexpectedly, the relative negative self-statement scores decreased for all groups. A positive correlation but of low magnitude was found between anxiety and relative negative self-statement scores (r=.21, p<.05). Because of the unexpected results, and based on findings from the literature, post-hoc analysis was carried out A repeated measures ANOVA with positive self-statements as the dependent variable revealed a group x time interaction that approached significance, F(2,60)=2.20, p.<.12. Post-hoc Scheffe's tests (p<.05) indicated that the sexual abuse group increased these positive self-statements more than the comparison groups. Data were also examined from the perspective of Schwartz and Garamoni's (1986) States of Mind model. These findings coupled with data from the ancillary questionnaires suggested that students were functioning from a position of grandiosity with respect to their counselling ability with adult survivors of sexual abuse. There was also some indication that at least some students who had been sexually abused themselves were in a state of denial in relation to the effects of their own abuse.Education, Faculty of
Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of
Graduate