Browsing by Author "Malthus, Sarah"
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- ItemDevelopment and evaluation of an ACT-based lifestyle education intervention for patients with pre-diabetes : a randomised controlled trial : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Malthus, SarahType 2 diabetes is a potentially debilitating health condition, and rising prevalence rates of both diabetes and pre-diabetes (the precursor to diabetes) globally and in New Zealand has made prevention an important research focus. Early research indicated dramatic reductions in modifiable diabetes risks factors through the provision of lifestyle education interventions for those with pre-diabetes. However, the time and resource intensive nature of these interventions presented challenges for their implementation, and studies employing briefer more pragmatic interventions produced less compelling results. Incorporating a psychological component into lifestyle education interventions has been highlighted as a possible avenue for enhancing outcomes. This thesis describes the development/adaptation of two intervention approaches for patients with pre-diabetes; lifestyle education alone and lifestyle education combined with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The goal of the ACT/Education approach was to connect participants’ lifestyle goals to personally meaningful values, and equip them with skills to deal with difficult emotions that can function as barriers to goal attainment. A randomised controlled design was used to compare the effectiveness of these approaches with the provision of standard medical care. Results indicated the presence of significant cumulative intervention effects over time for HbA1c, BMI, waist circumference, saturated fat intake, life satisfaction, anxiety, and pre-diabetes knowledge; and education alone was more effective than standard care for reducing total cholesterol and waist circumference. However, results indicated that incorporating an ACT approach was no more beneficial than education alone or standard care across any of the outcome measures. Limitations related to statistical power, participant characteristics and methodology makes definitive interpretations of these results difficult. Addressing these limitations in future research may produce more meaningful outcomes.
- ItemPhysiological, experiential & cognitive consequences of suppression, reappraisal & acceptance during emotional arousal : a comparative analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 2006) Malthus, SarahThis study investigated the experiential, physiological, and memory effects of three emotion regulation strategies: acceptance, suppression, and reappraisal. Eighty female university students were exposed to a two minute standardised film designed to evoke feelings of sadness, while under instructions to either (a) push away emotions that arose (suppression), (b) view the film in an objective detached way (reappraisal), (c) accept emotions that arose without judgement (acceptance), or (d) simply watch the film (control group). Participants rated the intensity of emotions experienced both prior to and during the film. Heart rate and skin conductance were measured prior to, during, and following the film, and participants' incidental recognition memory (visual and verbal) and subjective confidence in memory were assessed post film. No significant differences were found between the mean scores of the four instructional conditions for any of the main dependent variables (possibilities regarding why this was so are discussed in this thesis). However, analysis of mean and effect size revealed trends that were supportive of several hypotheses. None of the emotion regulation strategies were found to be effective for alleviating either physiological or subjective responses to the film. However, reappraisal and acceptance participants did rate the emotive stimulus as more positive/pleasant than control participants. Clear differences also emerged with respect to incidental verbal recognition memory. Acceptance participants were the only group to achieve higher scores than control participants on this measure. These findings suggest different emotion regulation strategies may have different adaptive consequences depending on their emphasis on emotional control.