Email gareth.treharne@otago.ac.nz
Tel 64 3 479 7630
Visit Associate Professor Treharne’s profile
Health Psychology: The Promotion and Maintenance of Health, and How We Experience and Manage Illness
Health psychology is an emerging subfield concerned with the promotion and maintenance of health, the experience and management of illness and the organisation and policies of healthcare provision. Health psychology builds upon the history and expertise of biological, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, political and social psychology as well as medicine and allied health professions.
Living with Chronic Illness
My research interests mainly centre around the influence of psychosocial factors for people living with chronic illness (especially rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis). This research focuses on how outcomes of chronic illness such as levels of pain, fatigue and depressed mood might be linked to beliefs about the illness (such as what the illness is perceived to be caused by and how controllable it is perceived to be), dispositional traits (such as generalised pessimism and self-consciousness) and social circumstance (especially socioeconomic situation and personal support network). This research generally takes the form of questionnaire surveys following cohorts of patients over time and/or in-depth interviews about experiences of living with illness (and treatments).
Communication Processes Involved in Treatment Decisions
I am also carrying out research into the communication processes involved in treatment decisions, which involves complex circumstances relating to how the person with the health condition interacts with their family, friends and colleagues as well as medical doctors, pharmacists and other allied health professionals, including psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and specialist nurses, all within localised healthcare services. Further complexity arises from distinctions between treatments that are desired versus treatments that are perceived as harmful or overused, and treatments that become routine and those that require sustained effort (i.e., more than remembering a medication). Exercise on prescription epitomises some of these complexities and I am researching the challenges of helping people enhance their physical activity levels with a critical take on neoliberalist implications of choice rhetoric and enforced autonomy.
Qualitative Research and the Media
I also have expertise in qualitative methods and critical approaches to the social construction of health. These approaches include one-on-one interviews and focus groups using semi-structured questioning schedules and carefully managed ethical protocols. Interview methods also tie-in with representations of groups, concepts and epistemologies in popular mass media (e.g. television, films, magazines and novels) and local and international policy documents, which participants can draw upon spontaneously or be introduced to. These media sources can also be the subject of primary analysis of the social constructions they mediate. Social constructionism (and resistance to hegemony) relates to experiences of chronic illnesses that are seen as more medically legitimate (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis) as well as functional somatic syndromes (e.g. fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome), mental health, sexual health, childbirth and obesity as medicalized conditions.
I am the Vice-Chair of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology, which holds a conference every 2 years in locations around the world, the next being in the UK in 2017. ISCHP’s aims are to contribute to the advancement of critical research on health and illness and foster the skills of new researchers, and we particularly encourage students to attend and present their research.
I am available to supervise or advise on postgraduates’ projects that relate to my interests and expertise, and I encourage self-direction and the development of independent research ability amongst my students.
Publications
Hegarty, R. S. M., Fletcher, B. D., Conner, T. S., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Acceptance and commitment therapy for people with rheumatic disease: Existing evidence and future directions. Musculoskeletal Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/msc.1464
Tan, K. K. H., Treharne, G. J., Ellis, S. J., Schmidt, J. M., & Veale, J. F. (2020). Gender minority stress: A critical review. Journal of Homosexuality, 67(10), 1471-1489. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2019.1591789
Chan, S. J., Stamp, L. K., Liebergreen, N., Ndukwe, H., Marra, C., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Tapering biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study of patient perspectives. Patient, 13, 225-234. doi: 10.1007/s40271-019-00403-9
Graham, K., Treharne, G. J., Liebergreen, N., Stojanov, Z., Shaw, R., & Beres, M. A. (2020). A qualitative exploration of barriers to university students’ willingness to attend sexual violence prevention workshops. Sex Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2020.1772225
Kibblewhite, J. R., Treharne, G. J., Stebbings, S., & Hegarty, R. S. M. (2020). Enjoyment of exercise among people with arthritis: An inductive thematic analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(6), 766-779. doi: 10.1177/1359105317733320
Edited Book - Research
Macleod, C. I., Marx, J., Mnyaka, P., & Treharne, G. J. (Eds.). (2018). The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 463p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Chapter in Book - Research
Treharne, G. J., & Marx, J. (2018). Introduction: Encounters with systems within which critical research is conducted. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 17-28). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Hay Smith, J., Brown, M., Anderson, L., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Blurred researcher-participant boundaries in critical research: Do non-clinicians and clinicians experience similar dual-role tensions? In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 145-161). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Treharne, G. J., Mnyaka, P., Marx, J., & Macleod, C. I. (2018). Traversing ethical imperatives: Learning from stories from the field. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 429-453). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Macleod, C. I., Marx, J., Mnyaka, P., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Ethics in critical research: Stories from the field. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 1-13). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Tumilty, E., Smith, C. M., Walker, P., & Treharne, G. (2018). Ethics unleashed: Developing responsive ethical practice and review for the inclusion of non-human animal participants in qualitative research. In R. Iphofen & M. Tolich (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research ethics. (pp. 396-410). London, UK: SAGE.
