Browsing by Author "Williams, Mei Wah"
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- ItemEvaluation of back education programme at the Medical Rehabilitation Unit, Palmerston North Hospital : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 1994) Williams, Mei WahChronic low back pain is a significant health care problem and is frequently one of the most difficult conditions to treat. For the individual, chronic low back pain evolves into a constellation of problems involving psychological and behavioural symptoms as a result of the recurrent pain. Numerous pain clinics have been established providing a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of chronic pain. A considerable amount of evidence has attested to the efficacy of a comprehensive treatment approach for the management of chronic pain. Despite the support for pain clinics, many outcome studies have been plagued by methodological difficulties. The present study was designed to improve on previous methodological shortcomings and evaluate the efficacy of a multidisciplinary treatment for chronic back pain. The programme, carried out over four mornings per week for three weeks, was conducted in an outpatient clinic of a public hospital. Twenty-four patients consecutively referred to the pain clinic were randomly assigned to treatment and waitlist control conditions. The treatment group was assessed four times and the waitlist control group assessed six times throughout the study. The two groups were compared for differences on a variety of outcome measures on three separate occasions; at pretreatment, immediately after treatment and at follow-up. Outcome measures included self-reported pain intensity, mood, coping skills and physical disability; and objective measures of physical impairments. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) for outcome measures were carried out. Results suggested significant improvements were achieved after treatment in depression levels and muscle strength. No significant gains were reported in physical functioning such as everyday activities, flexibility, spinal functioning, or pain intensity. When assessed at follow-up six months later, the original gains in mood were maintained but a significant decline in muscle strength was reported. The goals of the programme to improve physical functioning and return to work were not achieved, thus predictions for the efficacy of the chronic back pain programme were not supported. Implications of these findings are discussed together with recommendations for improving outcomes, especially the importance of physical reactivation.
- ItemTesting and extending self-control theory of crime : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 2007) Williams, Mei WahSelf-control theory of crime has had considerable impact on mainstream criminology since it was first published in 1990 by Gottfredson and Hirschi. It is regarded as the most parsimonious criminological theory currently available and has been empirically tested across diverse populations and behaviours. Considerable empirical evidence supports the generality of self-control in predicting crime and analogous behaviours, with low self-control ranked as one of the strongest risk factors for crime. Of substantive concern however is a lack of explanatory power in the theory, a problem that besets criminological theorising in general. This study attempted to integrate self-control theory with theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Whilst self-control provides a stable-dispositional explanation for propensity to crime, TPB is interested in the decision-making processes related to involvement in crime. As such, the study examined the relationship between time-stable self-control and the mediating role of situational-specific factors in the causation of crime. The purpose of the study is twofold. Firstly to investigate the underlying mechanism by which a person with low self-control may have greater propensity to crime and secondly to increase the explanatory value of self-control theory. Three disparate groups were used to explore the single theories and the integrated theory; female students, male students, and prison inmates. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted to examine the sufficiency of the theories to explain intention to commit crime across three groups. Low self-control was unable to explain behavioural intentions for students but was successful in explaining intentions to do crime in a prison population. The motivational elements of TPB, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, were shown to exert considerable influence on intention to do crime across the three samples but not attitude. The integrated theory increased the explanatory value of self-control theory for prison inmates over and above its constituent theories. These findings were not replicated with male and female students, raising questions about the generality of self-control theory. Implications for self-control theory are discussed, especially the need to include significant others and behavioural control variables in understanding the causes of crime