Arousal Scale Research Articles

Psychological and behavioral factors in patients with comorbidobstructive sleep apnea and insomnia

Objective Insomnia symptoms in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are commonly assumed to be secondary to respiratory disturbances. Previous studies, however, showed that insomnia might persist after treatment for OSA. Higher levels of emotional disturbances were reported in OSA patients with insomnia than those without insomnia, which suggests that psychological factors may play an important role for their sleep difficulties. This study aimed to further explore sleep-related psychological/behavioral factors that may contribute to insomnia in OSA patients. Methods This study included 88 men, of which 33 had OSA (OSA group); 29, primary insomnia; (Insomnia group); and 26, both OSA and insomnia (OSA+Insomnia group). All subjects underwent polysomnography (PSG) overnight and completed a package of questionnaires, including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS), Sleep Hygiene Practice Scale (SHPS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale (PSAS). Results The OSA+Insomnia and Insomnia groups had significantly more dysfunctional sleep beliefs, more arousal-inducing sleep-related behaviors, and higher levels of pre-sleep arousal, anxiety, and depression than did the OSA group. The respiratory indices and arousal index were higher for OSA and OSA+Insomnia groups than for the Insomnia group. Conclusion Although OSA patients with insomnia showed a similar degree of respiratory disturbances as patients with OSA only, their psychological and behavioral profiles resembled the features of primary insomnia patients. The results support the concept of comorbid insomnia and suggest the importance of evaluating and treating both physiological and psychological factors in these patients.

The relationship between pre-sleep arousal and spontaneous arousals from sleep in subjects referred for diagnostic polysomnograms

Background To explore the relationship between pre-sleep arousability and spontaneous arousals from sleep, we conducted a cross-sectional study. Methods Four hundred and four outpatients with suspected sleep-disordered breathing who had received diagnostic polysomnograms were enrolled. Spontaneous arousals from sleep were identified by electroencephalogram and scored according to the criteria of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Pre-sleep arousals were evaluated with the Pre-sleep Arousal Scale. Results After controlling for confounders, the Cognitive subscale was correlated with spontaneous arousal indices during non-rapid eye movement sleep (b = 0.41, p = 0.01). Among patients with apnea-hypopnea index < 40/hour, a relationship between the Cognitive subscale and spontaneous arousal indices was found during both non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep. In contrast, among patients whose apnea-hypopnea index was ≥ 40/hour, this relationship was not present (b = 0.25, p = 0.35). Conclusion Pre-sleep cognitive hyperarousal is associated with increasing spontaneous arousals from sleep. Severity of sleep-disordered breathing may modulate this relationship.

Earliest Appropriate Time for Administering Neurobehavioral Assessment in Newborn Infants

To assess the effect of examination time on newborn neurobehavioral examinations administered within 48 hours of delivery and to identify the earliest appropriate time for performing the assessment. We analyzed data from neurobehavioral examinations on 324 newborns using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). Trends over examination time and cumulative percentage within published normal ranges were analyzed to identify the earliest appropriate time for administering the examination. Ordinal logistic regression and multivariate regression were used for testing and defining the earliest appropriate time for administering the examination without being influenced by acute effects of labor and delivery while controlling for several potential confounding factors. The arousal, excitability, lethargy, quality-of-movement, hypotonicity, and nonoptimal-reflexes scales were sensitive to timing of the examination. Results of ordinal logistic regression showed that 20 hours after delivery seemed to be the earliest appropriate time for administering newborn NNNS examinations. The proportion of NNNS scores within the normal range increased with time significantly when the examination was made less than 20 hours after delivery (n = 148) (odds ratio: 1.12 [95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.23]), but there was no longer significant association with time of examination after 20 hours (n = 176) (odds ratio: 1.04 [95% confidence interval: 0.99-1.09]). This result was confirmed by multivariate regression. We recommend 20 hours after delivery as the earliest appropriate time for administering newborn NNNS examinations to obtain results reflecting outcomes that are a representative assessment of newborn neurobehavior and not contaminated by acute effects of labor and delivery.