Smith, C. M., Tumilty, E., Walker, P., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Non-human animals as research participants: Ethical practice in animal assisted interventions and research in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 99-115). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Marx, J., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Introduction: Researching 'down', 'up', and 'alongside'. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 327-338). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7
Mirfin-Veitch, B., Conder, J., Treharne, G. J., Hale, L., & Richardson, G. (2018). Challenging methodological and ethical conventions to facilitate research that is responsive to people with learning disabilities. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 355-370). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_23
Ashdown, J., Pidduck, P., Neha, T. N., Schaughency, E., Dixon, B., Aitken, C. E., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). The ethics of allowing participants to be named in critical research with indigenous peoples in colonised settings: Examples from health research with Māori. In C. I. Macleod, J. Marx, P. Mnyaka & G. J. Treharne (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of ethics in critical research. (pp. 273-289). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_18
Smith, C. M., Treharne, G. J., Mulligan, H., & Hale, L. A. (2016). Using qualitative evidence to develop an intervention for enabling people with chronic disabling conditions to be more physically active. In K. Olson, R. A. Young & I. Z. Schultz (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative health research for evidence-based practice. (pp. 453-472). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2920-7_27
Treharne, G. J., & Riggs, D. W. (2015). Ensuring quality in qualitative research. In P. Rohleder & A. C. Lyons (Eds.), Qualitative research in clinical and health psychology. (pp. 57-73). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chapter in Book - Other
Hale, E. D., & Treharne, G. J. (2010). Health Psychology. In K. Dziedzic & A. Hammond (Eds.), Rheumatology: Evidence-based practice for physiotherapists and occupational therapists. (pp. 10-11). Edinburgh, UK: Churchill Livingstone.
Hale, E. D., & Treharne, G. J. (2010). Applying psychological interventions in rheumatic disease. In K. Dziedzic & A. Hammond (Eds.), Rheumatology: Evidence-based practice for physiotherapists and occupational therapists. (pp. 151-162). Edinburgh, UK: Churchill Livingstone.
Hale, E. D., Treharne, G. J., & Kitas, G. D. (2009). Mood disorders and lupus. In Y. Norton (Ed.), Lupus: Diagnosis and treatment. (pp. 72-76). Romford, UK: LUPUS UK.
