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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
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EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE, MINDFULNESS, AND VALUES CLARIFICATION AS MODERATERS OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IMPULSIVITY AND GAMBLING BEHAVIOR
Title
EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE, MINDFULNESS, AND VALUES CLARIFICATION AS MODERATERS OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IMPULSIVITY AND GAMBLING BEHAVIOR
Creator
Blanco, Rodney M
Date
2016, 2016-12
Description
While the wide range of social, economic, and psychological problems associated with pathological gambling are well-known; there is need for a...
Show moreWhile the wide range of social, economic, and psychological problems associated with pathological gambling are well-known; there is need for a better conceptualization of Gambling Disorder (GD). Previous research has shown that individuals with GD have higher levels of impulsivity than control participants and that impulsivity is a significant predictor of gambling severity. Given the strong link between impulsivity and gambling behavior, it would be informative to identify processes that would attenuate this association. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) constructs of experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and values clarification moderate the relation between impulsivity and gambling behavior. Two hundred twelve participants were recruited through an on-line advertisement to complete a series of questionnaires regarding demographics, gambling behavior, impulsivity, experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and values clarification. Results indicated that gambling behavior was positively correlated with impulsivity and experiential avoidance. In addition, experiential avoidance moderated the relation between impulsivity and gambling behavior such that the association between impulsivity and gambling behavior was stronger at greater levels of experiential avoidance. However, contrary to hypotheses, mindfulness and values clarification were not significantly correlated with gambling behavior; however, both values clarification and mindfulness were moderators at a trend level. The findings of this study provide a preliminary picture of how ACT constructs are related to gambling behaviors and impulsivity among a community sample.
Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2016
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