School of Psychology

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https://hdl.handle.net/2440/103031
This collection contains Honours, Masters and Ph.D by coursework theses from University of Adelaide postgraduate students within the School of Psychology. The material has been approved as making a significant contribution to knowledge.

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    Acceptability and Effectiveness of App-Based Interventions in Managing Symptoms of Depression, Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation in Youth
    (2020) Leech, Teghan; School of Psychology
    Depression during adolescence has been linked to an increased risk for non-suicidal self-harm and suicidal ideation both preceding risk factors for suicide. However, young people are unlikely to seek help for mental health problems. Given that this group routinely use online services to connect with others and seek information, smartphone applications (‘apps’) present a possible treatment modality. This review critically examines the development and application of apps in the self-guided treatment of depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation among youth. Findings in this area are promising, although inconsistent. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine treatment safety and effectiveness.
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    Achieving ‘partnership’: The relationship between horse and rider in the competition arena
    (2016) Sandland, Jacqueline; School of Psychology
    This study aims to explore the horse-rider relationship in elite-level eventing. Current literature suggests that the concept, ‘partnership’, is routinely used to describe a fundamental aspect of rider-horse compatibility, and that this concept is argued to need time to develop. Highly skilled riders who use multiple horses in competition may not have time to develop such ‘partnerships’, however, such combinations are often found to achieve significant competitive success. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore how elite-level eventing riders account for equestrian performance and how ‘partnership’ between horse and rider is routinely described in discussing achievement at this level. Discursive analysis was used to identify broad patterns in the data, as well as identifying routine linguistic practices and rhetorical organisation that recur in elite riders’ constructions of event horses. Event horses were routinely described in two ways: as autonomous, decision-making agent, and as social being, that displays specific dispositional attributes that contribute toward performance success. These constructions were applied to an ‘equine habitus’ framework (Gilbert & Gillett, 2011), to develop the notion of an ‘eventing habitus’. The study’s findings have practical application for riders and trainers in competitive environments as well as for other equestrian professionals (e.g. jockeys and stockmen) who are routinely required to ride unfamiliar horses in high-risk contexts.
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    Adaptation, Arsonists, and Apocalypses: Exploring Social Representations of Anthropogenic Climate Change on Australian Social Media Before and During the "Black Summer Bushfires"
    (2022) Osborne, Mitchell; School of Psychology
    Australia's 2019-2020 "Black Summer Bushfires" were an unprecedented extreme weather event, which evidence suggests was made substantially worse by the effects of anthropogenic climate change. This event, and previous weather events, have been demonstrated to affect how people view climate change, with general research findings indicating that extreme weather events increase people's agreement and acceptance of the existence of climate change. However, there is still little research into how these extreme weather events affect the views of people who do not believe in the existence of climate change. This study aims to rectify this gap in the research. By using qualitative reflexive Thematic Analysis, 999 unique tweets were assessed within a Social Representations Theory framework to explore how individual's representations of climate change were affected due to the Black Summer Bushfires. The results of this thematic analysis indicated denialist representations fractured during January as they were unable to reconcile their representations of climate change not being real with evidence the bushfires were caused and exacerbated by climate change. Additionally, consensus, science-based representations were made more cohesive from the fires and made explicit use of the bushfires as physical evidence of climate change to both advance the consensus representation and depoliticise the argument surrounding climate change. These results suggest that more atypical extreme weather events, like the Black Summer Fires, have an increased impact on social representations of climate change, resulting in substantial changes for both consensus-based views and denialist-based views.
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    Adapting an Integrated Model of Body Appreciation in Women: The Role of Interoceptive Awareness
    (2019) Szulc, Jessica Stephanie; School of Psychology
    Body image concerns have become normative within current society and, while much research has demonstrated links between body image and overall wellbeing, the causes of positive and negative body image remain unclear. Interoceptive awareness (IA) is one construct that has been shown to have positive relationships with body appreciation, however body image literature lacks an integrative theoretical model which incorporates its influence. A convenience sample of 197 female participants from Australia completed an online questionnaire comprising several standardised measures including measures of IA, body appreciation and other proposed factors underlying positive body image. Results indicated that greater IA, self-compassion and perceived body acceptance by others, and lower self-objectification, social comparison and internalisation of the thin-ideal were related to greater body appreciation. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that appearance processing mechanisms – self-objectification, social comparison, and thin-ideal internalisation – negatively predicted body appreciation, and self-objectification and social comparison mediated the relationship between IA and body appreciation. The adapted model of positive body image provided a good fit to the data. Findings contribute to the understanding of body appreciation, suggesting that IA is an influential factor within body appreciation, and can help inform future practices to increase overall wellbeing.
