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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.advisor | Mushquash, Aislin | - |
dc.contributor.author | MacIsaac, Angela | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-10-16T16:46:49Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2020-10-16T16:46:49Z | - |
dc.date.created | 2020 | - |
dc.date.issued | 2020 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/4705 | - |
dc.description.abstract | Self-reflection is the tendency to reflect on one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It has a strong foundation in psychology for conferring self-knowledge and self-awareness. Journaling is an example of an activity that requires much self-reflection, and as an intervention has positive effects on mood, wellbeing, and the ability to proactively ward off stress. Paradoxically, however, self-reflection may also be associated with mental health symptoms, possibly through its relationship with rumination. Gaps exist in the literature as to whether self-reflection predicts one’s choice to journal, as well as whether self-reflection affects the extent to which journaling confers benefit. In the current study, participants (N = 152) had access to a smartphone app with various features, including a journal. They were encouraged to use the app throughout a 28-day period, choosing which features to use and for how long, and completed self-report measures at baseline, midpoint, and post-app periods. I hypothesized baseline self-reflection would predict journal usage, and that self-reflection would affect the extent to which journaling was associated with improvement in affect, self-regulation, and psychological wellbeing. Unexpectedly, using count regression models, self-reflection did not predict journal usage, though both rumination and keeping a journal outside of the study predicted the choice to journal. Multilevel models also revealed that, as expected, time spent journaling was associated with lower negative affect and higher self-regulation and psychological wellbeing over time, though some of these effects were diminished when accounting for time spent using other app features. Further, as hypothesized, higher baseline self-reflection was associated with greater improvement in psychological wellbeing the more one journaled, even when controlling for rumination. Findings highlight the benefit of journaling to promote wellbeing when self-reflection is high, although those higher in rumination may be more likely to engage in the behaviour to begin with. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.subject | Self-reflection | en_US |
dc.subject | Journaling | en_US |
dc.subject | Psychological well-being | en_US |
dc.subject | Mental health | en_US |
dc.title | Examining the “sadder but wiser” paradox: are those high in dispositional self-reflection likely to journal, and do they benefit? | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
etd.degree.name | Master of Arts | en_US |
etd.degree.level | Master | en_US |
etd.degree.discipline | Psychology : Clinical | en_US |
etd.degree.grantor | Lakehead University | en_US |
Appears in Collections: | Electronic Theses and Dissertations from 2009 |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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MacIsaacA2020m-1a.pdf | 1.23 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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