Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Babu_Thesis Defense_Final.pdf (2.18 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Relations between Depression, Anxiety, and Health Behaviors: The Role of Psychological Flexibility

Babu, Pallavi V
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1587299502308091

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, Psychology - Clinical.
The current study aimed to better understand psychological processes by which symptoms of depression and anxiety influence engagement in health behaviors among cancer survivors. Cancer survivors have been found to have an increased prevalence of clinically elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as limited engagement in recommended health behaviors (i.e., regular physical activity, increased dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, avoidance of smoking, limited alcohol intake, and regular medication adherence). Components of psychological flexibility were examined as possible mediators of the relationships between mood symptoms and health behaviors. Participants were 152 adult cancer survivors recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk and other online forums. Participants completed a battery of measures examining demographics, stress symptoms, anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, frequency of engagement in aforementioned health behaviors, and components of psychological flexibility/inflexibility (i.e., experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, self as context, present moment awareness, values, and committed action). Statistical analyses involved correlations and mediations. Correlational results among these variables were mixed, with some significant relationships occurring in the expected directions, and other significant relationships occurring in the opposite of expected directions. Of the 10 mediational models tested, only those involving smoking frequency as the outcome variable had significant indirect effects, possibly occurring through cognitive fusion, values, and committed action components of psychological flexibility. Explanations for these findings are discussed.
Jason Levine (Committee Chair)
Matthew Tull (Committee Member)
Jon Elhai (Committee Member)
119 p.
Clinical Psychology; Health

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Babu, P. V. (2020). Relations between Depression, Anxiety, and Health Behaviors: The Role of Psychological Flexibility [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1587299502308091

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Babu, Pallavi. Relations between Depression, Anxiety, and Health Behaviors: The Role of Psychological Flexibility. 2020. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1587299502308091.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Babu, Pallavi. "Relations between Depression, Anxiety, and Health Behaviors: The Role of Psychological Flexibility." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1587299502308091

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1587299502308091
209
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.