Journal - Research Article
Hegarty, R. S. M., Fletcher, B. D., Conner, T. S., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Acceptance and commitment therapy for people with rheumatic disease: Existing evidence and future directions. Musculoskeletal Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/msc.1464
Kibblewhite, J. R., Treharne, G. J., Stebbings, S., & Hegarty, R. S. M. (2020). Enjoyment of exercise among people with arthritis: An inductive thematic analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(6), 766-779. doi: 10.1177/1359105317733320
Graham, K., Treharne, G. J., Liebergreen, N., Stojanov, Z., Shaw, R., & Beres, M. A. (2020). A qualitative exploration of barriers to university students’ willingness to attend sexual violence prevention workshops. Sex Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2020.1772225
Chan, S. J., Stamp, L. K., Liebergreen, N., Ndukwe, H., Marra, C., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Tapering biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study of patient perspectives. Patient, 13, 225-234. doi: 10.1007/s40271-019-00403-9
Tan, K. K. H., Treharne, G. J., Ellis, S. J., Schmidt, J. M., & Veale, J. F. (2020). Gender minority stress: A critical review. Journal of Homosexuality, 67(10), 1471-1489. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2019.1591789
Hegarty, R. S. M., Conner, T. S., Stebbings, S., Fletcher, B. D., Harrison, A., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Understanding fatigue-related disability in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: The importance of daily correlates. Arthritis Care & Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/acr.24224
Muir, J., Hegarty, R. S. M., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2020). Exploring the role of online health information and social media in the illness experience of arthritis-related fatigue: A focus group study. Musculoskeletal Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/msc.1494
Dixon, L., Treharne, G. J., Celi, E. M., Hines, D. A., Lysova, A. V., & Douglas, E. M. (2020). Examining men's experiences of abuse from a female intimate partner in four English-speaking countries. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0886260520922342
Ratima, M., Theodore, R., Tamati, A., Hond-Flavell, E., Edwards, W., Korewha, H., Treharne, G. J., … Poulton, R. (2019). Te kura mai i tawhiti: A collaborative lifecourse approach to health, wellbeing and whānau development. MAI Journal, 8(1), 63-76. doi: 10.20507/MAIJournal.2019.8.1.5
Beres, M. A., Treharne, G. J., & Stojanov, Z. (2019). A whole campus approach to sexual violence: The University of Otago model. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 41(6), 646-662. doi: 10.1080/1360080X.2019.1613298
Aldaz, B. E., Hegarty, R. S. M., Conner, T. S., Perez, D., & Treharne, G. J. (2019). Is avoidance of illness uncertainty associated with distress during oncology treatment? A daily diary study. Psychology & Health, 34(4), 422-437. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2018.1532511
Schimanski, I. D., & Treharne, G. J. (2019). “Extra marginalisation within the community”: Queer individuals’ perspectives on suicidality, discrimination and gay pride events. Psychology & Sexuality, 10(1), 31-44. doi: 10.1080/19419899.2018.1524394
Beres, M. A., Treharne, G. J., Stewart, K., Flett, J., Rahman, M., & Lillis, D. (2019). A mixed-methods pilot study of the EAAA rape resistance programme for female undergraduate students in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Women's Studies Journal, 33(1/2), 8-24.
Hegarty, R. S. M., Treharne, G. J., Stebbings, S., Graham, K., & Conner, T. S. (2019). Optimising daily diary questionnaires about fatigue, psychological flexibility and well-being: Perspectives of people with rheumatic disease. Psychology & Health, 34(2), 181-199. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2018.1520232
Paterson, H., Treharne, G. J., Horwath, C., Haszard, J. J., Herbison, P., & Hay-Smith, E. J. C. (2019). Intuitive eating and gestational weight gain. Eating Behaviors, 34, 101311. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2019.101311
Helme, C., Hegarty, R. S. M., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2019). "I actually just really need to stop work sometimes": Exploring fatigue-related barriers to employment among people with rheumatic diseases. Musculoskeletal Care, 17, 97-104. doi: 10.1002/msc.1373
Osborne Finekaso, G., & Treharne, G. J. (2019). Stress and coping in Fijian rakavi (rugby) sevens players. Sport in Society, 22(12), 2179-2202. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2018.1487954
Douglas-Withers, J., McCulloch, K., Waters, D., Parker, K., Hogg, N., Mitsuhashi, T., Treharne, G. J., Abbott, J. H., & Stebbings, S. (2019). Associations between Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and physical performance in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, 22, 417-424. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.13460
