Repeated Measures MANCOVA Research Articles

Development and Initial Assessment of an Emotional Support Provision Training Intervention for Interpersonal Support Providers in the Context of Chronic Illness

ABSTRACT This study reports on the development and pilot testing of an emotional support provision training intervention for interpersonal support providers to those with chronic illnesses. Using findings from a needs assessment in combination with existing theory and research, we created a training framework consisting of verbal person-centered message design, empathic listening, and communicated perspective-taking. Then, we recruited 282 individuals to participate in a pre-training questionnaire, the online training module, a post-training questionnaire, and a two-week post-training questionnaire. Outcome variables included emotional support knowledge, efficacy, and intentions, as well as general support efficacy, response efficacy, and quality. Repeated measures MANCOVA revealed significant increases from T1 to T2 for all variables of interest. These increases were sustained at T3 for emotional support knowledge and efficacy, and support provision response efficacy. Participants rated the training favorably and provided helpful suggestions for improvement. This study answers the call for more theoretically-grounded support interventions that not only assess theory in real-world settings, but also help people better their supportive communication skills.

Outcomes in PEERS® for Adolescents Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: ADHD, Autism, and Their Co-occurrence

Abstract Objectives Autistic individuals and those diagnosed with ADHD are at greater risk for social difficulties, with evidence suggesting that the co-occurrence of these neurodevelopmental disorders may further exacerbate social challenges. Though social skill interventions have strong empirical support in autistic populations, fewer evidence-based social skill interventions for adolescents with ADHD exist. Further, the impact of co-occurring autism and ADHD diagnoses on social skill treatment response is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the comparative efficacy of the evidence-based PEERS® for Adolescents social skills intervention in adolescents with ADHD, autistic adolescents, and adolescents with co-occurring ADHD and autism. Methods Adolescents (N = 144; ADHD, n = 43; Autism, n = 60; ADHD + Autism, n = 41) and their parents participated in PEERS® for Adolescents and completed questionnaires on social functioning at pre- and post-intervention. PEERS® for Adolescents is a 16-week, parent-assisted social skills intervention that teaches ecologically valid skills related to making and keeping friends as well as handling conflict and rejection in peer relationships. Results At baseline, a MANCOVA revealed significant differences in social behavior by diagnostic group (ADHD, Autism, ADHD + Autism), F(10,218) = 3.60, p < .001. However, in a repeated measures MANCOVA, no significant differences in treatment response following PEERS® for Adolescents across diagnostic groups emerged, F(10,214) = 1.34, p = .209. As a whole, participants significantly improved across all assessed outcomes. Conclusion Results suggest that adolescents with ADHD, with or without a co-occurring autism diagnosis, benefit from the novel extension of PEERS® for Adolescents, showing improved social skill proficiency and decreased problem behaviors.

Promoting self-care behavior among older adults with type 2 diabetes by the combined mindfulness and self-regulatory intervention via social media: a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT Developing self-care behaviors is a fundamental yet challenging strategy to prevent the complications of diabetes. This three-arm randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of combined mindfulness and self-regulation-based intervention with self-regulation-based intervention on self-care behaviors of Iranian older adults with diabetes in 2021–2022. Three public diabetic clinics were randomly assigned to three study groups and then 45 participants were randomly recruited from every clinic. 24-week educational interventions via WhatsApp included a self-regulation-based intervention (SRIP), a combined mindfulness and self-regulation intervention (CMSRIP), and routine care with training on COVID-19 prevention were performed in two intervention groups and a control group respectively. Data were collected at baseline and four and 16 weeks using a Mindfulness-based questionnaire (MSCS) and a summary of the diabetes self-care activities scale (SDSCA). The SPSS software (V. 22) was used to analyze data through ANOVA test, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, Levene’s test, and Repeated measures MANCOVA at a significance level of less than 0.05. The total scores of MSCS and SDSCA in four and 16 weeks significantly increased compared to the baseline in both SRIP and CMSRIP groups (P < .001), but not in the control group. The mean scores of MSCS and SDSCA at week 4 in CMSRIP group improved significantly more than SRIP group (98.43 ± 5.83 vs. 90.31 ± 12.62 and 70.38 ± 4.18 vs. 62.35 ± 5.53). Combined mindfulness and self-regulation education are significantly effective in promoting self-care skills and improving cognitive processes and can used to improve older adults’ self-care behaviors.

