Lloyd, Tamara (2010) Psychological variables in the explanation, prediction and treatment of chronic disease: does optimism impact the pain behaviour of arthritis sufferers. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
This research was undertaken in response to Coates’s (2003), unexpected finding that anger-suppression did not impact the pain behaviour of Arthritis sufferers. The aim of the study was also to assess the possible association between optimism and arthritic pain behaviours. Following a literature review it was hypothesised that optimism would both moderate Coates’s (2003) findings and would be significantly correlated with reduced pain experiences. Fifty eight participants for whom Arthritis was their primary source of pain were involved in an archival design. They completed questionnaires including the Life Orientation Test – Revised (LOT-R), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory – 2 (STAXI-2), and the Arthritis Impairment Measure – 2 (Short Form; AIMS - 2SF). A Hierarchical Multiple Regression was undertaken and revealed that optimism negatively predicted the pain experienced by Arthritis sufferers but did not moderate Coates’s (2003) insignificant findings for the association between anger-suppression and the pain experienced by this sample. This study provides a compelling argument for the inclusion of psychological variables in the explanation, prediction and treatment of Arthritis sufferers. It is further argued a Biopsychosocial approach to Arthritis and other chronic diseases is required. The implications for the formation of an optimism training program built on Seligman’s (1991) two step program with the aim of reducing pain severity and increasing overall life satisfaction for sufferers and future research is discussed.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Coates, Des |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Jan 2026 04:38 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Jan 2026 04:38 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52514 |
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