Dorset HealthCare	Poole Hospital	Royal Bournemouth Hospital	Southampton University

Colorectal cancer and emotional processing

Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust, Poole Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospital NHS FoundationTrust, Southampton University.

This study was conducted by Dr Sharon Lothian, Clinical Psychologist, as part of her doctorate thesis in clinical psychology.

Collaboration with Dr Tamas Hickish, Professor Roger Baker, Sandra Horne, Professor Peter Thomas, Dr Sarah Thomas and Mr Matthew Owens.  An article ‘Emotional processing deficits in cancer’ has been submitted to a health psychology journal.

The study explored the difficulties in emotional processing, emotional control and alexithymia in 124 men and women with non-metastistic colorectal cancer compared to 73 healthy control participants.  The Emotional Processing Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale were used.

Lothian, S., Hickish, T., Baker, R., Horne, S., Thomas, P.W., Thomas, S. & Owens, M. (submitted) Emotional processing deficits in cancer.  Health Psychology Journal.

Lothian, S. (2002) Emotional processing deficits in colorectal cancer: a theoretical overview and empirical investigation.  Thesis for the degress of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton.