Linda D. Cameron, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at University of California, Merced and The University of Auckland.
Research Interests
Dr. Cameron’s research focuses on self-regulation processes influencing health and illness behavior. She is particularly interested in applying self-regulation principles to develop health communications and psychosocial interventions for individuals who have or are at risk for illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. She focuses on theoretical and applied aspects of issues to address the parallel goals of developing theoretically based interventions and refining psychological theory. Her research has included the development and evaluation of imagery-based communications for conveying health risk information, emotion regulation interventions to improve resilience in adults with adverse childhood experiences and women with breast cancer, and mHealth text messaging programs to promote smoking cessation, healthy diet, and physical activity. Dr. Cameron’s research also explores how emotion regulation influences symptom perception and adjustment to cancer and other chronic illnesses. These findings inform her research on developing interventions for helping individuals cope with cancer treatment and manage worries about cancer recurrence.
Selected Publications
Cameron, L. D., & Williams, B. (2015). Which images and features in graphic cigarette warnings predict their perceived effectiveness? Findings from an online survey of residents in the UK. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 10.1007/s12160-015-9693-4.
Cameron, L. D., Pepper, J. K., & Brewer, N. T. (2015). Responses of young adults to graphic warning labels for cigarette packages. Tobacco Control, 24, e14-e22.
Loft, M. H., & Cameron, L. D. (2013). Using mental imagery to deliver self-regulation techniques to improve sleep behavior. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 46, 260-272.
Cameron, L. D., Marteau, T. M., Brown, P M., Klein, W. M. P., & Sherman, K. A. (2012). Communication strategies for enhancing understanding of the behavioral implications of genetic and biomarker tests for disease risk: The role of coherence. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 286-298. DOI 10.1007/s10865-011-9361-5.
Chan, C. K. Y., & Cameron, L. D. (2012). Promoting physical activity with goal-oriented mental imagery: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 347-363. DOI 10.1007/s10865-011-9360-6.
Lee, T. J., Cameron, L. D., Wünsche, B., & Stevens, C. (2011). A randomized trial of computer-based communications using imagery and text information to alter representations of heart disease risk and motivate protective behaviours. British Journal of Health Psychology, 16, 72-91.
Schlatter, M. S., & Cameron, L. D. (2010). Emotional suppression tendencies as predictors of symptoms, mood, and coping appraisals during AC-chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40, 15-29.
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.
Selected Grants
Cognitive and emotional processes of metaphoric cancer communications (NCI), Co-PI 2014-2018
A randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a psychological intervention based on the common-sense model in improving mental health and self-care among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (Hong Kong Health and Medical Research Fund), Co-PI 2015-2017
Adapting and implementing a text-based smoking cessation program for Chamorro and other Micronesian smokers in Guam (NCI), PI 2013-2014
Development of interventions to increase physical activity among inactive young people with long-term conditions: MRC complex intervention framework phase I study using asthma as an exemplar (Chief Scientist Office, Scotland), I 2011-2014.
Selected Affiliations
Dr. Cameron is an associate editor for Annals of Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology Review and serves on the editorial board for Psychology and Health. She was co-editor for a special issue of Health Psychology on theoretical innovations in social and health psychology and their implications for health. She also co-edited a special section in Journal of Behavioral Medicine on genetic testing for disease risk. She is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.
