PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Associate Dean-Tamaki, Faculty of Science
Deputy Head of Department at Tamaki

Room: Building 734 Room 33, Tamaki Campus
Email: l.cameron@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 3737599 86869

Other Responsibilities

Member, Executive Committee, Centre for Health Services Research & Policy

Member, Health Cognition Group, National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health

Member, Executive Committee, Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine

Member, Governing Council, International Society of Behavioral Medicine

Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the 2008 International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, Tokyo

Member, National Support and Volunteer Services Advisory Committee, New Zealand Cancer Society

Associate Editor, Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Associate Editor, British Journal of Health Psychology
Editorial Board, Health Psychology Review
Editorial Board, Psychology and Health
Fellow, U.S. Society of Behavioral Medicine

Research

Research topics: Self-regulation and health, emotion regulation, risk perceptions, cancer screening, psychosocial aspects of genetic testing, environmental behavior.

My primary research interests fall within the domain of health psychology. My studies span a variety of topics, but they are all based on a theoretical framework provided by a self-regulation model of cognition, emotion, and behaviour. 

One line of research focuses on psychosocial aspects of cancer and cancer screening. Particular interests include how individuals cope with cancer treatment (e.g., responses to chemotherapy and use of social support services) and psychosocial factors influencing decisions to engage in screening and detection behaviours (e.g., mammogram screening and genetic testing for cancer susceptibility). 
I am particularly interested in emotion regulation processes influencing responses to health threats. For example, I have conducted a number of studies exploring the influences of anxiety and worry on interpretations of health information, symptom perception, use of health care services, management of a child’s chronic illness, responses to psychological support interventions, and decisions to purchase private health care services. Another line of research focuses involves the development of measures assessing conceptual and imagery contents of risk representations. We are using these measures explore beliefs and imagery relating to cancer risk and their influence on motivations to engage in protective behaviors.

Another line of research, conducted in collaboration with colleagues in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K., involves a series of internet-based studies evaluating responses to risk information provided by genetic tests for disease susceptibility. We are examining this issue within the context of colon cancer, lung cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and with a focus on how anxiety and worry shape interpretations of the genetic risk information.

My research focuses on both theoretical and applied aspects of issues in order to address the parallel goals of refining psychology theory and developing theory-based interventions. A number of my studies have evaluated interventions designed to improve self-regulation in response to illnesses, health threats, and stressful experiences. These interventions include a support group program for women with breast cancer, therapeutic writing techniques for stress management, exercise therapy as an aid for smoking cessation, and massage therapy as a stress management technique.

A secondary research area lies within the domain of environmental psychology and addresses the problem of promoting environmentally responsible behaviours. My research explores the roles of social values, social norms, and environmental motives in determining decisions to conserve environmental resources. This environmental research is similar to my health research in that both programs focus on decision-making and behavioural responses to risk situations.  My colleagues and I are conducting studies on the development and influence of social norms within environmental situations that represent common pool dilemmas, in which cooperative action is required to sustain a common pool resource (e.g., shared water or fishing areas).

Recent Publications:

Cameron, L. D. (2008). Illness risk representations and motivations to engage in protective behavior: The case of skin cancer risk. Psychology and Health, 23, 91-112.

Cameron, L. D., & Jago, L. (2008).  Emotion regulation interventions: A common-sense model approach. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 215-221.

Cameron, L. D., & Chan, C. K. Y. (2008). Designing health communications: Harnessing the power of affect, imagery, and self-regulation. Personality and Social Psychology Compass, 2, 262-282.

Paddison, J. S., Booth, R. J., Cameron, L. D., Robinson, E., Frizelle, F., & Hill, H. G. (2008). Fatigue after colorectal surgery and its relationship to patient expectations. Journal of Surgical Research (in press).

Kaptein, A., A., Scharloo, M., Fischer, M., Snoei, L., Cameron, L. D., Sont, J., Rabe, K., & Weinman, J. (2008). Illness perceptions and COPD: An emerging field for COPD patient management. Journal of Asthma (in press).

Cameron, L. D., Young, M. J., & Wiebe, D. J. (2007). Maternal trait anxiety and diabetes control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 733-744.

