Eric A. Haak

Sleep deprivation and dating aggression perpetration in female college students: the moderating roles of trait aggression, victimization by partner, and alcohol use

Dating aggression, whether it is physical or psychological, is a major social concern. The background-situational model is highly predictive of dating aggression, but it lacks consideration of biopsychosocial processes. Sleep was investigated as one such process. A sample of 108 university undergraduate women completed objective (actigraphy) and subjective measures of sleep quality as well as self-reports of dating and trait aggression. Indicators of sleep deprivation were associated with greater frequency of dating aggression perpetration. Associations were especially strong when trait aggression and victimization by the partner were higher. Contrary to hypotheses, alcohol consumption did not significantly moderate the relation between sleep and women’s aggression perpetration. Less sleep was associated with women’s more frequent aggression toward their partners, perhaps because sleep deprivation causes difficulties with emotion regulation.

Psychosocial functioning and the cortisol awakening response: Meta-analysis, P-curve analysis, and evaluation of the evidential value in existing studies

Cortisol levels rise immediately after awakening and peak approximately 30-45min thereafter. Psychosocial functioning influences this cortisol awakening response (CAR), but there is considerable heterogeneity in the literature. The current study used p-curve and meta-analysis on 709 findings from 212 studies to test the evidential value and estimate effect sizes of four sets of findings: those associating worse psychosocial functioning with higher or lower cortisol increase relative to the waking period (CARi) and to the output of the waking period (AUCw). All four sets of findings demonstrated evidential value. Psychosocial predictors explained 1%-3.6% of variance in CARi and AUCw responses. Based on these effect sizes, cross-sectional studies assessing CAR would need a minimum sample size of 617-783 to detect true effects with 80% power. Depression was linked to higher AUCw and posttraumatic stress to lower AUCw, whereas inconclusive results were obtained for predictor-specific effects on CARi. Suggestions for future CAR research are discussed.

Earlier school start times are associated with higher rates of behavioral problems in elementary schools

Background: Early school start times may curtail childrens sleep and inadvertently promote sleep restriction. The current study examines the potential implications for early school start times for behavioral problems in public elementary schools (student ages 5‐12 years) in Kentucky. Method: School start times were obtained from school Web sites or by calling school offices; behavioral and disciplinary problems, along with demographic information about schools, were obtained from the Kentucky Department of Education. Estimated associations controlled for teacher/student ratio, racial composition, school rank, enrollment, and Appalachian location. Results: Associations between early school start time and greater behavioral problems (harassment, in‐school removals, suspensions, and expulsions) were observed, although some of these associations were found only for schools serving the non‐Appalachian region. Conclusions: Findings support the growing body of research showing that early school start times may contribute to student problems, and extend this research through a large‐scale examination of elementary schools, behavioral outcomes, and potential moderators of risk.

When a corporation rapes: perceptions of rape in civil court for corporate defendants

ABSTRACT In recent years, the coupling of poor outcomes for rape victims in criminal court and the widening scope of legal responsibility for sexual assault has prompted plaintiffs to file civil suits for rape against corporations. Unfortunately, we know little about juror perception of civilly litigated rape against corporate defendants and most jury research involving corporate defendants concerns non-sexual injury cases (e.g. premises liability, automobile accidents). With the increasing number of corporations being sued civilly for rape, we need to understand how civil juries perceive these cases. The present study investigated mock jurors’ perceptions of a fictional civil rape trial against a hotel. Community members (N = 155) read one of three trial summaries: Civil rape trial against the alleged perpetrator, civil rape trial against a hotel, or criminal rape trial. Results indicate females have higher pro-plaintiff judgments than males in civil court, perceptions of greed typically associated with civil litigation apply to rape, and favorable plaintiff decisions are most likely against a corporate defendant. Also, mental models suggest mock jurors conceptualize criminal and civil rape cases against an individual similarly. We discuss our results in terms of psychological, legal and practical expectations when suing for rape.

Father attachment, father emotion expression, and children’s attachment to fathers: The role of marital conflict.

The current study examined relations between father attachment to spouses and child attachment to fathers in middle childhood, focusing on father emotion expressions in father–child interactions as mediators and marital conflict as a moderator of relations. Participants were 199 children between 6 and 12 years of age and their fathers. Fathers completed questionnaires about their attachment to their spouses, and both fathers and mothers reported on their marital conflict. Fathers also discussed a difficult topic with their children for 5 min, and fathers’ positive and negative emotion expression during the discussions were coded. Children completed questionnaires through an interview about their attachment to their father. Father insecure attachment interacted with marital conflict in predicting more negative emotions and less positive emotions during father–child interactions. Specifically, in the context of higher marital conflict in this community sample, fathers who reported greater preoccupied attachment to their spouses exhibited more negative emotions and less positive emotions when interacting with their children. In turn, more father negative emotions and less positive emotions were associated with children’s less secure attachment to fathers. In contrast, father fearful attachment interacted with marital conflict to predict less negative emotion and more positive emotion during interactions with children.

Personal Values as a Mediator of Relations Between Perceived Parental Support and Control and Youth Substance Use

ABSTRACT Background: Tobacco and marijuana smoking are very popular in adolescence and there is a high rate of comorbidity between them, even in young adulthood. Parental support and control may hinder involvement in the use of these substances by promoting conventional values among adolescents. Objectives: The present study investigates the relations between family functioning (parental support and control) and psychoactive substance use (tobacco and marijuana smoking) and determines whether these relationships are mediated by personal values (in terms of disapproval of deviance and beliefs about the importance of school, health and religion). Methods: 175 Italian late adolescents (17 to 20 years old) participated in this two-wave longitudinal study. Data were collected at school through an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Greater parental control and support were directly associated with lower adolescent tobacco and marijuana use; adolescent acceptance of conventional values mediated the association between parenting and adolescent marijuana use. Conclusion: Findings emphasize the influence of family relationships throughout adolescence. The transmission of conventional values to adolescents may be a critical mechanism through which parenting protects adolescents from substance use, especially marijuana use.

Response to Troxel commentary: further evidence that school start times are associated with behavioral problems in elementary schools

Many school districts around the country have delayed the start times of middle and high schools. This change is most often accomplished by making elementary schools start earlier to preserve tiered bus schedules (although delaying all start times would also preserve the tiered system and may be the most beneficial to all students). In some cases, new elementary start times are extremely early. For example, some elementary schools in Fayette County, KY, were made to start at 7:30 AM; elementary schools in Wilton, CT, were made to start at 7:35 AM; and elementary schools in Wayzata, MN, were made to start at 7:45AM. However, it remains unclear whether there are adverse effects on elementary students given that few studies have studied whether earlier school start times are associated with negative outcomes for elementary school students. Until recently, the assumption has been that earlier start times are fine for young children because they have not yet entered puberty. However, if early start times are in fact harmless for young children, we should be able to document this lack of association empirically rather than simply making the assumption. This is not what we found. Dr Troxel points out that our research is cross-sectional, and thus cannot demonstrate that early school start times cause negative

Poor Sleep Is Associated With Greater Marital Aggression: The Role of Self Control

ABSTRACT Background/Objective: Although sleep problems are linked to relationship difficulties, the mechanisms involved have not been empirically demonstrated. The present study considers self-control as such a mechanism. Participants: Data were collected from 342 predominantly white, middle-class, married adults. Method: Participants completed online questionnaires about sleep, marital aggression, and self-control, and a virtual voodoo doll task. Results and Conclusions: Sleep problems were associated with higher levels of aggression on all measures, and lower self-control mediated these associations. Associations did not depend on participant gender, presence of children in the home, income, or length of marriage.