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    Adding More Layers to Loss: LGBTQ+ People’s Experiences of Pregnancy Loss
    (2020) Rose, Alice; School of Psychology
    While reproductive technologies are facilitating the expansion of kinship possibilities for LGBTQ+ people, psychological supports are lagging for key aspects of reproduction such as pregnancy loss, which occurs in one-quarter of pregnancies in Australia. More knowledge about LGBTQ+ people’s pregnancy loss experiences must be gained before effective support can be provided. This qualitative study contributes to such knowledge by exploring experiences of pregnancy loss and support through semi-structured interviews with 14 LGBTQ+ people, including gestational and non-gestational parents. Using thematic analysis four themes were generated to describe the factors that shape experiences of pregnancy loss for LGBTQ+ people: (1) pregnancy loss can only be fully understood in context; (2) the role of compassionate healthcare; (3) lack of identity recognition and discrimination compounds distress; and (4) seeking psychological safety and understanding in times of distress. Across themes, participants described multilayered experiences reflective of existing research on common aspects of pregnancy loss and added layers that, for LGBTQ+ people, travel alongside the more widely reported aspects. The additional challenges experienced throughout the journey of conception, pregnancy, and loss, compounded the distress experienced and highlighted the need for tailored resources and supports for LGBTQ+ people. This research illustrates how pregnancy losses can be experienced differently by different cohorts, particularly when normative reproductive practices are challenged. These findings have implications for how pregnancy loss can be understood in theory and addressed in practice. There are many avenues for future research, including the development of professional education programs relating to LGBTQ+ pregnancy loss.
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    Adherence in Cardiovascular Disease: The Role of Positive and Negative Metacognitive Worry Beliefs
    (2016) Pinto, Ronette B.; School of Psychology
    On a national and global scale, cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses deleterious consequences for individual mortality and morbidity, and for broader health economics. Enhancing patient adherence is crucial for secondary prevention and improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Health psychology research to date is characterised by limited and inconsistent findings regarding the role of worry. Specifically, research has failed to investigate the positive and negative beliefs held by individuals regarding their worry processes. The current study utilized the Metacognitive Model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder as a theoretical basis for quantitatively testing if adherence to CVD-specific recommendations, HRQoL, and engagement in health behaviours were differentially associated with positive and negative metacognitive worry beliefs. The study adopted a mixed-methods design to further qualitatively explore satisfaction with medical care, adherence barriers, facilitators, and self-reported levels of adherence. Self-report data (N = 33) were analysed using linear and logistic regressions; qualitative data from brief semi-structured telephone interviews (N = 30) were analysed through content analysis. Results indicated that metacognitive worry beliefs were only partially associated with outcomes, whereas interviews elicited other psychological variables that are potentially more salient than worry. Adherence barriers and facilitators ranged across factors pertaining to the individual, the illness, and the medical practitioner. These findings have practical implications for the development of interventions that can enhance adherence, reduce mortality and morbidity, and ultimately benefit Australia's health care system. Worry and worry beliefs are worthy of further investigation in larger, more inclusive CVD samples free from social desirability and external validity limitations.
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    The Adolescent Distress-Eustress Scale Applied to an Adolescent University Sample
    (2018) Schulz, Jade; School of Psychology
    This study examines how distress and eustress interact in an adolescent university sample, while also aiming to validate a new measure, the Adolescent Distress-Eustress Scale. This is expanding on previous literature as most has focussed on stress as a debilitative factor, neglecting any positive aspects of stress. Furthermore, studies that have acknowledged both positive and negative stress, primarily focussed on adults in a working environment, as until recently, there were no scales developed to measure distress and eustress in an adolescent sample. The current study involved (N = 64) participants from the University of Adelaide, who were between 17-20 years old and enrolled in the course Psychology 1A. Participants completed a survey consisting of scales and questions used to collect and measure variables including: intellectual ability, personality traits, well-being, ill-being, stress mindsets, self-efficacy, distress-eustress, and academic satisfaction. Results indicated that, compared to the general population, the current sample had significantly higher levels of ill-being and significantly lower levels of well-being. Correlational analysis revealed some expected relationships, such as between distress and eustress with well-being, ill-being and some personality traits. However, contrary to the hypothesised relationship, distress and eustress had no significant association with academic outcomes. It was found that distress was positively associated with Openness and also multiple measures of academic satisfaction, which was unexpected. However, the study being underpowered could be to blame for unexpected findings. Nevertheless, the results provided insight into how distress and eustress can affect adolescent tertiary students and provided direction for future research.
