Psychology & health
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Psychology & health · May 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialLateralized goal framing: How health messages are influenced by valence and contextual/analytic processing.
The effectiveness of health messages has been shown to vary due to the positive or negative framing of information, often known as goal framing. In two experiments we altered, the strength of the goal framing manipulation by selectively activating the processing style of the left or right hemisphere (RH). In Experiment 1, we found support for the contextual/analytic perspective; a significant goal framing effect was observed when the contextual processing style of the RH - but not the analytic processing style of the left hemisphere (LH) - was initially activated. ⋯ When the LH was initially activated, there was an advantage for the gain- vs. loss-framed message; however, an opposite pattern - an advantage for the loss-framed message - was obtained when the RH was activated. These are the first framing results that support the valence hypothesis. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these experiments.
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Psychology & health · Jan 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialExposure to graphic warning labels on cigarette packages: Effects on implicit and explicit attitudes towards smoking among young adults.
To test the effect of exposure to the US Food and Drug Administration's proposed graphic images with text warning statements for cigarette packages on implicit and explicit attitudes towards smoking. ⋯ Graphic health warnings on cigarette packages can influence young adult smokers' implicit attitudes towards smoking.
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Psychology & health · Jan 2016
Patients' and physicians' experiences of atrial fibrillation consultations and anticoagulation decision-making: A multi-perspective IPA design.
To explore patients' and physicians' experiences of atrial fibrillation (AF) consultations and oral anticoagulation decision-making. ⋯ This multi-perspective IPA design facilitated an understanding of the diagnostic consultation and treatment decision-making which foregrounded patients' and physicians' experiences. We drew on Habermas' theory of communicative action to recommend broadening the content within consultations and shifting the focus to patients' life contexts. Interventions including specialist multidisciplinary teams, flexible management in primary care and multifaceted interventions for information provision may enable the creation of an environment that supports genuine patient involvement and participatory decision-making.
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Psychology & health · Jan 2016
Psychological predictors for health-related quality of life and disability in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit low physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQL) and high susceptibility to disability. We investigated the influence of psychological factors on HRQL and disability in COPD individuals recruited from the general population. In line with Leventhal's common sense model, we expected psychological factors to be associated with HRQL and disability even after controlling for medical status. ⋯ Psychological factors, such as illness perception, attribution and internal locus of control, were associated with disability and HRQL. These factors should be considered when designing treatments for individuals with COPD, and adequate interventions should be provided to enhance illness understanding and self-management skills.
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Psychology & health · Jan 2015
Mindfulness, physical impairment and psychological well-being in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Mindfulness is the process of actively making new distinctions, rather than relying on habitual or automatic categorisations from the past. Mindfulness has been positively associated with physical well-being, better recovery rates from disease or infections, pain reduction and overall quality of life (QOL). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease, clinically characterised by progressively increasing weakness leading to death, usually within five years. There is presently no cure for ALS, and it is considered one of the most genetically and biologically driven illnesses. Thus far, the aims of psychological studies on ALS have focused on understanding patient - and, to a lesser extent, caregiver - QOL and psychological well-being. No previous study has investigated the influence of psychological factors on ALS. ⋯ The available data indicate that a psychological construct - mindfulness - can attenuate the progress of a disease that is believed to be almost solely biologically driven. The potential implications of these results extend well beyond ALS.