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Dissertation Information for David Patrick Ryan

NAME:
- David Patrick Ryan

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Psychotherapy

SCHOOL:
- York University (USA) (1986)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: LOCUS-OF-CONTROL BELIEFS, CONTROLLABILITY AND ADJUSTMENT TO CHRONIC ILLNESS: ARTHRITIS AND DIABETES

Abstract: "A naturally occurring difference in the controllability of the symptoms of two chronic diseases provided an opportunity to test an interactional model of the way in which person's control beliefs and the controllability of stressful situations are related to adjustment and performance. Contrary to expectation, these two parallel dimensions of persons and situations combined additively rather than conditionally in their relationship with patient's adjustment to Rheumatoid Arthritis (less controllable symptoms) and Diabetes Mellitus (more controllable symptoms). Whether adjustment was measured in terms of general or illness-specific adjustment or general symptomatology, the consequences of more internal control beliefs and more controllable illness situations were positive. Conditional effects of control beliefs and controllability also failed to emerge when illness behaviors were examined. The illness behaviors included: Compliance, the frequency of unscheduled medical visits, and patient's knowledge of their disease.

As expected, the arthritis and diabetes patients reported having engaged in both action and emotion-focused coping strategies in dealing with their disease. And, individuals with more internal control beliefs engaged in more action-focused coping, while those with more recent symptoms engaged in more emotion-focused coping. Symptom controllability was unrelated to either coping strategy. Regardless of symptom controllability or control beliefs, however, the better adjusted respondents reported less emotion-focused coping than the less well adjusted respondents. Less reliably, the better adjusted respondents reported more action-focused coping than those who were less well adjusted.

Several extended models of adjustment were examined. One set replicated the results of earlier research by demonstrating additive effects of coping and controllability. And, in a set of extended models controllability, general and health-specific control beliefs, and the two coping strategies each had modest independent effects together accounting for as much as 42% of the variance in adjustment.

Models of illness behaviors incorporating control beliefs, controllability and coping were less effective. Rather, illness behaviors were strongly related to the size of respondents positive and negative social support networks."

MPACT Scores for David Patrick Ryan

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:26:32

Advisors and Advisees Graph

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Students under David Patrick Ryan

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- Anu MacIntosh-Murray - University of Toronto (2003)