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    Adolescent Psychological Health as a Predictor of Academic Performance at University
    (2019) Preston, Joanna; School of Psychology
    The period of entering university after completing high school is a stressful transition for adolescents. There are many individual differences that contribute to a successful transition; however, this population of adolescent university students is understudied. This study looked to investigate the influence of psychological health on the academic performance of adolescents at a tertiary level. Sixty adolescent first-year students completed a survey containing measures of developmentally appropriate well-being, personality, intelligence, stress, and mental health measures, for the use of determining their predictive ability in relation to academic performance. The participants were aged 16-20, and predominantly female. Psychological health was found to have a significant influence on academic performance in this adolescent sample. The results indicated no significant gender differences present. Further, the role of personality, well-being, and ill-being on academic performance was examined. Potential personality predictors of positive psychological health were highlighted, and the role of personality and stress on psychological distress was examined. The implications of these results are in the development of programs and resources for high schools and universities, to help foster these positive psychological characteristics in students, to improve the performance and transition of first-year students.
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    Adult Attachment Styles and Emotional Regulation: The Role of Interoceptive Awareness and Alexithymia
    (2019) Ferraro, Isabella; School of Psychology
    Exposure to adverse childhood experiences, such as disturbances in attachment with primary caregivers, influences how we experience and regulate our emotions in adulthood. Additionally, a conscious perception and understanding of our internal bodily signals – classified as interoceptive awareness – heightens our capacity to recognise changes in emotional arousal, as based upon physiological signalling. The current study explored whether this interoceptive capability functioned as a mediator in the relationship between adult attachment style and emotional regulation, and whether alexithymia – a personality construct characterised by affective impairments – further mediated this relationship. A convenience sample of 219 Australian adults completed an online survey comprised of a sociodemographic questionnaire and four standardised measures that assessed these aforementioned constructs. Results from bivariate correlations and parallel multiple mediation analyses found that anxious and avoidant attachment styles were negatively associated with the perception of bodily sensations and positively associated with difficulties identifying and describing feelings and regulating negative affect. Furthermore, IA and alexithymia were found to partially mediate the relationship between adult attachment insecurity and emotional regulation difficulties. The application of mind-body oriented therapies are suggested as appropriate interventions to enhance awareness of interoceptive states and reduce alexithymic symptomology, thereby improving emotional regulation.
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    Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder: The Human-Animal Bond
    (2019) Dowsett, Elisha; School of Psychology
    Separation anxiety has traditionally been considered a psychological disorder with an onset in childhood or adolescence. The introduction of an adult onset Separation Anxiety Disorder in the DSM-5 recognises that separation anxiety can occur at any stage across the lifespan. Although researchers have principally focused on adult separation anxiety associated with separations from home or attachment figures, limited literature exists concerning whether this attachment figure must, in fact, be human. This review examines separation anxiety with a focus on diagnostic reclassification, epidemiological studies, nosologic implications, and psychometric measurements. Attachment is conceptualised as extending to companion animals with discussion directed towards the potential implications.
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    Adult sequential bilingualism and its impact on executive functions: a study on Russian – English bilinguals
    (2018) Safina, Galiya; School of Psychology
    The prevalence of bilingualism is continuing to increase in populations worldwide. The literature argues that bilingualism is associated with certain cognitive advantages, specifically in non-verbal tasks. Previous results consistently demonstrate that bilingual children score higher on non-verbal tasks when compared to monolingual children that speak the same language. The current study aimed to examine whether adults’ bilingualism results in enhanced executive function (EF). Based on prior literature, it was hypothesised that there will be a significant difference in EF between monolingual and bilingual groups, favouring the bilingual group. A between-participants design was used to compare performance of Russian-English bilinguals (age 18-50 yrs, n = 45) with English speaking monolinguals (age 18-50 yrs, n = 49) (total N = 94) on three EFs (inhibition, switch function, and working memory). Participants completed the tasks in a single test session on a computer. A Mann - Whitney U test was performed to examine group differences on five computerised psychological tests of EF (Simon Task, Stroop Colour Word Task, Tower of London Task, Trail-Making Task and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). The hypothesis was unsupported by the results, as there was not a significant between-groups difference on EF apart from on working memory. These findings highlight that bilingualism does not necessarily lead to improved EF when the second language is learned later in life. The implications of the findings from the current study, along with suggestions for future research, are raised in the discussion.
