Abstract

Reliable studies have demonstrated that intensive and comprehensive lifestyle changes can reduce coronary risk, which, in turn, can prevent, postpone, and reverse coronary heart disease (CHD) and affect its underlying atherosclerotic lesions. These well-established studies have focused their interventions on moderating biophysical risk factors. In the past 10 years, however, burgeoning research is supporting the idea that psychological factors, such as depression and well-being, are also important CHD risk factors. Little research has addressed, in a non-subjective way, how an intervention program focused on modifying biophysical risk factors may influence psychological factors. Using the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, the Dartmouth COOP Charts, the Point Score Prediction Algorithm, and criteria for clinical significance, it was hypothesized that 1) intervention program participants would evidence statistically significant changes on depression and well-being, 2) biophysical risk factors would be related to psychological risk factors: the greater the improvement on biophysical risk factors, the less symptoms of depression will be reported, and 3) depressed participants will evidence clinically meaningful changes on depression. In this study, 290 self selected subjects participated in a community-based intervention program focused on decreasing biophysical CHD risk factors. The findings demonstrated favorable changes on depression and well-being. In addition, many of the depressed participants evidenced sufficient change to be considered clinically meaningful. Although a positive association was not found between composite biophysical CHD risk scores and the amount of change in the symptoms of depression, a strong association was found between the loss of excess weight and the improved level of depression. Limitations of the study, treatment outcomes, and research implications are discussed.

LLU Discipline

Psychology

Department

Psychology

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

David A. Vermeersch

Second Advisor

Kendal C. Boyd

Third Advisor

Roger L. Greenlaw

Fourth Advisor

Louis E. Jenkins

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Degree Level

Psych.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2005

Date (Title Page)

9-2005

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Coronary Disease -- prevention and control; Depression; Life Style; Quality of Life -- psychology; Risk-Reduction Behavior

Type

Doctoral Project

Page Count

x; 68

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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