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A Test of the Independent and Interactive Effects of Domain-Specific Awareness And A Test of the Independent and Interactive Effects of Domain-Specific Awareness and Acceptance Manipulations on Cardiovascular Responses to Acute Stress A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Andrew W. Manigault May 2020 © 2020 Andrew W. Manigault. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled A Test of the Independent and Interactive Effects of Domain-Specific Awareness and Acceptance Manipulations on Cardiovascular Responses to Acute Stress by ANDREW W. MANIGAULT has been approved for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences by Peggy M. Zoccola Associate Professor of Psychology Florenz Plassmann Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract MANIGAULT, ANDREW W., Ph.D., May 2020, Psychology A Test of the Independent and Interactive Effects of Domain-Specific Awareness and Acceptance Manipulations on Cardiovascular Responses to Acute Stress Director of Dissertation: Peggy M. Zoccola Mindfulness includes acceptance and awareness subcomponents, and emerging theories imply that cultivating both acceptance and awareness may benefit health by diminishing stress reactivity. Yet, no prior work has manipulated awareness and acceptance simultaneously to begin to test this claim. To address this knowledge gap, 202 participants were enrolled in a 2 x 2 between-subjects experimental design manipulating both awareness (enhanced awareness v. no enhanced awareness) and acceptance (acceptance training v. no acceptance training) of physiological responses to a cold pressor test. Cardiovascular indices were recorded throughout. The awareness manipulation and acceptance training did not independently influence cardiovascular responses, but the combination of enhanced awareness and no acceptance training condition led to higher total peripheral resistance, higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and lower cardiac output reactivity than the “enhanced awareness + acceptance training” and the “no enhanced awareness + no acceptance training” conditions. Blood pressure and pre-ejection period were unaffected by the acceptance training or the enhanced awareness manipulation. These results add to a growing body of work suggesting that mindful awareness and acceptance subcomponents interact to influence stress reactivity. 4 Dedication I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family and friends for their continued support throughout my graduate school career. 5 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my graduate adviser, Dr. Peggy M. Zoccola, for guiding me through the doctoral journey with patience, understanding, and wisdom. I would also like to thank my undergraduate adviser, Dr. Ian M. Handley, for introducing me to psychological research. I truly feel like I won the adviser lottery twice. 6 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11 Knowledge Gaps ......................................................................................................... 13 The Present Study ....................................................................................................... 14 Material and Method ......................................................................................................... 16 Participants .................................................................................................................. 16 Procedure .................................................................................................................... 16 Materials ..................................................................................................................... 18 Cold pressor test. ................................................................................................... 18 Acceptance manipulation. ..................................................................................... 19 Awareness manipulation. ...................................................................................... 20 Electrocardiography and impedance cardiography data collection. ..................... 20 Measures ..................................................................................................................... 21 Cardiovascular outcomes. ..................................................................................... 21 Manipulation checks. ............................................................................................ 22 Descriptive characteristics. ................................................................................... 24 Analytic Plan ............................................................................................................... 24 Missing and outlying data. .................................................................................... 24 Modeling cardiovascular outcomes. ..................................................................... 25 Test of primary hypotheses. .................................................................................. 25 Treatment of covariates......................................................................................... 26 Results ............................................................................................................................... 28 Evaluation of Random Assignment ............................................................................ 28 Manipulation Checks .................................................................................................. 28 Tests of Temporal Effects on Cardiovascular Parameters .......................................... 29 Tests of Proposed Covariates on Cardiovascular Parameters ..................................... 30 7 Main Effect of Acceptance on Cardiovascular Parameters ........................................ 31 Main Effect of Awareness on Cardiovascular Parameters ......................................... 32 Interactive Effects of Acceptance and Awareness on Cardiovascular Parameters ..... 33 Respiratory sinus arrhythmia ................................................................................ 33 Cardiac output ....................................................................................................... 34 Total peripheral resistance .................................................................................... 36 Other cardiovascular measures. ............................................................................ 37 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 38 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 49 References ......................................................................................................................... 50 Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................ 62 Appendix A: Acceptance Training Scripts ....................................................................... 70 Acceptance Training Script - Acceptance ................................................................... 70 Acceptance Training Script – Control ........................................................................ 72 Appendix B: Acceptance Manipulation Check Questions................................................ 74 Manipulation Check Questions – Acceptance ............................................................ 74 Acceptance Use Questionnaire ................................................................................... 75 Appendix C: Random Assignment and Psychological Measures ..................................... 76 Measures ..................................................................................................................... 76 Trait mindfulness. ................................................................................................. 76 Perceived stress. .................................................................................................... 77 Depressive symptoms. .......................................................................................... 77 Habitual coping strategies. .................................................................................... 77 Optimism............................................................................................................... 78 Pain catastrophizing. ............................................................................................. 78 Pain resilience. ...................................................................................................... 78 Results ........................................................................................................................
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