The effects of a PROSPER-based intervention on well-being among pre-service preschool teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized control trial

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of an intervention program based on the PROSPER, a comprehensive framework which emphasises the importance of positivity, relationships, outcome, strength, purpose, engagement, and resilience in pre-service teachers’ well-being in Hong Kong. Participants were pre-service pre-school teachers (N = 77) who participated in a 1-month randomised control trial with four intervention workshops. They were randomly assigned to either intervention (n = 40) or wait-list control conditions (n = 37). A survey with measures that assessed PROSPER well-being components was administered to participants before and after the intervention. Findings of repeated measures MANCOVA revealed no significant time x group interaction effect, Wilks’ Lambda F(7, 50) = 1.66, p = .14, η 2 = .19. Results of univariate analyses showed that a significant time x group interaction effect existed in relationship component (η 2 = .08), indicating that the intervention was effective in facilitating pre-service pre-school teachers’ positive relationships with their peers. Findings underscore the potential benefits of designing positive psychological interventions for teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subjective Impairments in Olfaction and Cognition Predict Dissociated Behavioral Outcomes.

Self-rated subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and subjective olfactory impairment (SOI) are associated with objective cognitive decline and dementia. However, their relationship and co-occurrence is unknown. We aimed to (a) describe the occurrence of SOI, SCD and their overlap in the general population; (b) compare SOI and SCD in terms of longitudinal associations with corresponding objective olfactory and cognitive measures; and (c) describe how SOI and SCD may lead to distinct sensory and cognitive outcomes. Cognitively unimpaired individuals from the third wave of the Swedish population-based Betula study (n = 784, aged 35-90 years; 51% females) were split into self-rated SOI, SCD, overlapping SCD + SOI, and controls. Between-subject and within-subject repeated-measures MANCOVA were used to compare the groups regarding odor identification, cognition, age, sex, and education. Spearman correlation was used to assess the different patterns of association between olfaction and cognition across groups. SOI was present in 21.1%, whereas SCD was present in 9.9% of participants. According to a chi-square analysis, the SCD + SOI overlap (2.7%) is on a level that could be expected if the phenomena were independent. Odor identification in SOI showed decline at the 10-year follow-up (n = 284) and was positively associated with cognition. The SOI and SCD groups showed distinct cognitive-olfactory profiles at follow-up. SOI occur independently of SCD in the population, and these risk factors are associated with different cognitive and olfactory outcomes. The biological causes underlying SOI and SCD, as well as the risk for future cognitive impairment, need further investigation.

The association between school-level SES and emergent literacy in Italy (La relación entre el nivel socioeconómico a nivel de centro escolar y la alfabetización emergente en Italia)

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the association between mixed-SES kindergartens and emergent literacy in Italian children. The independent contributions of parents’ occupational (SES-PO) and educational level (SES-PE) on emergent literacy were separately analysed. Three emergent literacy skills were assessed in 189 children twice, at the beginning and the end of the last year of kindergarten. Firstly, repeated-measures MANCOVA has shown that only SES-PE was significantly associated with the increase of all emergent literacy skills over the school year. Secondly, robust-methods ANOVA has shown what type of mix of family-PE is optimal at a school level for children to achieve significant improvements after one year of kindergarten. Creating mixed-SES learning environments may improve children’s emergent literacy skills. Policymakers should specifically target parental educational levels, rather than occupational levels, when addressing the issue of SES in schools.

Personality Traits and Emotion Regulation Styles of Elite Beach Volleyball Dyads: Examination of Intra-Team Differences, Performance and Satisfaction Levels.

The current study was designed to assess the personality traits and emotion regulation styles of elite beach volleyball players. Intra-team differences were examined with three primary objectives: (i) to create a personality profile of elite beach volleyball players, (ii) to examine the relationship of this profile in relation to performance and satisfaction levels, and (iii) to highlight the similarities in personalities of members of successful teams. A total of 82 elite beach volleyball players were asked to fill out the Big Five Inventory, the Personality Adjective Scale, and the Affective Style Questionnaire. In addition to these, the overall satisfaction and performance level of these athletes were measured. Results indicated a higher manifestation of warmth, liveliness, emotional stability and reasoning, along with lower levels of neuroticism in successful athletes. The players used a variety of emotional regulation styles and reported being moderately to highly satisfied with their team. A repeated-measures MANCOVA revealed no significant differences in personality traits between the team members. This study generates valuable insights into the personality of elite beach volleyball players and can be useful for coaches, sport psychologists, and academics for practical application and further scientific research.

