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Item Minor stressors and uplifts, affect intensity, and optimism as influences on health of the elderly : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 1989) Laird, Richard JohnAn investigation was undertaken to examine the influence of minor stressors, uplifts, affect intensity, and dispositional optimism on the health of the elderly. The function of affect intensity and dispositional optimism as possible moderators of the relationships between minor stressors and uplifts to objective and subjective health was examined. In addition, the relationships between stressors and uplifts to somatic symptoms and subjective health were explored for causal effects. A sample of 114 elderly individuals, drawn from Fielding and Palmerston North, completed two questionnaires which included measures of hassles, uplifts, dispositional optimism, affect intensity, subjective health, somatic symptoms, functional limitation, and chronic ill-health. Uplifts were unexpectedly found to be related to subjective health. Neither dispositional optimism nor affect intensity were found to moderate the stressor-health or uplift-health relationships. Stressors were not found to cause ill-health. Our findings add further weight to the view that subjective health is a useful and valuable measure of health in the elderly. The tenuous nature of the moderating effects of dispositional characteristics on the stressor-health and uplift-health relationships are discussed. Reasons for stressors not being causative of ill-health in this sample are considered. Finally, our study provides evidence for constancy and stability in the lives of elderly people.Item Ageing in place : the experiences of older adults accessing health services in the Wakatipu : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Rose, Rachel AnnAccess to health services is vital for maintaining the quality of life for older people. Older people living in rural and remote areas often have specific barriers to accessing good quality and timely health services. Poor health service access can make it difficult for older people in remote communities to ‘age in place’. This research explored the experiences of older residents accessing health services in the Wakatipu area of New Zealand, to provide the opportunity for older people in the area to have their voices heard, and to inform service provision in the area. The experiences of older people accessing health services in rural or remote areas are pivotal to formulating policies and building communities founded on wellbeing. A qualitative framework was chosen to record and analyse the rich and detailed experiences of the participants. Eight people aged over 75 years, who currently live in the Wakatipu basin, were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which enables detailed attention to people’s lived experiences. Two superordinate themes of the places that people age, and strategies to maintain the positive ageing ideal, were identified. The results indicated that older adults view health services not in the narrow sense of provision of traditional GP and hospital services, but in the context of all the components required to age well in the location of their choice. This highlights the need to actively include older adults in the planning and decision making process for civic amenities, environmental design, transport, and health services.Item The influence of medication use on adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, and health-related quality of life for older adults with heart trouble : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Ramjee, Zanisha MukeshCurrently, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in New Zealand. The combination of non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors contributes to the disease. Medication can be used to treat modifiable risk factors to slow down the progression of cardiovascular disease. In conjunction with medication, modifiable lifestyle changes such as physical activity, non-smoking, and diet can further discourage the progression of cardiovascular disease. This exploratory study aimed to investigate if medication use influences adopting healthy lifestyle changes, and if health-related quality of life is affected. Using secondary data from the Health, Work, and Retirement Longitudinal study, a total of 406 participants with heart trouble were identified. This sample comprised of males and females aged between 49-72 years old, who completed a questionnaire about their health, work and retirement. The results of the study showed that physical activity was associated with a better quality of life and that medication use did not significantly moderate this relationship. However, significant main effects between medication use and physical activity were observed. The number of days being active decreased as the number of prescribed medications increased. Main effects between non-smoking and medication, and non-smoking and quality of life were non-significant. Cumulatively, there are mixed results of this study compared to some the literature. Due to the nature of the data used, several limitations were identified. Nevertheless, this exploratory study was useful to shed light on the idea that medication use can perhaps influence healthy lifestyle behaviours for older adults, and thus this should be explored further to ensure effective treatment plans for patients with cardiovascular disease.