Professor Derek Johnston | The School of Psychology

Professor Derek Johnston

Emeritus Professor

Email Address: d.johnston@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address: Room S13, School of Psychology, William Guild Building, University of Aberdeen
School/Department: School of Psychology

Research Overview

My primary research interests are stress, including occupational stress, fatigue, psychological and behaviour aspects of cardiavascular diease, and understanding and increasing activity in various groups. The methods I use include ambulatory physiological measurement, real time diary studies (ecological momentary assessment) and n-of-1 methods. My research is illustrated by these selected papers. A fuller list can befound under Publications.

Health Psychology

Johnston, DW, Beedie, A, & Jones, MC (2006) Using computerised ambulatory diaries for the assessment of job characteristics and work-related stress in nurses Work & Stress, 20, 163-172.

Allan , J., Johnston, D.W., Johnston, M., & Mant, D. (2007). Depression and perceived behavioural control are independent predictors of future activity and fitness after coronary. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 63, 501-508.

Powell R, Johnston M, Johnston DW. (2007). Assessing walking limitations in stroke survivors: Are self-reports and proxy-reports interchangeable? Rehabilitation Psychology, 52, 177-18

Johnston D.W., Tuomisto M.T., & Patching, G.R. (2008) The Relationship between Cardiac Reactivity in the Laboratory and in Real Life. Health Psychology. 27, 34-42

Molloy, G.J., Johnston, D.W., Johnston, M., Gao, C., Witham M. D., Struthers, A.D., , & McMurdo M.E.T. (2008) Using the Demand-Control Model of job strain to predict Caregiver Burden and Caregiver Satisfaction in the informal caregivers of heart failure patients. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 401-417.

Powell R, Johnston M & Johnston DW. (2008). The effects of negative affectivity on self-reported activity limitations in stroke patients: Testing the Symptom Perception, Disability and Psychosomatic Hypotheses. Psychology and Health, 23, 195-206

Powell, R., Allan J., Johnston, D.W., Gao, G., Johnston, M., Kenardy, J., Pollard, B., & Rowley, D. (2009) Activity and affect: Repeated within participant assessment of people after joint replacement surgery. Rehabilitation Psychology, 54, 83-90.

McMurdo, M.E.T, Sugden, J, Argo, I., Boyle P., Johnston, D.W., Sniehotta F.F., DonnanP.T (2010). Do pedometers increase physical activity in sedentary older women? A randomised controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatric Society,58, 2099-2106.

Zanstra, Y. J., Johnston, D. W., Rasbash, J. (2010) Appraisal predicts hemodynamic reactivity in a naturalistic stressor. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 77, 35-42.

Zanstra, Y. J., Johnston, D. W. (2011) Cardiovascular reactivity in real life settings: measurement, mechanisms and meaning. Biological Psychology, 86, 98-105

Quinn, F., Johnston, M., Dixon, D., Johnston, D.W., Pollard, B., & Rowley, D.I. (2012) Testing the integration of model of ICF and behavioral models of disability in orthopedic patients:Replication and extension. Rehabilitation Psychology, 57, 167-177

Johnston, D.W., Jones M.C., McCann, C.K., McKee, L. (2013) Stress in nurses: stress-related affect and its determinants examined over the nursing day. Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 45, 348-356.

Johnston, D.W., & Johnston, M. (2013). Useful theories should apply to individuals. British Journal of Health Psychology, 18, 469-473.

Quinn, F., Johnston, M., Johnston, D.W. (2013) Testing an integrated behavioural and biomedical model of disability in N-of-1 studies with chronic pain. Psychology & Health, 28, 1391-1406.

Johnston, D.W., Bell, C., Jones, M., Farquharson, B., Allan, J., Schofield, P., Ricketts, I., Johnston, M, (2016). Stressors, appraisal of stressors, experienced stress and cardiac response: a real-time, real-life investigation of work stress in nurses. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50, 187-187.

Johnston, D.W. (2016). Ecological Momentary Assessment. In “Assessment in Health Psychology” Edited by Y. Benyamini, M. Johnston, & V. Karademas. Hogrefe Publishing GmbH. Pp 241-251

Steele, F., Clarke, P., Leckie, G., Allan, J., & Johnston, D.W. (2017). Multilevel structural equation models for longitudinal data where predictors are measured more frequently than outcomes: an application to the effects of stress on the cognitive function of nurses. J. R. Statist. Soc. A , 180, Part 1, pp. 263–283.