Suddenly Working From Home!

Abstract. The Corona crisis and the lockdown in the spring of 2020 had various effects on working life in Europe. In this three-wave study, we assessed the trajectories of job demands and resources of 302 employees 2 weeks before the lockdown, over 1 week after lockdown start, and 6 weeks following the beginning of the lockdown. We applied a pre-post follow-up design with 129 employees who switched to telecommuting and a control group of 173 employees who remained in their on-site workplace. Results from the repeated-measures MANCOVA indicate that, despite various general changes to job characteristics because of the Corona crisis, telecommuting changes contributed to significant changes only in communication opportunities and – before Bonferroni correction – in physical job demands. These results may imply that the most visible massive switch to telecommuting of many employees during the first phase of the Corona crisis is only one explanatory factor for general changes to job characteristics.

First-year undergraduate students: depressed, distressed, and drained? Influence of depressive symptoms on markers of psychological well-being, sleep, and physical activity

Objective: This study examined depressive symptomatology (DS) across the academic year in first-year undergraduate students and the influence of DS on anxiety, stress, body esteem, physical activity, and sleep. Participants: Participants were first-year undergraduate students (N= 164). Methods: Participants completed validated self-report measures each quarter. A repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted to examine changes in DS over time. Students were categorized as reporting subclinical (SCD) or clinical (CD) depressive symptoms. A repeated measures MANCOVA was conducted to examine the effect of time and DS groups on primary outcomes. Results: No significant main effects of time were observed for outcomes. Significant between-subjects effects were observed with CD participants reporting significantly higher anxiety and stress and lower sleep than SCD participants. Conclusions: First-year undergraduates with CD may have increased risk for negative markers of psychological and physical health outcomes. Universities should prioritize the psychological and physical health of their first-year students.

Screen-based behaviors in Australian adolescents: Longitudinal trends from a 4-year follow-up study

The longitudinal trends of screen time, a highly prevalent behavior in adolescents, are relatively unknown. This study examined longitudinal trends in screen time among a large sample of Australian primary school-aged children transitioning into secondary school-aged adolescence. Data were derived from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). In 2010, 2179 children (49.7% boys; 10.3 ± 1.1 years) completed a time-use diary, recording their main activities during waking hours. This was repeated with the same sample in 2012 (12.4 ± 0.5 years) and 2014 (14.4 ± 0.5 years). Data were analyzed for time spent in TV viewing, computer use, electronic gaming, and social networking and online communication. Repeated-measures MANCOVA tests were performed to analyze trends in screen time. Trends were also analyzed by sex. Total screen time significantly increased (+85.9 min/day) over four years (ηp2 = 0.010, P < .001), but differed by sex, with a larger increase in boys (boys: +41.6, girls: +22.7 min/day). Electronic gaming increased in boys (+43.2 min/day) and decreased in girls (−16.8 min/day). In contrast, girls reported larger increases in TV viewing (boys: +0.4, girls: +29.1 min/day), computer use (boys: +24.8, girls: +34.3 min/day) and time communicating online and social networking (boys: +4.3, girls: +15.2 min/day). To conclude, screen time among adolescents increases between the ages of 10 and 14 years, but differs by sex and screen time domain. Future screen time reduction interventions may choose to focus on recreational computer use and electronic gaming in boys and TV viewing and time spent communicating online and social networking for girls.

Exploring daily patterns of work engagement among teachers: A Latent growth modeling approach.

Starting from the Demands-Resources model, our aims through this diary research were to explore daily diary fluctuations in work engagement in a sample of teachers and to look for the effects of that on affect and satisfaction at home. Several Latent Growth Curve (LCGA) models were run on two dimensions of work engagement (vigor and dedication) with an exploratory focus, to look for different grouped oscillation patterns. Then, several repeated measures MANCOVA explored whether those patterns were related to affect and satisfaction at night. Two distinct latent trajectories were found for work engagement dimensions. However, neither of them showed any notable development over time. Furthermore, our latent classes were found to be related to inter-individual differences in positive and negative affect, and the satisfaction at home domain, but no interesting within-subjects (overall time) effects were found. Contrary to our expectations, we provide some evidence of the stability of work engagement over the working week. In addition, following previous results, work engagement levels across the working week were found to be related to levels of affect and satisfaction at home, adding evidence to the spillover potential of work engagement on individuals' key personal resources.