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    The Affective Practices of Incels: A Social Identity Approach to the Construction of Incel Identities
    (2020) Marveggio, Mark; School of Psychology
    The advent of the internet has allowed for individuals, previously isolated from each other, to find each other and come together online through various forums focusing on a particular interest or identity. While often positive, people with socially maligned interests or identities have also found each other, developed communities, and engaged in discourse where worldviews and social identities have been constructed. Involuntary Celibates (incels) – men who identify as forced into celibacy by women who refuse to have sex with them – are one such group, where the worldview has resulted in self-identified members committing mass murders, and for some governments to recognise such acts as terrorism. Whilst some research has been conducted on incels and their worldview, no research has yet explored the nature of the affective features of their discourse or how incels construct their ingroup identity. Discourse Analysis and Social Identity Theory were used to explore and analyse how incels talk, construct identities, and explore the affective practices within this worldview. The posts of a prominent incel forum (incels.co) were observed for two weeks. Affective practices, in particular anger, were key features in constructing identities and often functioned as a means of keeping members attached to the conclusions of the worldview. Affective discourse was often hidden under layers of other interpretative repertoires used in the construction of the ingroup, and used in the construction of outgroups, working to build negative affects aimed at outgroups that may motivate members to commit or celebrate violent acts.
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    African migrant men’s experiences and preferences for formal mental health help seeking: a meta-synthesis
    (2022) Abdikadir, Faduma; School of Psychology
    For many, migrating to a new country presents a wide range of challenges. For example, learning a new language, adjusting to different cultural and societal norms, coping with financial difficulties, and having fewer family and community connections. The prevalence of common mental health problems such as PTSD, depression and anxiety are high among migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Previous studies have mainly focused on recommendations for gender-tailored mental health services that suit the needs and desires of men in general. However, data on the experiences and preferences of African migrant men with formal mental health help seeking have yet to be examined. Therefore, the following meta-synthesis aims to use synthesised findings to better understand the experiences and preferences for this population. A systematic search across 6 databases was conducted, using PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies included those who reported qualitative data, published in English and if data on male were extractable. The initial searches yielded over 580 studies. After removing duplicates, the studies were then screened by title and abstract, then full text screening. Five studies were appraised and included in the final analysis. Six categories emerged and recommendations on how to engage African migrant men in formal help seeking were identified. Future research and implications were also discussed.
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    Agent Transparency for Intelligent Target Identification in the Maritime Domain, and its impact on Operator Performance, Workload and Trust
    (2017) Chan, Gloria Wai Yee; School of Psychology
    Objective: To examine how increasing the transparency of an intelligent maritime target identification system impacts on operator performance, workload and trust in the intelligent agent. Background: Previous research has shown that operator accuracy improves with increased transparency of an intelligent agent’s decisions and recommendations. This can be at the cost of increased workload and response time, although this has not been found by all studies. Prior studies have predominately focussed on route planning and navigation, and it is unclear if the benefits of agent transparency would apply to other tasks such as target identification. Method: Twenty seven participants were required to identify a number of tracks based on a set of identification criteria and the recommendation of an intelligent agent at three transparency levels in a repeated-measures design. The intelligent agent generated an identification recommendation for each track with different levels of transparency information displayed and participants were required to determine the identity of the track. For each transparency level, 70% of the recommendations made by the intelligent agent were correct, with incorrect recommendation due to additional information that the agent was not aware of, such as information from the ship’s radar. Participants’ identification accuracy and identification time were measured, and surveys on operator subjective workload and subjective trust in the intelligent agent were collected for each transparency level. Results: The results indicated that increased transparency information improved the operators’ sensitivity to the accuracy of the agent’s decisions and produced a greater tendency Agent Transparency for Intelligent Target Identification 33 to accept the agent’s decision. Increased agent transparency facilitated human-agent teaming without increasing workload or response time when correctly accepting the intelligent agent’s decision, but increased the response time when rejecting incorrect intelligent agent’s decisions. Participants also reported a higher level of trust when the intelligent agent was more transparent. Conclusion: This study shows the ability of agent transparency to improve performance without increasing workload. Greater agent transparency is also beneficial in building operator trust in the agent. Application: The current study can inform the design and use of uninhabited vehicles and intelligent agents in the maritime context for target identification. It also demonstrates that providing greater transparency of intelligent agents can improve human-agent teaming performance for a previously unstudied task and domain, and hence suggests broader applicability for the design of intelligent agents.