Suzanne McDonald, S., Quinn, F., Vieira, R., O’Brien, N., White, M., Johnston, D.W., & Sniehotta, F.F., (2017): The state of the art and future opportunities forusing longitudinal n-of-1 methods in health behaviour research: a systematic literature overview,Health Psychology Review, DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2017.1316672

Johnston, D.W., Allan, J.L., Powell, D.J.H., Jones, M.C., Farquharson, B., Bell, C., & Johnston, M. (2018). Why does work cause fatigue? A real-time investigation of fatigue, and determinants of fatigue in nurses working 12-hour shifts. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Online

Jones, M.C., Smith, K., Herber, O., White, W., Steele, F., & Johnston, D.W. (2018). Intention, beliefs and mood assessed using electronic diaries predicts attendance at cardiac rehabilitation: An observational study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 88, 143-152

Publications

Update

Research Overview

Appraisal predicts hemodynamic reactivity in a naturalistic stressor

Prenatal and Early Life Factors that Predict Risk for Developmental Problems: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Understanding the dynamics of organisational culture change: creating safe places for patients and staff

A Taxometric Analysis of Type-D Personality

Stress in telephone helpline nurses: research protocol for a study of theoretical determinants, physiological aspects and behavioural consequences

Prognostic impact of pre-operative albumin on in-hospital mortality and complications after hip fracture

Adherence to angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and illness beliefs in older heart failure patients

Activity and affect: Repeated within-participant assessment in people after joint replacement surgery

A secure electronic diary and data collection tool

Does the TPB predict behaviour in one individual?: A single-case study

Ecological momentary assessment in investigating associations between negative affectivity and activity in people with osteoarthritis

Symposium 14: Using diaries in health psychology: Methods, analysis and applications

The effect of clinical incident severity and managerial support on work based affect in nurse

The feasibility of using pedometers and brief advice to increase activity in sedentary older women: a pilot study

Cynicism, anger and cardiovascular reactivity during anger recall and human-computer interaction

Determinants of negative affect in nurses during the working day: The role of demand, reward, control and desire for more control

Spousal caregiver confidence and recovery from ambulatory activity limitations in stroke survivors

The effects of negative affectivity on self-reported activity limitations in stroke patients: Testing the Symptom Perception, Disability and Psychosomatic Hypotheses

Type-D personality mechanisms of effect: The role of health-related behavior and social support

Depression and perceived behavioral control are independent predictors of future activity and fitness after coronary syndrome events

Assessing Walking Limitations in Stroke Survivors: Are Self-Reports and Proxy-Reports Interchangeable?

Prognostic indices with brief and standard CBT for panic disorder: I. Predictors of outcome

Caregiver confidence and recovery from activity limitations following stroke

Emotion and the heart: psychological risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Effects of an exercise intervention for older heart failure patients on caregiver burden and emotional distress

Using computerized ambulatory diaries for the assessment of job characteristics and work-related stress in nurses

Predictors of exercise capacity and everyday activity in older heart failure patients

Does the introduction of a curriculum using problem based learning promote student adaptation and performance?

Is the introduction of a student-centred, problem based curriculum associated with improvement in student nurse well-being and performance?: An Observational study of effect

Family caregiving and congestive heart failure. Review and analysis

Effect of a seated exercise program to improve physical function and health status in frail patients > or = 70 years of age with heart failure

Extending the demand-control model to informal caregiving

Modelling the impact of managerial support on mental and pjysical well-being and sickness absence of entrants to a healthcare organisation.

Motivation is not enough: Prediction of risk behavior following diagnosis of coronary heart disease from the theory of planned behavior

Acute and chronic psychological processes in cardiovascular disease

Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in behaviour change interventions: A Systematic Review

Health Psychology: Comprehensive Clinical Psychology, Vol 8

Health Psychology

Health psychology

Cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress: the influence of demographic variables

A critical review of the relationship between perception of the work environment, coping and mental health in trained nurses, and patient outcomes

Cognitive behaviour therapy for cardiovascular diseases

Evaluating the impact of a worksite stress management programme for distressed student nurses: A randomised controlled trial

Reducing distress in first level and student nurses: a review of the applied stress management literature

Lifestyle changes after a myocardial infarction

The role of ambulatory cardiovascular psychophysiology in the study of stress

Group therapy for metastatic cancer patients: report of an intervention

Impact on patients and partners of inpatient and extended cardiac counseling and rehabilitation: A controlled trial

The derivation of a brief Student Nurse Stress Index

The impact on patients and partners of inpatient and extended cardiac rehabilitation: a controlled trial

Refine

Books and Reports

Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

Contributions to Journals

Contributions to Specialist Publications