The influence of context: comparing high school students’ socioscientific reasoning by socioscientific topic

ABSTRACT Scientific literacy reflects an understanding of science as it relates to use of science in real-world contexts. Socioscientific issues (SSIs) are real-world problems that are complex in their acknowledgement of social as well as scientific aspects of the problem and are well-suited to support scientific literacy objectives. Because of their potential local and personal relevance, some research suggests that characteristics of the SSIs themselves could dictate the sophistication of the socioscientific reasoning or SSR, individuals use when they think about SSIs. However, this notion has not been measured quantitatively by directly comparing levels of individual components of SSR employed for two different topics of SSI. Using repeated-measures MANCOVA, I compare high-school student reasoning sophistication levels on components SSR for two SSIs – one on an environmental and one on a genetics issue. This inquiry is important to inform teachers of how they may need to approach SSIs differently depending on the topic and in its suggestion that students need to be exposed to a variety of SSIs to fully develop transferable SSR skills. Results suggest that students do reason about the SSIs differently in some areas. Implications for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers are discussed.

Worry as a Mechanism to Motivate Information Seeking about Protective End-of-Life Communication Behaviors

Making known one’s end-of-life (EOL) care wishes via the processes of advance care planning (ACP) and advance directive (AD) completion is associated with many positive outcomes for patients including lower healthcare costs, greater patient-provider relationship satisfaction, increased quality of life, and more. Despite these benefits, fewer than 30% of patients in the United States engage in ACP or complete ADs. These low numbers are most likely due to several causes, including low self-efficacy and low motivation to engage in the process. Several researchers have examined the persuasive power of using worry to motivate patients to engage in preventive health behaviors. The present study expands upon this body of literature by examining patient intentions to seek information related to ACP and AD after being exposed to stimuli intended to arouse differing levels of worry regarding bad EOL outcomes. Participants (N = 804) were randomly assigned to either the high worry, low worry, or control group and asked to complete a questionnaire examining beliefs and information seeking intentions regarding ACP and AD completion. Additionally, to control for participants’ level of trait worry, each participant completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, which was treated as a covariate in the final analysis. A repeated measures MANCOVA found a statistically significant increase for the worrying conditions on the participants’ intention to seek information about ACP and ADs from time 1 to time 2 for those in the worry experimental conditions. However, those in the control group did not show a statistically significant increase. Additionally, exposure to the high worry condition was predictive of engaging in actual information seeking behavior about EOL care. Results of the experiment indicate worry is associated with greater motivation to engage in information seeking about ACP and AD. This study contributes to the literature on worry as a persuasive mechanism to motivate patients to engage in important preventative health behaviors.

Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health and Movement Behaviors During Childhood: Examining the Longitudinal Developmental Patterns

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal developmental patterns of mental health (i.e., physical, psychosocial, and executive functioning) and movement behaviors (i.e., sedentary behavior and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]) between Hispanic and non-Hispanic children. We tracked 153 children for 3years from kindergarten (time 1) to third grade (time 2; 91 Hispanic; mean age = 5.36, SD = .48). Physical, psychosocial, and executive functioning was assessed using validated surveys, while school-based sedentary behavior and MVPA were assessed by accelerometers. A 2 × 2 (time × ethnicity) factorial repeated measures MANCOVA (gender and SES as covariates) revealed significant ethnicity effect (p = .05) and time by ethnicity interaction effect (p < .05). Hispanic children reported lower physical (p < .05) and psychosocial functioning (p > .05) but higher executive functioning (p < .05) than non-Hispanic children in kindergarten, but the gaps narrowed in third grade. Results also revealed that children's sedentary behavior increased significantly (p < .05) and MVPA showed a declining trend (p > .05) over time. Ethnic disparities in mental health between Hispanic and non-Hispanic children exist but may reduce from early to middle childhood. The longitudinal changes relative to ethnicity highlight the need for tailored interventions to address health disparities in mental health and movement behaviors between Hispanic and non-Hispanic children.

