138 research outputs found
Toward a consensus definition of pathological video-gaming: a systematic review of psychometric assessment tools
No full textPathological video-gaming, or its proposed DSM-V classification of "Internet Use Disorder", is of increasing interest to scholars and practitioners in allied health disciplines. This systematic review was designed to evaluate the standards in pathological video-gaming instrumentation, according to Cicchetti (1994) and Groth-Marnat's (2009) criteria and guidelines for sound psychometric assessment. A total of 63 quantitative studies, including eighteen instruments and representing 58,415 participants, were evaluated. Results indicated that reviewed instrumentation may be broadly characterized as inconsistent. Strengths of available measures include: (i) short length and ease of scoring, (ii) excellent internal consistency and convergent validity, and (iii) potentially adequate data for development of standardized norms for adolescent populations. However, key limitations included: (a) inconsistent coverage of core addiction indicators, (b) varying cut-off scores to indicate clinical status, (c) a lack of a temporal dimension, (d) untested or inconsistent dimensionality, and (e) inadequate data on predictive validity and inter-rater reliability. An emerging consensus suggests that pathological video-gaming is commonly defined by (1) withdrawal, (2) loss of control, and (3) conflict. It is concluded that a unified approach to assessment of pathological video-gaming is needed. A synthesis of extant research efforts by meta-analysis may be difficult in the context of several divergent approaches to assessment.Daniel L. King, Maria C. Haagsma, Paul H. Delfabbro, Michael Gradisar, Mark D. Griffith
Intrinsic and extrinsic predictors of video-gaming behaviour and adolescent bedtimes: the relationship between flow states, self-perceived risk-taking, device accessibility, parental regulation of media and bedtime
No full textHow computer games affect the time at which adolescents go to bed is of growing research interest; however, the intrinsic individual and extrinsic sociocultural factors mediating the relationship between gaming and sleep have received minimal attention. This paper investigates how gaming duration mediates the relationship between intrinsic factors (perception of risky events and flow) and extrinsic factors (parental regulation and media accessibility) and adolescent bedtime. Adolescents (N = 422; age = 16.3 ± 2.02 years, 41% M) from six metropolitan schools and the Flinders University completed a questionnaire battery. More flow states (r = .34, p < .01) and increased accessibility (r= .21, p < .01) significantly predicted longer gaming duration, whereas greater parental regulation (r = - .15, p < .01) predicted fewer hours spent playing video games. In addition, higher perception of the negative consequences of risk-taking (r = .14, p < .01) significantly predicted later bedtimes in adolescence. The relationship between flow and bedtime during adolescence was fully mediated by gaming duration (b = .142, p < .001), whereas the association between parental regulation and bedtime was independent of gaming duration. Flow and parental regulation of media were identified as the key points for clinical intervention to decrease the duration of gaming of adolescents, thus promoting earlier bedtimes.Lisa J.Smith, Michael Gradisar, Daniel L.King, Michelle Shor
Sleepless on the road: Are mothers of infants with pediatric insomnia at risk for impaired driving?
No full textIntroduction: Infant insomnia is highly prevalent, tends to persist when untreated, and is associated with a myriad of adverse child outcomes. Negative consequences for parents have also been demonstrated, including increased maternal anxiety and depression, and poorer physical health. Yet, much less is known about the consequences of infant insomnia on parents’ daytime functioning, and specifically on their driving performance. One study has linked sleep problems with self-reported near miss accidents in parents of infants (Malish et al., 2015). However, it has yet to be examined whether objectively assessed driving is associated with infant insomnia. This study used a simulated driving test to compare the driving performance of mothers seeking treatment for their infants’ sleep problems to two control groups: mothers of infants without sleep problems and childless age-matched controls.
Materials and Methods: A total of 45 women participated in this study (Mage=31.2 SD=5.2; n=13 mothers of infants aged 6-24 months with insomnia, n=13 mothers of infants aged 6-24 months with no perceived sleep problems; and n=19 childless controls). Participants completed a 7-day sleep diary before performing an in-lab computerized simulated driving task. Self-reports of sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), driving (Driving Behaviour Questionnaire) and a demographic questionnaire were completed in the lab. Subsequently, a 25-min monotonous highway driving task was performed. Primary outcome measures consisted of standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), and the number of lane crossings. General linear modelling was used to assess the effects of group, while controlling for relevant covariates.
