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    The psychological changes in patients undergoing elective aesthetic surgery : a longitudinal study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Hung, Mindy Min-Yu
    The popularity of elective cosmetic surgery has risen rapidly over the last two decades, drawing attention to its pursuit and psychological effects. However, the literature shows mixed results regarding the psychological outcomes of cosmetic surgery, suggesting methodological weaknesses across a majority of the studies, and lending weight to the belief that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the psychological benefits of cosmetic surgery. The current study explores the psychological change in cosmetic surgery patients before and six months after the surgery, using mixed methods of applied longitudinal analysis and thematic analysis. It explores the psychological differences between 17 prospective cosmetic surgery patients and a comparison group of 20 not planning cosmetic surgery, examines why patients undergo surgery, and looks at factors that could influence surgery outcomes. Psychological measures were taken before the surgery and two weeks, three months and six months after the surgery. The psychological outcome variables include global self-esteem, appearance evaluation and orientation, psychological wellbeing and body image-related quality of life. No psychological difference was found between prospective cosmetic surgery participants and the comparison group, except that the surgery participants were more dissatisfied with their overall appearance and their body image experiences were more likely to have negatively affected their lives preoperatively compared with the comparison group. Cosmetic surgery was sought to address concerns and dissatisfaction over physical appearance, and under the expectation of postoperative psychological enhancement. Cosmetic surgery participation was significantly associated with increased appearance satisfaction over time, whereas no significant changes was found in other psychological variables. The majority of the postoperative cosmetic participants reported that their appearance dissatisfaction in other parts of their bodies have a somewhat negative impact on their lives, whereas the comparison group described that such appearance dissatisfaction has no effect on their lives or minor preoccupation at the most. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
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    Subjective stress, coping and subjective well-being in women before and after the birth of their first child: a longitudinal case-study approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1987) Mason, Edward John
    A longitudinal case-study approach was adopted to explore the changes in subjective stress, coping and subjective well-being in women before and after the birth of their first child. Subjects were 16 women due to have their first baby. It was planned to see· them at ten weeks, six weeks and two weeks before the expected date of birth of their baby, and two weeks, six weeks and ten weeks after the actual date of birth. Demographic information was collected in the first session. At each contact semi-structured interviews were conducted and subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to measure subjective stress, coping, appraisals, and subjective well-being. The specific approach was descriptive, and the specific aim was to look for patterns and themes. However, while there were no well-defined hypotheses, it was expected that subjective stress would decrease before the birth, increase in the first month to six weeks after and decrease again towards the end of the study period. The use of coping strategies were expected to follow a similar pattern to that of subjective stress. Subjective well-being was expected to follow the opposite pattern to subjective stress and coping. It was felt that making specific predictions about appraisal emotions would not be productive since it was expected that emotional liability would cloud the data and general patterns would not emerge. Results showed that subjective stress generally decreased as the expected date of birth neared, except for those women who experienced a specific stressor unrelated to the pregnancy as such. It increased dramatically immediately after the birth and decreased gradually as the final contact approached. The predictions about coping and subjective well-being were also generally fulfilled. As expected there were no obvious general patterns for appraisal emotions. Empirical, theoretical, methodological and policy implications were discussed, and suggestions for future research were made.
