Patients' Perceived Control, Therapist's Presence/Absence, and the Optimization of Biofeedback Learning

摘要

The dissertation investigated the effects of locus of control and patients' pre and post perceptions of the therapist on learning biofeedback in therapist-present (TP) and therapist-absent (TA) conditions. The all female sample consisted of active and retired military and their dependents from upstate New York with stress related disorders, primarily headache. Following a medical, psychological, and physical therapy evaluation and physiological baseline, patients were given either EMG or thermal training based on their diagnoses and clinical findings. An orientation session followed in which patients completed a series of questionnaires, including the Rotter I/E scale, were introduced to their training, and were randomly assigned to a TP or TA condition. All training was conducted by the same male therapist for ten sessions. Success was defined as being able to achieve control over the parameter in question at the monitored site during a five minute no feedback pre, 20 minute biofeedback training, and a five minute no feedback post segment. Following training, a second series of questionnaires was administered, and follow-up and debriefing appointments scheduled. There was no significant difference in the overall rate of learning between TP and TA conditions. There was no significant difference in the rate of learning based on internality or externality of the patients and the condition to which they were assigned.