Brazilian norms for the Affective Norms for English Words

The present study translated and adapted the Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW) to Brazilian Portuguese (ANEW-Br) and collected emotionality measures for a set of 1,046 words in Brazilian Portuguese. A sample of 755 male and female undergraduate students used the valence and arousal scales of the Self-Assessment Manikin to judge the emotionality of 1,046 words in Brazilian Portuguese. Valence values ranged from 1.16 to 8.80, while arousal values ranged from 2.22 to 7.67. Further analyses indicated that both valence and arousal measures were reliable and suggested that the method used was appropriate for the collection of emotionality measures. The availability of Brazilian norms for the ANEW represents a methodological advancement for Brazilian investigators in the development of future studies about the effects of emotion on human cognition.

Exploring the Reasons for Adherence to T'ai Chi Practice

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineVol. 16, No. 12 Letters to the EditorExploring the Reasons for Adherence to T'ai Chi PracticeMichelle DiGiacomo, Paul Lam, Beverly L. Roberts, Tang Ching Lau, Rhayun Song, and Patricia M. DavidsonMichelle DiGiacomoCentre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care, University of Technology Sydney and Curtin University, Sydney, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, Paul LamSchool of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sydney, University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, Beverly L. RobertsCollege of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.Search for more papers by this author, Tang Ching LauDivision of Rheumatology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.Search for more papers by this author, Rhayun SongCollege of Nursing, Chungnam National University, Daegon, Korea.Search for more papers by this author, and Patricia M. DavidsonCentre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care, University of Technology Sydney and Curtin University, Sydney, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:7 Dec 2010https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2010.0510AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"Exploring the Reasons for Adherence to T'ai Chi Practice." , 16(12), pp. 1245–1246FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byAssessing Affective Valence and Activation in Stretching Activities with the Feeling Scale and the Felt Arousal Scale: A Systematic Review1 March 2023 | Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 7Tai Chi and Qi Gong therapies as a complementary treatment in Parkinson’s disease – a systematic reviewComplementary Therapies in Medicine, Vol. 56Participant characteristics of users of holistic movement practices in AustraliaComplementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Vol. 31Participation motives for a holistic dance-movement practice3 May 2016 | International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 2Effects of Dance and of Tai Chi on Functional Mobility, Balance, and Agility in Parkinson DiseaseTopics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, Vol. 33, No. 4Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on balance in women with multiple sclerosisComplementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Vol. 21, No. 1Rating of Perceived Exertion and Affective Responses during Tai Chi Chuan1 June 2014 | Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 118, No. 3Investigating short- and long-term transfer effects of a Taiji beginner course in participants' daily lifeJournal of Integrative Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 5Teaching Experience of Tai Chi Instructors with Nursing BackgroundJournal of muscle and joint health, Vol. 20, No. 1 Volume 16Issue 12Dec 2010 InformationCopyright 2010, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Michelle DiGiacomo, Paul Lam, Beverly L. Roberts, Tang Ching Lau, Rhayun Song, and Patricia M. Davidson.Exploring the Reasons for Adherence to T'ai Chi Practice.The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Dec 2010.1245-1246.http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2010.0510Published in Volume: 16 Issue 12: December 7, 2010Online Ahead of Print:November 29, 2010PDF download

Surgeons' Stress From Surgery and Night Duty

To examine the stress experienced by surgeons in response to surgery and night duty. Analyses were done by subjective questionnaires and an objective urine analysis. One university hospital and 15 community/public hospitals in Kitakyushu City, Japan. Sixty-six Japanese surgeons. Scores on the NASA Task Load Index and Stress Arousal Checklist and urine biopyrin levels. The Task Load Index score significantly increased in association with the duration of surgery and the amount of surgical blood loss. Urine biopyrin levels significantly increased with the duration of surgery. Night duty significantly decreased sleep time and significantly increased urine biopyrin levels. Stress Arousal Checklist Arousal Scale scores significantly decreased the morning after night duty and the evening after the end of the following day shift. Surgery was associated with stress on surgeons and night duty influenced the arousal of the surgeons during the day shift following night duty.

Incorporating Emotions Specific to the Sexual Response into Theories of Emotion Using the Indiana Sexual and Affective Word Set

The sexual response includes an emotional component, but it is not clear whether this component is specific to sex and whether it is best explained by dimensional or discrete emotion theories. To determine whether the emotional component of the sexual response is distinct from other emotions, participants (n = 1099) rated 1450 sexual and non-sexual words according to dimensional theories of emotion (using scales of valence, arousal, and dominance) and according to theories of basic emotion (using scales of happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust). In addition, ratings were provided for newly developed scales of sexual valence, arousal, and energy. A factor analysis produced four factors, together accounting for 91.5% of the variance in participant ratings. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that one word category or factor, labeled "sexual," was predicted only by the new sexual arousal and energy scales. The remaining three factors, labeled "disgusting," "happy," and "basic aversive" were best predicted by basic (or discrete) emotion ratings. Dimensional ratings of valence, sexual valence, and arousal were not predictive of any of the four categories. These results suggest that the addition of sexually specific emotions to basic emotion theories is justified and needed to account fully for emotional responses to sexual stimuli. In addition, the findings provide initial validation for the Indiana Sexual and Affective Words Set (ISAWS), supporting its use in future studies.