Evidence for reliability and validity of parent reports of twin children’s birth information

The purpose of this paper was to assess the reliability and validity of birth information provided by parents and to determine if the age of the child affects the reliability of information collected. This study used data from 105 families of typically developing twin and triplet children whose parents provided this information as part of a larger survey. Families originally participated in a longitudinal study at least once when children were between the ages of 1 and 5 years and were re-tested at least once subsequently between the ages of 2 and 17 years. A subset of 57 families (mean age = 2.58 years, sd = 2.41) also released hospital birth information to compare to parent report to assess validity. Repeated measures MANCOVAs were used to test for significant differences between parent reports at each time point. No differences were found between parent reports provided at different points in time regardless of the age of the child when reports were collected or length of time between collections. Thus, the method of using parent reports to collect data on neonatal birth complications appears to show acceptable test-retest reliability. Correlation analyses comparing parent reports to hospital records showed that parent reports were highly valid, with all correlations highly significant except minor birth complication scores for second born children. These findings have far-reaching implications for data collection in research and clinical work because they suggest that obtaining parent reports of birth complications, even many years after birth, is an acceptable method for assessing this information.

To What Extent Company Image Improves through Cause-Related Marketing An Evidence from Food Industry

For the past two decades increasing effort has been given to investigating the influence of cause-related marketing (CRM) activities on consumers’ attitudes and behaviours. Because consumers may react differently to companies that operate in the same industry with similar CRM applications, the understanding of the requirements of a successful CRM application is crucial. This study aims to investigate to what extent the company image would improve for a company after applying a CRM campaign. It is suggested that the magnitude of company image improvement would be influenced by: (1) company trustworthiness; (2) the type of CRM campaign (being either a strategic or a tactical campaign). To test the hypotheses, Repeated Measures MANCOVA was used with a sample of 600 respondents in Istanbul, Turkey. The results show that only the type of CRM campaign improves the company image and surprisingly tactical CRM campaign results in more image improvement than does strategic CRM campaign.

Effects of free weights and machine training on muscular strength in high-functioning older adults.

Resistance training is assumed to be a key player in counteracting the age-related decline of functional capacity as well as the incidence of falls in older adults. Functional training using free weights is presumed to mimic daily activities, but there is a lack of studies comparing free weight training with barbells and machine training in older adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the development of muscle strength for high resistance training in high functioning older people for machines as well as free-weights as well as testing the feasibility of free weight training for this target group. Thirty-two fitness trained women and men aged 60 to 86 years (mean: 66.9, SD: ±5.5) participated in this study. Machine exercisers (n = 16; chest press, leg press, upper row, biceps cable curls, triceps cable extension) vs. free weight exercisers (n = 16; squat, bench press, bent-over rowing, biceps curls, lying triceps press) participated twice à week for a total of 26 weeks. They trained the same five muscle groups for three sets with 10 to 12 repetitions at the 10-Repetition-Maximum, followed by 20 min of endurance training over six months. Three measurements (dynamic, isometric strength and endurance) were taken at the beginning, after 10 weeks and again after 26 weeks. Repeated measures MANCOVA analysis revealed significant increases in the free weights training group (FWT) as well as in the machine training group (MT) over the period of 6 months. However, only for leg strength (113 vs. 44%) and triceps (89.0 vs. 28.3%) the free-weights group exhibited significant differences for the percentage increase over a period of 26 weeks compared to the machine group. A detraining period revealed the decline of the dynamic strength without training. The analysis of the follow-up questionnaire resulted in higher demands for safety, but also higher values for fun, motivation, future, and benefit for daily life for the FWT group compared to the MT group indicating an overall better evaluation of their training specific regime. Our results demonstrate that especially free-weight training has benefits in improving leg and triceps strength as well as in the subjective perception in older adults. Nevertheless, our results do not overall indicate that free-weight training is superior to machine training for increasing strength.

Can we deepen the pool of Australian foster carers through enhanced training and support?

