Brett Holfeld

A Longitudinal Examination of Sleep Quality and Physical Activity in Older Adults

The relationship between sleep quality and physical activity is bidirectional, yet prior research on older adults has mainly focused on investigating whether increasing levels of physical activity leads to improvements in sleep quality. The current longitudinal study examined both directional relationships by assessing sleep quality and physical activity twice over a two-year period among 426 community-dwelling older adults (ages 61-100). A cross-lagged panel analysis that included age, gender, perceived stress, functional ability, and severity of chronic health conditions as covariates, revealed that better initial sleep quality predicted higher levels of later physical activity beyond the effects of prior physical activity; whereas initial physical activity did not predict later sleep quality after accounting for prior sleep quality. These findings highlight sleep quality as an important contributor to a physically active lifestyle among older adults.

The Nature and Frequency of Cyber Bullying Behaviors and Victimization Experiences in Young Canadian Children

As access to technology is increasing in children and adolescents, there are growing concerns over the dangers of cyber bullying. It remains unclear what cyber bullying looks like among young Canadian children and how common these experiences are. In this study, we examine the psychometric properties of a measure of cyber bullying behaviors and victimization experiences. We also examine the frequency of these behaviors and experiences among fifth- and sixth-grade Canadian children at the beginning (n = 714) and end (n = 638) of a school year. Children’s cyber bullying behaviors and victimization experiences were relatively stable across the school year and were highest for sixth-grade students who reported greater access to and use of technology. Cyber bullying behaviors representing joking around were endorsed more frequently than aggressive types of behaviors (i.e., spreading rumours or posting embarrassing pictures online). Implications for school-based prevention efforts are discussed.

The role of positive thinking in social perceptions of cancer outcomes

Pressure for ‘positive thinking’ (PT; i.e. focusing on positive thoughts/suppressing negative thoughts to ‘fight’ cancer) burdens cancer patients facing health deterioration. It was determined whether PT exposure enhanced effort, control and responsibility attributions assigned to an individual for his/her cancer trajectory. Within an online blog a hypothetical same-gender person describes a personal cancer experience. 482 participants were assigned to one of six experimental conditions in which we manipulated PT exposure (blogger learns about ‘power of PT’ but does not try it, blogger tries PT, control/no PT) and cancer outcome (successful/unsuccessful treatment). A 3 × 2 × 2 multivariate analysis of covariance (with personal cancer experience covariates) tested PT exposure × cancer outcome × gender effects on attributions for the bloggers cancer outcome. Results indicate that PT exposure enhanced effort and responsibility attributions assigned to individuals for their cancer outcomes and that responsibility attributions differed as a function of gender. Findings suggest that exposure to the idea of PT may lead to cancer patients being perceived as culpable if they do not recover from the disease.

Sex and age group differences in the associations between sleep duration and BMI from adolescence to young adulthood

Objective: We examine concurrent and longitudinal associations between sleep duration (SD) and body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to young adulthood, controlling for physical activity and internalising symptoms. Sex and age group differences (early adolescent group ages 12–15 years and late adolescent group ages 16–18 years) are examined. Design: A randomly selected community-based sample of youth (N = 662; 48.3% males) were surveyed biannually from 2003 (T1) to 2014 (T6). Results: We found sex and age group differences for the concurrent and longitudinal associations between SD and BMI. For males, shorter SD at baseline was concurrently related to higher BMI. For females, shorter SD at baseline was associated with longitudinal increases in BMI, for the late adolescent group only. Conclusion: Findings show that the association between SD and BMI, previously shown in childhood, continues to be significant in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmentally appropriate and sex-specific strategies for motivating and supporting healthy sleep habits in adolescence that may help to prevent weight gain into young adulthood are discussed.

Positive Thinking and Social Perceptions of a Male vs. Female Peer’s Cancer Experience

ABSTRACT Positive thinking (PT; i.e., sustaining positive thoughts and suppressing negative thoughts to “fight” cancer) is often equated with direct control over one’s cancer trajectory. It was determined whether PT exposure enhanced the effort, control, and responsibility attributions ascribed to a peer for his/her cancer trajectory, and whether those ascriptions varied as a function of the peer’s or participant’s gender. Within a hypothetical online blog, a peer described a personal experience with bone cancer. Undergraduate participants (N = 630) were randomly administered one of 12 experimental conditions that varied in terms of the peer’s gender, PT exposure, and cancer outcome. MANCOVA results indicated that PT exposure enhanced the effort, control, and responsibility attributions assigned to the peer for an unsuccessful cancer outcome, regardless of the peer’s or participant’s gender. Moreover, the male peer was perceived as more accountable for still having cancer but the female peer received more “credit” for being cancer-free. The notion of PT may contribute to overestimating cancer patients’ personal influence over their disease trajectory and social perceptions of successful or unsuccessful cancer outcomes vary as a function of the patient’s gender.

Estimating the degree of failed understanding: a possible role for online technology

Accurate identification of what a learner does not know is essential for efficient self-directed learning. The accuracy of this awareness, often described as calibration, has been operationalized in several ways. Calibration data are often collected in applied settings by having students predict a future examination score. This method is efficient but not a direct measurement of the awareness of specific strengths and weaknesses. Online technology allows a practical way to collect more specific, local data; that is, the accuracy of confidence ratings for individual assessment items. These two methods of estimating calibration, global and local, were contrasted as predictors of performance in an introductory college course. Both measures were demonstrated to be significant and unique predictors of future examination performance. Online study environments requiring certitude judgments for study questions and offering immediate opportunities for review may offer the means for improving the efficiency of self-directed learning.