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Stephen L. Ristvedt, PhD
Current
Position
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
University Roles
Chair of the Behavioral Science Subcommittee of the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center
Education and Training
B.A.: Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1981
M.A.: Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1983
PhD: University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989
Areas of Clinical Interest
Health psychology, anxiety disorders, depression
Areas of Research Interests
Symptom appraisal in physical disease,
particularly psychological impediments and cues to seeking diagnosis for signs or symptoms.
Psychological predictors of nonadherence with cancer screening recommendations and medical treatments.
Dispositional influences on health-related behaviors.
Lay referral systems in symptom appraisal.
My research has focused on the role of stable psychological characteristics that are associated with maladaptive health-related perceptions and behaviors. Initial studies found that individuals who scored low on measures of trait anxiety (i.e. who tend to be complacent in the face of threatening situations) took significantly longer than others to recognize the seriousness of developing cancer symptoms and thus seek help. On the other hand, those cancer survivors who scored high on the same measures of trait anxiety (i.e. who tend toward excessive worry and negative rumination) reported significantly poorer quality of life 2-5 years following treatment. Additional studies are being conducted to determine dispositional predictors of adherence to cancer screening recommendations and to eye drop use in glaucoma patients. Findings from these studies will inform future efforts to educate and motivate the public toward more adaptive health-related behaviors.
Key Publications
Ristvedt SL, McFarland EG, Weinstock LB, Thyssen EP: Patient preferences for CT colonography, conventional colonoscopy, and bowel preparation. American Journal of Gastroenterology 2003; 98: 578-585. Full Article ->
Walker MS, Ristvedt SL, Haughey BH: Patient care in multidisciplinary cancer clinics: Does attention to psychosocial needs predict patient satisfaction? Psycho-Oncology 2003; 12: 291-300. Full Article ->
Heckman BD, Fisher EB, Monsees B, Merbaum M, Ristvedt S, Bishop C: Coping and anxiety in women recalled for additional diagnostic procedures following an abnormal screening mammogram. Health Psychology 2004; 23: 42-48. Full Article ->
Ristvedt SL, Trinkaus KM: Psychological factors related to delay in consultation for cancer symptoms. Psycho-Oncology 2005; 14: 339-350. Full Article ->
Ristvedt SL, Birnbaum EH, Dietz DW, Fleshman JW, Kodner IJ, Read TE: Delayed treatment for rectal cancer. Diseases of the Colon and Rectum 2005; 48: 1736-1741. Full Article ->
Ristvedt SL, Trinkaus KM: Trait anxiety as an independent predictor of poor health-related quality of life and post-traumatic stress symptoms in rectal cancer. British Journal of Health Psychology 2009; Jan 24 Full Article ->
Funded Research Projects
NCI(PI):Dispositional Influences on Early Detection Behaviors