Validity and reliability of an intuitive conscious sedation scoring tool: The nursing instrument for the communication of sedation*

To develop a symmetrical 7-level scale (+3, "dangerously agitated" to -3, "deeply sedated") that is both intuitive and easy to use, the Nursing Instrument for the Communication of Sedation (NICS). Prospective cohort study. University medical center. Mixed surgical, medical intensive care unit (ICU) population. Patient assessment. Criterion, construct, face validity, and interrater reliability of NICS over time and comparison of ease of use and nursing preference between NICS and four common intensive care unit sedation scales. A total of 395 observations were performed in 104 patients (20 intubated [INT], 84 non intubated) by 59 intensive care unit providers. Criterion validity was tested comparing NICS WITH the 8-point level of arousal scale, demonstrating excellent correlation (rs = .96 overall, .95 non intubated, 0.85 intubated, all p < .001). Construct validity was confirmed by comparing NICS with the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, demonstrating excellent correlation (rs = .98, p < .001). Face validity was determined in a blinded survey of 53 intensive care unit nurses evaluating NICS and four other sedation scales. NICS was highly rated as easy to score, intuitive, and a clinically relevant measure of sedation, and agitation and was preferred overall (74% NICS, 17% Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, 11% Other, p < .001 NICS vs. Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale). Interrater reliability was assessed, using the five scales at three timed intervals, during which 37% of patients received sedative medication. The mean NICS score consistently correlated with each of the other scales over time with an rs of >.9. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient as a measure of Interrater reliability, NICS scored as high, or higher than Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale, Motor Activity Assessment Scale, or Ramsay over the three time periods. NICS is a valid and reliable sedation scale for use in a mixed population of intensive care unit patients. NICS ranked highest in nursing preference and ease of communication and may thus permit more effective and interactive management of sedation.

Behavioral arousal in response to stress and drug cue in alcohol and cocaine addicted individuals versus healthy controls

Negative emotional arousal in response to stress and drug cues is known to play a role in the development and continuation of substance use disorders. However, studies have not examined behavioral indicators of such arousal. The current study examined behavioral and bodily arousal in response to stress and drug cue in individuals with alcohol dependence and cocaine dependence as compared to healthy controls using a new scale. Fifty-two alcohol dependent (AD group), 45 cocaine dependent (COC group), and 68 healthy controls (HC group) were exposed to individually developed stressful, drug-cue, and neutral-relaxing imagery. Behavioral and bodily responses were assessed with a new scale, the Behavioral Arousal Scale (BAS). The BAS showed acceptable inter-rater reliability and internal consistency and correlated with subjective negative emotion and craving. BAS scores were higher in stress than neutral conditions for all three groups. COC participants showed higher BAS response to stress than AD or HC participants. COC and AD participants showed greater BAS response to drug cue than HC participants. Behavioral arousal is a domain in which stress and drug related arousal is expressed and assessment of this domain could provide unique information about vulnerability to craving and relapse in addicted populations.

Perception of Emotion in Sounded and Imagined Music

WE STUDIED THE EMOTIONAL RESPONSES BY MUSICIANS to familiar classical music excerpts both when the music was sounded, and when it was imagined.We used continuous response methodology to record response profiles for the dimensions of valence and arousal simultaneously and then on the single dimension of emotionality. The response profiles were compared using cross-correlation analysis, and an analysis of responses to musical feature turning points, which isolate instances of change in musical features thought to influence valence and arousal responses. We found strong similarity between the use of an emotionality arousal scale across the stimuli, regardless of condition (imagined or sounded). A majority of participants were able to create emotional response profiles while imagining the music, which were similar in timing to the response profiles created while listening to the sounded music.We conclude that similar mechanisms may be involved in the processing of emotion in music when the music is sounded and when imagined.