Results: Based on sleep diary data, mothers of infants with sleep problems had significantly shorter sleep duration, longer wake after sleep onset, and more nighttime awakenings compared to mothers of infants who were reported to sleep well and childless controls (all ps<0.001). Moreover, daytime sleepiness scores were greater in mothers of poor sleeping infants compared to both control groups (F(2,42)=7.05, p=0.002). As for driving metrics, SDLP was significantly higher in the clinical group compared to both control groups (F(2,42)=5.84, p=0.006), indicating that mothers of infants with insomnia deviated from their lane to a greater extent. Non-significant trends in this direction were observed for lane crossings, as well as for self-reported driving lapses and errors.
Conclusions: Mothers of infants with insomnia had significantly more lane deviations compared to controls. While these findings are preliminary, they indicate that these mothers may be at increased risk for motor vehicle accidents. This risk may be further exacerbated by the presence of an infant passenger in the vehicle (Maasalo et al., 2017). Future research is warranted to replicate these findings, examine these links in fathers of infants with insomnia, and develop prevention programs aimed at raising awareness and managing driving safety risks associated with infant sleep problems.
Acknowledgements: We wish to thank Flinders University for funding this study, Tahlia Cross, Josh Fitton, and Rebecca Fry for their help in data collection, and our participants for their contribution.No Full Tex
Parental influences on adolescent video game play: a study of accessibility, rules, limit setting, monitoring, and cybersafety
No full textAdolescents' video gaming is increasing at a rapid rate. Yet, little is known about what factors contribute toward more hours of gaming per week, as well as what factors may limit or protect adolescents from excessive gaming. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between adolescents' accessibility to video gaming devices, the locations played (i.e., bedroom, shared rooms), parental regulation of technology use, and the amount of hours spent video gaming during the week (weekdays vs. weekends). Adolescents (N=422; age 16.3±2.0 years, 41% male) completed an online questionnaire battery, including demographics, video gaming behaviors (e.g., hours played weekdays/weekends, time of day played, devices owned, locations played, etc.), and a questionnaire measuring aspects of parents' regulation of game playing (e.g., rules, limit setting, co-gaming). Accessibility to the adolescents' own devices, but not shared devices or device portability, was predictive of hours gaming on weekdays and weekends. Location (i.e., bedroom) was associated with increased gaming across the week. Parents discussing cybersafety was predictive of lower hours of gaming (weekdays and weekends). However, limit setting, monitoring, and co-gaming showed no significant effects. Adolescents' access to their own gaming equipped devices, as well as gaming in their bedrooms, were linked to increased hours of gaming. The findings suggest that in order to curb the increase in hours gaming, parents are advised to delay the ownership of adolescents' devices, encourage use in shared rooms, and discuss aspects of cybersafety with their teenage children.Lisa J. Smith, Michael Gradisar, and Daniel L. Kin
Sleepless on the road: Are mothers of infants with insomnia at risk for impaired driving?
No full textInfant sleep problems have been associated with a myriad of adverse child and parent outcomes, yet whether these problems may pose a risk for parents on the road has received little research attention. This study sought to test whether mothers of infants with insomnia are at an elevated risk for vehicular crashes, by comparing their objectively measured driving performance with that of mothers of well-sleeping infants and with that of women without children. Fifty-four women from these three groups completed a simulated driving task. Outcome measures included standard deviation of lateral position, number of lane crossings, standard deviation of speed, average speed and maximum speed. Women additionally reported on their driving behaviour using the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire, and on sleep, sleepiness and insomnia symptoms using 7-day sleep diaries and questionnaires. Mothers of infants with insomnia demonstrated greater lane deviation (Wald = 9.53, p = 0.009), higher maximum speed (Wald = 6.10, p = 0.04) and poorer self-rated driving behaviour (Wald = 7.44, p = 0.02) compared with control groups. Analyses also indicated that driving performance in mothers of infants with insomnia tended to be poorer relative to control groups with the progression of time on task. While further research is needed to assess the scope of these effects, our findings suggest that parents, healthcare providers and policymakers should be aware of the potential consequences of infant sleep problems on road safety, and collaborate to establish strategies to mitigate these risks.Full Tex
The impact of prolonged violent video-gaming on adolescent sleep: an experimental study
No full textVideo-gaming is an increasingly prevalent activity among children and adolescents that is known to influence several areas of emotional, cognitive and behavioural functioning. Currently there is insufficient experimental evidence about how extended video-game play may affect adolescents' sleep. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term impact of adolescents' prolonged exposure to violent video-gaming on sleep. Seventeen male adolescents (mean age = 16 ± 1 years) with no current sleep difficulties played a novel, fast-paced, violent video-game (50 or 150 min) before their usual bedtime on two different testing nights in a sleep laboratory. Objective (polysomnography-measured sleep and heart rate) and subjective (single-night sleep diary) measures were obtained to assess the arousing effects of prolonged gaming. Compared with regular gaming, prolonged gaming produced decreases in objective sleep efficiency (by 7 ± 2%, falling below 85%) and total sleep time (by 27 ± 12 min) that was contributed by a near-moderate reduction in rapid eye movement sleep (Cohen's d = 0.48). Subjective sleep-onset latency significantly increased by 17 ± 8 min, and there was a moderate reduction in self-reported sleep quality after prolonged gaming (Cohen's d = 0.53). Heart rate did not differ significantly between video-gaming conditions during pre-sleep game-play or the sleep-onset phase. Results provide evidence that prolonged video-gaming may cause clinically significant disruption to adolescent sleep, even when sleep after video-gaming is initiated at normal bedtime. However, physiological arousal may not necessarily be the mechanism by which technology use affects sleep.Daniel L. King, Michael Gradisar, Aaron Drummond, Nicole Lovato, Jason Wessel, Gorica Micic, Paul Douglas and Paul Delfabbr
Can the circadian phase be estimated from self-reported sleep timing in patients with Delayed Sleep Wake Phase Disorder to guide timing of chronobiologic treatment?