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    Alcohol Consumption During COVID-19: A Quantitative Analysis of Middle-to-Older-Aged Men in South Australia
    (2021) Nankivell, Murray E; School of Psychology
    The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the world. In Australia, social restrictions and lockdowns have demonstrably affected drinking behaviours with the closure and extensive restrictions surrounding typical places of drinking, such as pubs, clubs, bars, and restaurants. This has led to increased drinking in homes. Previous research and media articles have focused upon female experiences of alcohol consumption during COVID-19. The current study provided rationale for a focus upon the specific challenges that men have encountered concerning alcohol consumption during the pandemic. The current study derived data from the sixth wave (collected in 2020) of Men Androgen Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress (MAILES) studies collected since 2002. The sample comprised 673 suburban, community-dwelling men with a mean age of 69.5 years. Hierarchical binary logistic regressions indicated that middle age, depression, and concern for oneself becoming sick with COVID-19 was associated an increase in alcohol consumption in men. Further, results indicated that middle age, and concern for oneself becoming sick with COVID-19 was associated with hazardous alcohol consumption in men. The study provided explanations for the findings and concluded that the current study has a number of limitations but has the potential to inform future research on the effects of COVID-19 upon male alcohol consumption. The current study is generalisable to other jurisdictions with similar sociodemographics and experiences of COVID-19.
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    Analgesic Guided Imagery
    (2023) Maya Koch, Carlos Genaro; School of Psychology
    Previous findings show that psychological interventions can be useful in decreasing pain perception. Studies examining psychological interventions for nociceptive pain typically utilise guided imagery exercises for at least 20 minutes before the pain stimulus is presented. This intervention process has limited application for everyday life where pain is often unpredictable and cannot always be prepared for. To the author's knowledge, previous research has not yet investigated the effectiveness of shorter, concurrent psychological interventions in aiding people while experiencing nociceptive pain. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate if a short exposure to guided imagery (GI) provided concurrently with a pain-inducing stimulus can help to reduce the individuals' perception of pain. Using a within-subjects design, 67 participants experienced nociceptive pain induced by a cold pressor task (CPT). During the CPT, participants immersed their hands while listening to a guided imagery exercise or without any audio aid in a counterbalanced order to explore if there was a difference between their pain perception experiences. It was predicted that guided imagery would help the subjects cope more effectively with nociceptive pain; by lowering their pain intensity and physiological stress measures and increasing their pain tolerance. Results showed that participants could last longer under the water and had lower heart rate variability when listening to the audio. However, no statistically significant changes in galvanic skin response, pain intensity, pain threshold or pain tolerance were observed. The analgesic effects of GI can have useful applications for pain management in everyday life and clinical settings. Keywords: nociceptive pain, guided imagery, analgesic effects, pain management, psychological interventions, cold pressor, Gate-control theory, SPARS, experimental pain.
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    Analysis of a social media page used to support individuals who have been affected by Methamphetamine
    (2018) Ellway, Daniel; School of Psychology
    Methamphetamine is an illicit and addictive psychostimulant that remains a significant cause of economic burden in Australia. Social media is increasingly being used by non-government organisations and health services to encourage the growth of social support networks amongst people with health-related issues. Several studies have investigated the utility of social media in providing social support to groups of people with health-related issues. However, limited research exists exploring how people affected by methamphetamine use social media for social support. The present study aimed to determine the types of support being sought by people affected by methamphetamine when accessing a Facebook support page. 2000 unique posts were coded using content analysis. Emotional support was found to be the most offered support type, followed by esteem support, with network support and tangible support being the least offered support types. The present study demonstrates that online social support groups can be effective in challenging stigma by encouraging people affected by methamphetamine to connect with each other and talk about their struggles. This in turn represents an important step towards successful rehabilitation.
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    An Analysis of Representations of the AFLW in Online Discussion
    (2019) Mannix, Elizabeth K; School of Psychology
    The introduction of the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) competition in 2017 has seen Australian Rules Football become an increasingly popular sport for Australian women, as well as sparking considerable public discussion about the topic of women in sport. Although studies of media portrayals of AFLW and women in sport, more broadly, have been conducted, there has been limited research on public sense-making and discussion around women’s participation in the AFLW. This project aims to add to understanding of the developing public culture around the AFLW by examining representations of the AFLW and women who play Australian Rules Football in public and spectator discussion. A thematic analyses of an online discussion board that discusses topics within the AFLW was conducted using the method outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). The thematic analysis resulted in five key themes being identified in the data, that capture the defining characteristics of the AFLW, including: “AFLW as Evoking Nostalgia”, “AFW as Beneficial for the Advancement of Australian Rules Football”, “AFLW as in Need of Support and Promotion”, “AFLW as Unenjoyable” and “AFLW as inferior to AFL”. The findings suggest that due to women’s participation in AFLW, representations of women’s sport and sportswomen are shifting.
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