Event Abstract Back to Event Can we deepen the pool of Australian foster carers through enhanced training and support? Danielle J. Brooke1* and James F. Donnelly1 1 Department of Psychological Science, School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Australia Aim: One of the biggest problems in Australian foster care is that the pool of foster carers is decreasing while the number of children in out of home care is increasing. Foster carers also report that they are not supported enough in their role, leading to role dissatisfaction. The effects of a therapeutic foster care pilot program (Circle Care) showed significantly higher foster carer retention rates and role satisfaction than traditional foster care. We explored further to what extent the likelihood of remaining or becoming a foster carer would increase if each of the following, enhanced system components were provided: A specialized support system, extensive information regarding the individual child’s family and behavioural history, enhanced training, and increased funding. Method: 216 current foster carers, 48 past foster carers, and 99 prospective foster carers responded to an online survey. They rated their likelihood to remain, serve again as, or become a foster carer both before and after enhanced system components were implemented. Results: Perceived support in the role at the time of serving was identified as key covariate. A repeated measures MANCOVA revealed that for current and past carers there was a main effect of the program enhancements on likelihood ratings but no carer type by enhancement effects. A second repeated measures analysis conducted for the prospective foster carers only, also revealed a significant difference from baseline if each of the suggested Circle Care components were implemented. Conclusion: Results indicate that if agency support systems could be enhanced as described, foster carers are more likely to be retained or recruited. Keywords: Australian foster care, Out of Home Care, Role dissatisfaction, Therapeutic foster care, Retention and recruitment Conference: 15th Annual Psychology Honours Research Conference , Coffs Harbour, Australia, 4 Oct - 5 Oct, 2018. Presentation Type: Research Topic: Abstract for 15th Annual Psychology Honours Research Conference Citation: Brooke DJ and Donnelly JF (2019). Can we deepen the pool of Australian foster carers through enhanced training and support?. Front. Psychol. Conference Abstract: 15th Annual Psychology Honours Research Conference . doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyg.2018.74.00002 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 18 Sep 2018; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019. * Correspondence: Miss. Danielle J Brooke, Department of Psychological Science, School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, Australia, danielle.brookey@hotmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Danielle J Brooke James F Donnelly Google Danielle J Brooke James F Donnelly Google Scholar Danielle J Brooke James F Donnelly PubMed Danielle J Brooke James F Donnelly Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Relationship of Quality of Sleep in Adolescents and Young Adults to the Driving Performance

Introduction: Sleep deprivation is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents, and can impair the human brain as much as alcohol. It has been estimated that between 16% and 60% of all motor vehicle accidents are caused by sleep related problems. Adolescents and young adults frequently complain of sleep disorder symptoms and suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. There is an absence of evidence in existing literature regarding the impact of sleep disturbances on the driving function in young, novice drivers compared to that in young adults. Materials and Methods: This study is a prospective cohort study of two subject groups: young adults with driving experience of less than 36 months, and young adults with driving experience of greater than 36 months). Each subject served as its own control. The enrolled subjects are 16 – 26 years old, right-handed, with normalor corrected vision. Participants with a chronic or acute ongoing health condition which might affect the study results were excluded. Study procedures utilized were: polysomnography, multiple sleep latency test and driving simulator testing. Results: Repeated-measures MANCOVA revealed that driving experience, objective sleepiness (as measured by the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)), interaction between driving experience and depressive symptoms (as measured by The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R)), and interaction between depressive symptoms and objective sleepiness had statistically significant effects on driving performance. Conclusion: Unexpectedly, more experienced drivers made more driving errors and were responsible for a greater number of accidents. Mood and ongoing sleep deprivation emerged as two key factors that impacted driving performance more than level of experience. This may represent the impact of a less-regulated post high school lifestyle, as compared to more structured high school schedule. The study findings aid in confirming that functional impairments related to sleepiness previously observed in adult study populations are also replicated in adolescents and young adults.

Test–retest reliability of the irrational performance beliefs inventory

The irrational performance beliefs inventory (iPBI) was developed to measure irrational beliefs within performance domains such as sport, academia, business, and the military. Past research indicates that the iPBI has good construct, concurrent, and predictive validity, but the test–retest reliability of the iPBI has not yet been examined. Therefore, in the present study the iPBI was administered to university sport and exercise students (n = 160) and academy soccer athletes (n = 75) at three-time points. Time point two occurred 7 days after time point one, and time point three occurred 21 days after time point two. In addition, social desirability was also measured. Repeated-measures MANCOVAs, intra-class coefficients, and Pearson’s (r) correlations demonstrate that the iPBI has good test–retest reliability, with iPBI scores remaining stable across the three-time points. Pearson’s correlation coefficients revealed no relationships between the iPBI and social desirability, indicating that the iPBI is not highly susceptible to response bias. The results are discussed with reference to the continued usage and development of the iPBI, and future research recommendations relating to the investigation of irrational performance beliefs are proposed.