No full textPublished online: 09 Sep 2016.Introduction: The efficacy of bright light and/or melatonin treatment for Delayed Sleep Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD) is contingent upon an accurate clinical assessment of the circadian phase. However, the process of determining this circadian phase can be costly and is not yet readily available in the clinical setting. The present study investigated whether more cost-effective and convenient estimates of the circadian phase, such as self-reported sleep timing, can be used to predict the circadian phase and guide the timing of light and/or melatonin treatment (i.e. dim-light melatonin onset, core body temperature minimum and melatonin secretion mid-point) in a sample of individuals with DSWPD. Method: Twenty-four individuals (male = 17; mean age = 21.96, SD = 5.11) with DSWPD were selected on the basis of ICSD-3 criteria from a community-based sample. The first 24-hours of a longer 80-hour constant laboratory ultradian routine were used to determine core body temperature minimum (cBTmin), dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) and the midpoint of the melatonin secretion period (DLMmid = [DLM°ff–DLMO]/2). Prior to the laboratory session subjective sleep timing was assessed using a 7-day sleep/wake diary, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder Sleep Timing Questionnaire (DSPD-STQ). Results: Significant moderate to strong positive correlations were observed between self-reported sleep timing variables and DLMO, cBTmin and DLMmid. Regression equations revealed that the circadian phase (DLMO, cBTmin and DLMmid) was estimated within ±1.5 hours of the measured circadian phase most accurately by the combination of sleep timing measures (88% of the sample) followed by sleep diary reported midsleep (83% of the sample) and sleep onset time (79% of the sample). Discussion: These findings suggest that self-reported sleep timing may be useful clinically to predict a therapeutically relevant circadian phase in DSWPD.Nicole Lovato, Gorica Micic, Michael Gradisar, Sally A. Ferguson, Helen J. Burgess, David J. Kennaway, and Leon Lac
An open trial of bedtime fading for sleep disturbances in preschool children: a parent group education approach
No full text© 2017 Elsevier BV. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (March 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyStudy Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of bedtime fading to reduce sleep disturbances in
preschool aged children, using a group parent education format.
Design: A repeated-measures design (pre-treatment, treatment, post-treatment and 2-year
follow-up).
Setting: Flinders University Child & Adolescent Sleep Clinic, Adelaide, South Australia
Participants: Participants were 21 children (mean age=3.0±0.80 years, range=1.5-4.0 yrs;
60% girls) identified as having difficulty initiating sleep, night waking, or a combination of
both, and their mothers (M age=36.1±4.2 years).
Interventions: Mothers attended two group sessions which included basic sleep education
(sleep needs, sleep architecture, sleep homeostasis) and bedtime fading instruction.
Measurements and Results: Primary outcome variables were sleep onset latency (SOL),
wake after sleep onset (WASO), and bedtime tantrums, measured using 2-week maternal
report sleep diaries. Immediate improvements were observed over pre-treatment to treatment
in average SOL per night (M=23.2±11.3min vs M=13.0±7.3min, d=0.91), average WASO per
night (M=32.4±23.1min vs. M=24.0±18.3min, d=0.41), and number of bedtime tantrums per
week (M=1.7±3.0 vs. M=0.4±0.7, d=0.43). Treatment gains were maintained at 2-year
follow-up. Mothers rated bedtime fading highly in terms of usefulness and satisfaction, and
could successfully re-implement treatment when needed.
Conclusions: Bedtime fading is a brief and promising intervention for pre-schoolers’ sleep
difficulties. This simple intervention can be easily implemented by parents in the home with
little instruction, resulting in improvements to sleep and bedtime tantrums
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