Ashdown, J. D., Treharne, G. J., Neha, T., Dixon, B., & Aitken, C. (2019). Māori men’s experiences of rehabilitation in the Moana House therapeutic community in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A qualitative enquiry. International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology, 63(5), 734-751. doi: 10.1177/0306624X18808675
Riley, S., Brooks, J., Goodman, S., Cahill, S., Branney, P., Treharne, G. J., & Sullivan, C. (2019). Celebrations amongst challenges: Considering the past, present and future of the qualitative methods in psychology section of the British Psychology Society. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(3), 464-482. doi: 10.1080/14780887.2019.1605275
Vlietstra, L., Stebbings, S., Meredith-Jones, K., Abbott, J. H., Treharne, G. J., & Waters, D. L. (2019). Sarcopenia in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: The association with self-reported fatigue, physical function and obesity. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0217462. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217462
Gath, M. E., Stamp, L. K., Aimer, P., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Reconceptualizing motivation for smoking cessation among people with rheumatoid arthritis as incentives and facilitators. Musculoskeletal Care, 16(1), 139-146. doi: 10.1002/msc.1227
Aimer, P., Stamp, L. K., Stebbings, S., Cameron, V., Kirby, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Exploring perceptions of a rheumatoid arthritis-specific smoking cessation programme. Musculoskeletal Care, 16, 74-81. doi: 10.1002/msc.1209
Hale, L. A., Smith, C. M., Mulligan, H. F., Adhia, D., Siew, B., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Exploring the Blue Prescription intervention to promote physical activity in people with long-term conditions. International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation, 25(7), 365-376. doi: 10.12968/ijtr.2018.25.7.365
Rolston, C. J., Conner, T. S., Stamp, L. K., Neha, T., Pitama, S., Fanning, N., … Hudson, B., Hegarty, R. M., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Improving gout education from patients’ perspectives: A focus group study of Māori and Pākehā people with gout. Journal of Primary Health Care, 10(3), 194-200. doi: 10.1071/HC18010
Treharne, G. J., Richardson, A. C., Neha, T., Fanning, N., Janes, R., Hudson, B., … Pitama, S., & Stamp, L. K. (2018). Education preferences of people with gout: Exploring differences between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples from rural and urban locations. Arthritis Care & Research, 70(2), 260-267. doi: 10.1002/acr.23272
Taylor, O., Rapsey, C. M., & Treharne, G. J. (2018). Sexuality and gender identity teaching within preclinical medical training in New Zealand: Content, attitudes and barriers. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1477), 35-44. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Paterson, H., Hay-Smith, J., Treharne, G., Herbison, P., & Horwath, C. (2018). Validation of the Intuitive Eating Scale in pregnancy. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(5), 701-709. doi: 10.1177/1359105316671186
Graham, K., Treharne, G. J., & Nairn, K. (2017). Using Foucault's theory of disciplinary power to critically examine the construction of gender in secondary schools. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 11(2), e12302. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12302
Aimer, P., Treharne, G. J., Stebbings, S., Frampton, C., Cameron, V., Kirby, S., & Stamp, L. K. (2017). Efficacy of a rheumatoid arthritis-specific smoking cessation programme: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Care & Research, 69(1), 28-37. doi: 10.1002/acr.22960
Kibblewhite, J. R., Hegarty, R. S. M., Stebbings, S., & Treharne, G. J. (2017). The role of enjoyment in exercise for people with arthritis: Four different viewpoints from a Q-methodology study. Musculoskeletal Care, 15(4), 324-332. doi: 10.1002/msc.1175
Aldaz, B. E., Treharne, G. J., Knight, R. G., Conner, T. S., & Perez, D. (2017). Oncology healthcare professionals' perspectives on the psychosocial support needs of cancer patients during oncology treatment. Journal of Health Psychology, 22(10), 1332-1344. doi: 10.1177/1359105315626999
Smith, C. M., Treharne, G. J., & Tumilty, S. (2017). "All those ingredients of the walk": The therapeutic spaces of dog-walking for people with long-term health conditions. Anthrozoös, 30(2), 327-340. doi: 10.1080/08927936.2017.1311063
Riggs, D. W., & Treharne, G. J. (2017). Decompensation: A novel approach to accounting for stress arising from the effects of ideology and social norms. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(5), 592-605. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2016.1194116
Treharne, G. J., & Adams, J. (2017). Critical perspectives on the diversity of research into sexualities and health in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Thinking outside the boxes. Psychology of Sexuality Review, 8(1), 53-70.
