Faculty
Thomas V. Merluzzi
Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Profile
Merluzzi studies coping processes in people with cancer from the perspective of social learning theory and, in particular, self-efficacy theory. His recent work includes: the development and refinement of the Cancer Behavior Inventory (Merluzzi & Martinez Sanchez, 1997; Merluzzi et al., 2001; Heitzmann et al. 2009), a widely used measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer; the study of religious/spiritual coping in persons with cancer (Nairn & Merluzzi, 2003; Howsepian & Merluzzi, in press); and the refinement of the assessment of quality of life (Philip et al., in press).
The latest NIH (National Cancer Institute) grant-supported project focuses on methods for determining cultural bias in assessment in health psychology research. Papers are in preparation that focus on: the structure of coping for African American and Caucasian cancer patients and survivors; the pathways to quality-of-life for African American and Caucasian cancer patients and survivors; and the moderating effects of maltreatment on the quality-of-life of African American women with breast cancer.
Current interests of Merluzzi include the development of a brief measure that will be used to screen for distress in medical settings. Distress in the form of depression and anxiety is typically under-diagnosed and interferes with medical treatment. The Distress Screening System (DSS) is currently being tested in the field. Following initial development, the DSS will utilize the latest technology including computer assisted testing and the use of remote data collection with wireless remote devices such as PDAs and iPhones to deliver a valid and reliable assessment of distress.
Other work includes a volume entitled Life-Span Perspectives on Health and Illness (Whitman, Merluzzi, & White, 1999), which covers issues related to risk and resilience during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Merluzzi's contribution to that volume (Merluzzi & Nairn, 1999) focuses on midlife transitions in health. Finally, his contribution to a volume on multicultural psychology explored cultural competency in health professionals (Merluzzi & Hegde, 2003).
Selected Papers
Heitzmann, C.A., Merluzzi, T. V., Roscoe, J. A., Jean-Pierre, P., Kirsh, K. L., & Passik, S. D. (2009-submitted for publication). Assessing self-efficacy for coping with cancer: development of the brief version of the Cancer Behavior inventory (CBI-B).
Merluzzi, T. V., Philip, E. J., Vachon, D. O. (submitted for publication). Caregiver self-efficacy.
Philip, E. J., Merluzzi, T. V., Peterman, A., cronk, L. B. (in press). Measurement accuracy in assessing patient's quality of life. To Weight or not to weight domains of quality of life. Quality of Life Research.
Merluzzi, T. V., & Ong, A. D. (2008). Psychological well-being. In F. Leong (Ed.) The encyclopedia of Counseling Psychology. (p. 361). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Nairn, R. C., & Merluzzi, T. V. (2003). The role of religious coping in adjustment to cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 12, 428-441.
Merluzzi, T. V., & Hegde, K. (2003). Implications of social and cultural Influences for multicultural competencies in health psychology. In D. B. Pope-Davis, H. L. K. Coleman, W. M. Liu, & R. L. Toporek, (Eds.). The handbook of multicultural competencies (pp. 420-438. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Merluzzi, T. V., Nairn, R. C., Hegde, K. Martinez Sanchez, M. A., & Dunn, L. (2001). Self-efficacy for coping with cancer: Revision of the Cancer Behavior Inventory (Version 2.0). Psycho-Oncology, 10, 206-217.
Whitman, T.L., Merluzzi, T.V., & White, R. D. (Eds.). (1999). Life-span perspectives on health and illness. Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ.
Merluzzi, T.V., & Nairn, R. C. (1999). Adulthood and aging: Transitions in health and health cognitions. In T.L. Whitman, T.V. Merluzzi , & R. D. White (Eds.), Life-span perspectives on health and illness (pp. 189-206). Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ.
Merluzzi, T.V., & Martinez Sanchez, M. (1997). Assessment of self-efficacy and coping with cancer: Development and validation of the Cancer Behavior Inventory. Health Psychology, 16, 163-170.
Contact Information
Office: 121 Haggar Hall
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
Phone: (574) 631-5623
Email: tmerluzz@nd.edu