Search results

(1 - 2 of 2)
AFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: THE ROLE OF COUPLES’ EMOTIONS IN CARDIAC PATIENT HEALTH OUTCOMES
Title
AFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: THE ROLE OF COUPLES’ EMOTIONS IN CARDIAC PATIENT HEALTH OUTCOMES
Creator
Pieczynski, Jessica
Date
2011-12-12, 2011-12
Description
Research has found emotional expression is related to relationship satisfaction and cardiac health. The association between emotional...
Show moreResearch has found emotional expression is related to relationship satisfaction and cardiac health. The association between emotional expression and these outcomes within the context of couple interactions has not been studied. This study examined the role that positive and negative affect have on the relationship satisfaction and cardiac health of couples where one individual has a cardiac illness. Forty four couples were enrolled in the study and emotional expression was coded using naïve raters. The use of naïve raters was found to be reliable for measuring general emotional constructs, but not specific emotions. The results indicated that Empathic Engagement was associated with cardiac patient mental health and physical health, but did not significantly mediate the association between relationship satisfaction and mental health. Partners’ expression of Hostility and Affection were associated with patients’ relationship satisfaction. These results underscore the importance of targeting couples communication for cardiac interventions.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2011
Show less
APPLYING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY MODEL TO EXAMINE PREDICTORS OF ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS IN A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
Title
APPLYING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY MODEL TO EXAMINE PREDICTORS OF ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS IN A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
Creator
Pieczynski, Jessica
Date
2015, 2015-07
Description
Weight management success is contingent upon treatment utilization and engagement. Unfortunately, low enrollment, poor attendance, and high...
Show moreWeight management success is contingent upon treatment utilization and engagement. Unfortunately, low enrollment, poor attendance, and high attrition from weight management programs are major barriers for long-term weight loss. This study aimed to applying the psychological flexibility model to the problem of weight management engagement. The current study evaluated the hypotheses that lower experiential avoidance, the process of changing, suppressing, or avoiding unpleasant experiences in an effort to regulate behavior, and higher values congruence, behaving consistently with one’s values, predict treatment engagement and successful weight loss. Participants were 183 overweight and obese veterans (91.3% Male, 77.6% African American). Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Problems (AAQ-W) and the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ). Analyses revealed that experiential avoidance significantly predicted probability of enrolling (OR=1.03, p<.01). Experiential avoidance and values congruence were not significantly related to attendance, and experiential avoidance approached significance for dropout (OR=6.54, p=.08). AAQ-W was related to baseline BMI (β=7.49, p<.001) and 3-month BMI trajectory (β= 0.54, p<.01) for enrollees, while experiential avoidance predicted 3-month weight change for nonenrollees (β =0.28, p<.05). The extant research on weight management suggests that much can be done to improve treatment outcomes. Increasing engagement is a major component of improving weight management success. The findings from this study suggest that targeting psychological flexibility can be a means to achieving this goal. Future weight management research should continue to explore this relationship.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2015
Show less