Brown, P. M., Cameron, L. D., & Reeve, J. (2007). Assessing the clinical utility of genetic tests: Implications for health technology assessment. Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 8, 522-535.

Kaptein, A. A., Van Korlaar, I., Cameron, L. D., Vossen, C. Y., Rosendaal, F. R., van der Meek, F. J. M. (2007). Using the Common-Sense Model to predict risk perception and disease-related worry in individuals at increased risk for venous thrombosis. Health Psychology, 26, 807-812.

Prapavessis, H., Cameron, L. D., Baldi, J., Robinson, S., Borrie, S., Harper, T., & Grove, J. R. (2007). The effects of exercise and nicotine replacement therapy on smoking rates in women. Addictive Behaviors, 32, 1416-1432.

Cameron, L. D., Booth, R. J., Schlatter, M. S., Ziginskas, D., & Harman, J. (2007). Changes in emotion regulation and psychological adjustment following use of a group psychosocial support program for women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 16, 171-180.

Lawler, S. P., & Cameron, L. D. (2006). A randomized, controlled trial of massage therapy for migraine. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 32, 50-59.
 
Milfont, T. L., Duckitt, J., & Cameron, L. D. (2006). A cross-cultural study of environmental motive concerns and their implications for ecological behaviour. Environment and Behavior, 38, 745-767.

Graham, S., Prapavessis, H., & Cameron, L. D. (2006). Colon cancer information as a source of exercise motivation. Psychology and Health, 21, 739-755.

Cameron, L. D., & Reeve, J. (2006). Risk perceptions, worry, and attitudes about genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility. Psychology and Health, 21, 211-230.

Van Korlaar, I. M., Vossen, C. Y., Rosendaal, F. R., Bovill, E. G., Naud, S., Cameron, L. D., & Kaptein, A. A. (2005). Attitudes towards genetic testing for thrombophilia in asymptomatic members of a large family with heritable protein C deficiency. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 3, 2437-2444.

Paddison, J. S., Booth, R. J., Hill, A. G., & Cameron, L. D. (2006). Comprehensive assessment of post-surgical fatigue: Development of the Identity-Consequence Fatigue Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60, 615-622.

Cameron, L. D., Booth, R. J., Schlatter, M. S., Ziginskas, D., Harman, J., & Benson, S. R. C. (2005). Cognitive and affective determinants of decisions to attend a group psychosocial support program for women with breast cancer. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 584-589.

Cameron, L. D., Petrie, K. J. , Ellis, C., Buick, D., & Weinman, J. (2005). Trait anxiety and responses to a psychoeducational intervention for promoting adaptive illness perceptions in myocardial infarction patients. Psychology and Health, 15, 1-12.

Cameron, L. D., Petrie, K. J., Ellis, C., Buick, D., & Weinman, J. (2005). Symptom experiences, symptom attributions, and causal attributions in patients following first-time myocardial infarction.  International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 30-38.

Leventhal, H., Cameron, L. D., Leventhal, E., & Ozakinci, G. (2005). Do messages from you body, your friends, your doctor, or the media shape your health behavior?  In T. Brock & M. C. Green (Eds.), Persuasion: Psychological insights and perspectives, 2nd ed (pp. 195-233). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Cameron, L. D., & Moss-Morris, R. (2004). Illness-related cognition and behaviour.  In A. A. Kaptein & J. A. Weinman (Eds.), Introduction to Health Psychology (pp. 84-110). Oxford: Blackwell.

Cameron, L. D., & Lawler, S. P. (2004). Self-Regulation. In A. J. Christenson, R. Martin, & J. M. Smyth (Eds.), Health Psychology Volume 4. New York: MacMillon.

McCool, J. P., Cameron, L. D., & Petrie, K. J. (2004). Stereotyping the smoker: Adolescents’ appraisals of smokers in film. Tobacco Control 13, 308-314.

Lawler, S. P., & Cameron, L. D. (2004). Massage Therapy: Attitudes and use among general practitioners and patients in Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand Family Physician, 31, 229-238.

More Publications

Updated: June 22, 2009