Sleep locus of control and computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT)

This study investigated the relationship between sleep locus of control and sleep in a secondary data analysis. Participants were 100 adults with chronic insomnia previously involved in a randomized controlled trial of 5 weeks of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT). Additionally, a sample of 46 completers of an in-person group for insomnia were utilized as a comparison group. At pre-treatment, participants completed the Sleep Locus of Control Scale, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, 7 days of sleep diaries, and participated in structured interviews to assess for psychiatric and medical conditions. Measures were re-administered at post-treatment and at a 4 week follow-up. Results showed that sleep locus of control mediated the impact of cCBT on insomnia severity at follow-up. cCBT more than waiting list control or a convenience sample of individuals treated with in-person CBT, enhanced an internal sleep locus of control. Implications are that sleep locus of control may be an important variable to assess in the internet context and that internet programs for insomnia may want to consider amplifying or giving priority to interventions which enhance an internal sleep locus.

Behavioral and Psychological Effects of Music on Endurance Exercise

Exercise reduces risk factors for morbidity and mortality, but adherence to exercise regimens is low. Music may influence psychological factors (e.g., enjoyment) that improve exercise performance (e.g., duration) and ultimately leads to greater adherence. PURPOSE: To examine the behavioral and psychological outcomes of endurance exercise while listening to different kinds of music. METHODS: Nine participants (N=9; 5 females; M age = 24.7±5.8 yrs) performed treadmill running at a self-selected intensity and pace (speed, grade), ending their exercise bout whenever they chose to. Participants exercised in three music conditions on different days: participant-selected (preferred) music (pM); quiet classical music (cM); and no music (qM). Heart Rate (HR; Polar monitor) was assessed throughout each condition; affect was assessed pre-, immediately-post, and 10-min post-exercise; enjoyment (PACES) was assessed post-exercise; and Feeling Scale (FS), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and Arousal Scale (AS) were assessed during exercise. RESULTS: Enjoyment was significantly greater (P=0.014) following pM (M=106.0), but was not different between cM (M=86.0) and qM (M=84.7). Duration was significantly longer (P=0.018) in pM (M=37.1 min) but was not different between cM (M=33.0 min) and qM (M=31.3 min). HR during exercise was not significantly different across the 3 conditions (HR at end exercise = 85% age-predicted maximum). RPE was significantly greater in pM compared to cM (P=0.017), but was not different than qM. RPE, FS, and HR were all unrelated to enjoyment or exercise duration. Finally, Energy significantly increased, while Tiredness and Calmness significantly decreased pre-to immediately-post exercise, with no effect of music condition on these affective responses. CONCLUSION: Listening to one's preferred kind of music results in longer duration exercise that is more enjoyable than either listening to classical music or not having any music at all. While this does not appear to be related to the affect experienced during the exercise, the exact mechanism(s) for this effect remains to be elucidated.

The Affect and Arousal Scales: Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Version and Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Affect and Arousal Scales (AFARS) were inspected in a combined clinical and population sample (N = 1,215). The validity of the tripartite structure and the relations between Negative Affect, Positive Affect, and Physiological Hyperarousal (PH) were investigated for boys and girls, younger (8-11 years) and older (12-14 years) children, and for children with high versus low levels of emotional/behavioral problems separately. Results demonstrated an adequate fit of the tripartite structure in each of the subgroups. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated parameter equivalence across sex, age, and psychopathology status. Furthermore, the assumption of invariant error variances of the indicator variables was tenable across sex, age, and psychopathology status. Invariant variances and covariances of the latent constructs (i.e., the tripartite factors) were supported across sex and psychopathology status but not across age. Finally, adequate item and scale properties and good convergent and moderate divergent validity of the Dutch AFARS subscales were demonstrated, except for the divergent validity of the PH subscale.

Optimal levels of emotional arousal in experiential therapy of depression.