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    Students with significant motor skill impairment : a longitudinal study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, Department of Education, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1994) Donaldson, Lynne
    This is a four year follow-up study of a group of students who were originally tested in the 1982 South Auckland Perceptual Motor Dysfunction Survey in Hamilton. All those students identified at the primary school standard three level as having significantly impaired motor skills (clumsy), and a selected group of students who were just above the level of significant impairment, were traced for retesting in order to examine the motor skill development of these students. In all 55 students were retested. Thirty-eight of the 62 students (61%) identified with significant impaired motor skills in 1982 were retraced in the Hamilton area in 1986. Seventeen of 23 students selected (74%) from the group of students whose motor skills were just above the level of impairment were also retraced. This retesting percentage result compares favourably with other related longitudinal studies. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was used to test students at both the standard three and form three levels. This is a comprehensive and reliable test of motor skills. Such an extensive motor skills testing programme has not to the writer's knowledge been undertaken in the context of a longitudinal study before. Seventy-three percent (73%) of those students ( two out of every three students) with significantly impaired motor skills in 1982 continued to have motor skill problems at the form three level in 1986. Gross motor skills (Balance, Bilateral Co-ordination, Strength, and Running Speed and Agility) were more impaired than fine motor skills with Balance subtest skills showing the greatest degree of impairment. Thirty-five percent of those students (35%) whose motor skills just were just above the level of significant impairment at the standard three level showed a deterioration in their motor skills over the four years to be classified as having significantly impaired motor skills in 1986. The above results and a calculation of the incidence of students with significantly impaired motor skills at both the standard three and form three levels do not support a maturational effect on motor skill development. This study briefly explored whether student participation in sport and recreation pursuits influenced the development of motor skills. No direct correlation was found. Schools were however identified as significant providers of sport and recreation opportunities for the students tested. The results of this times series research design approach were able to be compared to the cross-sectional design of the 1982 South Auckland Perceptual Motor Dysfunction Survey as means of determining the incidence level of students with significant motor skill problems and identifying the motor skill characteristics of such students. Differences are evident from these approaches and are discussed briefly.
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    Stressor-manifestations in a sample of primary school principals : a longitudinal study : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education
    (Massey University, 1991) Holland, Jack G
    This thesis results from a longitudinal field study of stressfulness in nineteen New Zealand primary school principals. The study was located in a suburban area during the 1930s. After establishing a broad base of field work from the full sample, the researcher concentrated on a core of six principals, returning to the full sample in the later field work. The approach is in part retrospective as some members of the sample retired during the extended period of the study. To focus the field study, the researcher formulated six broad research questions to gather data. The study found the incidence of manifested stressors to be widespread. This thesis describes mainly 'on-job' stressors, including hassles, and identifies the stressor-manifestations sequence, including burn, burnout and pathological outcomes. Some principals displayed renewal in changed environments. The researcher linked field data with current published research findings to make an awareness model combining the stressor-manifestations sequence with aspects of stress management.
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    Depression and learning disabilities : a comparison of the emotional status of normal achieving and learning disabled fifth formers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1992) Wilkinson, Lois
    This study was part of a follow-up project on a cohort of school students. Achievement data had been collected since 1982 and measures on affective variables had been made in 1982 and 1983. Part of the sample had been identified in 1982 as having learning disabilities in one or more academic areas. The students who were defined as learning disabled (LD) were displaying persisting negative responses on an academic self-concept scale in 1982 and 83. The present study was designed to compare the emotional status of these students in 1986, when they were now in their third year of secondary schooling and were faced with the first national examination,. with a group of students who were defined as normally achieving (NA). General self-concept, academic self-concept and depression were assessed. Students were also questioned about the amount and type of remediation they had received. Although it was hypothesised that more LD students than NA would be depressed because of their history of school failure, this was not the case. Fourteen out of 104 students were identified has having been depressed with the number of LD and NA students being nearly equal. The reasons given for their depression related more to family and social problems than to school performance. Depressed students had lower self-concept scores as predicted, but academic self-concept was not significantly associated with depression. The relationship between depression and School Certificate marks was non-significant. With this sample the type of remediation did not seem to have a measured effect on self-concept, or academic self-concept. Very few of the depressed students had received remediation and the interaction was not able to be clarified. The results of the study show that depressed students do exist in our secondary schools and it may be necessary for teachers to learn to recognise the symptoms so that intervention is arranged. The generalisability of the information gained here on the precipitating reasons and the effects of depression is decreased by the small number of depressed students. While there is no reason to presume that these students differ from other students of a similar age, further research is necessary to confirm these findings.