To determine the relationship between length of time spent expressing highly aroused emotion and therapeutic outcome. Thirty-eight clients (14 male, 24 female) between the ages of 22 and 60 years (M = 39.5, SD = 9.71), treated for depression with experiential therapy, were rated on working alliance and expressed emotional arousal (with the Client Expressed Emotional Arousal Scale) in their three highest arousal sessions. Among the clients, 34 were of European ethnicity, 2 were of Asian ethnicity, 1 was of Latino ethnicity, and 1 was of Caribbean-Canadian ethnicity. Clients were administered the short form of the Working Alliance Inventory following their 4th therapy session and also completed, pre- and posttherapy, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Hierarchical regressions showed that a nonlinear pattern of expressed emotional arousal predicted outcome significantly above the alliance. This combination predicted 30% of outcome variance on the BDI and 24% on the GSI (p < .01). An optimal frequency (25%) of highly aroused emotional expression was found to relate to outcome, with deviation from this optimal frequency predicting poorer outcome. Too much or too little emotion was found to be not as helpful as a moderate amount. It was concluded that expressed emotional arousal in experiential therapies has a more intricate relationship with therapeutic outcome than has previously been shown and that it is moderate amounts of heightened emotional arousal that improve predictions of therapeutic outcome.

Voice quality and emotion classification on the valence scale.

While discriminating between several basic human emotions, such as neutral, joy, sadness, and anger, it has been observed that the most difficult emotions to tell apart automatically are between the two states of joy and anger. Since these two emotions have similarities on the arousal scale, it is difficult to distinguish them by simply using pitch and energy related feature measurements. Therefore, in this study, other additional feature parameters, related to voice quality, that are useful for discriminating between the two emotions of joy and anger are focused. For voice quality related features, global statistics of normalized spectral band energy, spectral tilt, open quotient, and first formant bandwidth values, along with their respective slopes and convexities, are measured from the happy and angry emotional speech from a Korean emotional database. From ANOVAtests, parameters of normalized spectral band energy, spectral tilt, and open quotient appear to be useful. Also, slopes and convexities of voice quality measurements appear to be more important than the values itself. These results are meaningful for classifying emotional states distributed on the valence scale and are expected to contribute in improving an overall emotion recognition system.

Overnight emotional adaptation to negative stimuli is altered by REM sleep deprivation and is correlated with intervening dream emotions

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming may be implicated in cross-night adaptation to emotionally negative events. To evaluate the impact of REM sleep deprivation (REMD) and the presence of dream emotions on a possible emotional adaptation (EA) function, 35 healthy subjects randomly assigned to REMD (n = 17; mean age 26.4 +/- 4.3 years) and control (n = 18; mean age 23.7 +/- 4.4 years) groups underwent a partial REMD and control nights in the laboratory, respectively. In the evening preceding and morning following REMD, subjects rated neutral and negative pictures on scales of valence and arousal and EA scores were calculated. Subjects also rated dream emotions using the same scales and a 10-item emotions list. REMD was relatively successful in decreasing REM% on the experimental night, although a mean split procedure was applied to better differentiate subjects high and low in REM%. High and low groups differed - but in a direction contrary to expectations. Subjects high in REMD% showed greater adaptation to negative pictures on arousal ratings than did those low in REMD% (P < 0.05), even after statistically controlling sleep efficiency and awakening times. Subjects above the median on EA(valence) had less intense overall dream negativity (P < 0.005) and dream sadness (P < 0.004) than subjects below the median. A correlation between the emotional intensities of the morning dream and the morning picture ratings supports a possible emotional carry-over effect. REM sleep may enhance morning reactivity to negative emotional stimuli. Further, REM sleep and dreaming may be implicated in different dimensions of cross-night adaptation to negative emotions.

Associations Among Physiological and Subjective Sexual Response, Sexual Desire, and Salivary Steroid Hormones in Healthy Premenopausal Women

Few studies have examined how sexual arousal influences healthy premenopausal women's hormones, limiting our understanding of basic physiology and our ability to transfer knowledge from clinical and nonhuman populations. To examine how sexual arousal and steroid hormones (testosterone [T], cortisol [C], estradiol [E]) were linked, to see whether hormone levels influenced and/or changed in response to sexual arousal elicited via visual erotic stimuli in healthy women. Participants included 40 healthy premenopausal women not using exogenous hormones. Change in genital sexual arousal (vaginal pulse amplitude), change in subjective sexual arousal, sexual desire (via the Sexual Desire Inventory and Female Sexual Function Index scales), as well as T, C, and E via saliva samples taken before and following viewing of erotic stimuli as genital arousal was recorded via a vaginal photoplethysmograph. E increased in response to sexual stimuli but this was not statistically associated with genital sexual arousal, whereas C decreased in association with genital sexual arousal, and T showed no statistically significant change. Relationship status was linked to genital but not subjective sexual arousal such that dating women exhibited higher genital sexual arousal than single or partnered women. Results indicated that all three hormones were associated with self-reported genital arousal (via the Detailed Assessment of Sexual Arousal scales) and sexual desire in different domains, and both T and E were associated with self-reported orgasms. Findings point to the need to examine multiple hormones in multiple ways (e.g., baseline, changes, stimulated) and question using erotic stimuli-induced arousal as a model for women's endocrine responses to sexuality.

The Influence of Exercise Order on Blood Lactate, Perceptual, and Affective Responses

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of exercise order on blood lactate, perceptual, and affective responses to resistance exercise. Twenty-nine subjects (18 women, 11 men; 20.9 +/- 1.9 years) completed three sessions separated by a minimum of 48 hours. Session 1 determined the 10-repetition maximum (10RM) for nine resistance exercises. During sessions 2 and 3, exercises were completed in either a large to small or small to large muscle exercise order. The large to small muscle order was 1) chest press, 2) leg press, 3) rows, 4) leg extension, 5) overhead press, 6) hamstring curl, 7) biceps curl, 8) calve raise, and 9) triceps extension. Exercise order was reversed for the small to large condition. Participants performed two sets of each lift, with the first set being a warm-up at 80% 10RM, followed by one set at 100% 10RM with 1 minute of rest between each exercise. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured after completion of the second set. Blood lactate was recorded after exercises 1, 5, and 9. Affective measures were completed pre, during, post 0, and post 10 minutes. Lactate showed a significant time (p < 0.001) and condition x time interaction (p = 0.020). A significant difference was seen in average number of repetitions completed between sequences, with small to large performing more. There were no differences seen between exercise orders for average RPE. Analyses of Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale scores showed only a significant main effect of time. A paired-sample t-test was conducted to examine differences in Feeling Scale for the two conditions at the different time points. Significant differences were found for Feeling Scale during exercise (after overhead press) and at post 10, with the small to large exercise order having greater Feeling Scale responses. No significant correlations were seen between blood lactate and perceptual or affective responses at any time point or in either exercise order. These findings may suggest that small to large exercise order may have beneficial physiological and psychological outcomes and potentially influence exercise adherence.

Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: A Naturalistic 12-Month Follow-up

A unique intervention combining mindfulness meditation with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to have acute benefits at posttreatment in an open label study. The aim of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of this integrated intervention on measures of sleep and sleep-related distress in an attempt to characterize the natural course of insomnia following this treatment and to identify predictors of poor long-term outcome. Analyses were conducted on 21 participants, who provided follow-up data at six and 12 months posttreatment. At each time point, participants completed one week of sleep and meditation diaries and questionnaires related to mindfulness, sleep, and sleep-related distress, including the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale, the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, and the Insomnia Episode Questionnaire. Analyses examining the pattern of change across time (baseline, end of treatment, six months, and 12 months) revealed that several sleep-related benefits were maintained during the 12-month follow-up period. Participants who reported at least one insomnia episode (>or=1 month) during the follow-up period had higher scores on the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale (P < .05) and the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale (P < .05) at end of treatment compared with those with no insomnia episodes. Correlations between mindfulness skills and insomnia symptoms revealed significant negative correlations (P < .05) between mindfulness skills and daytime sleepiness at each of the three time points but not with nocturnal symptoms of insomnia. These results suggest that most sleep-related benefits of an intervention combining CBT-I and mindfulness meditation were maintained during the 12-month follow-up period, with indications that higher presleep arousal and sleep effort at end of treatment constitute a risk for occurrence of insomnia during the 12 months following treatment.

Active and Passive Commuting to School

Active commuting among school children is being encouraged for physical and environmental reasons, but little is known about its influence on affect. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that children who walk further to school experience increased arousal and affective valence compared with children who walk a short distance. This was assessed with the children's feeling scale (CFS) and children's felt arousal scale (CFAS). Distance walked to school and affective change between home and school were assessed over a 2-week period in 99 children between 5 and 10 years of age. Home to school differences in CFS and CFAS scores were compared in children who walked a short (100–300 m); medium (301–500 m), and long distance (over 500 m). Although differences were not always statistically significant, there was evidence that the children who walked further reported a greater increase in their CFAS scores between home and school (average η2 = .08, range: .01–.15) and, to a lesser extent, in their CFS scores (η2 = .04, range: .002–.06). Further research is needed to explore whether there is an optimum walking distance and the contribution of other factors, especially social contacts during commuting, the environment, and the weather.