Although sleep problems are associated with negative outcomes among adolescents, studies have not... more Although sleep problems are associated with negative outcomes among adolescents, studies have not focused on sleep disorder symptoms among adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods and how sleep problems may be related to two factors common in those environments: hopelessness and exposure to violence. This study used data from the longitudinal Mobile Youth Survey (MYS; N = 11,838, 49% female, 93% African-American) to examine trajectories of sleep problems by age (10-18 years) among impoverished adolescents as a function of gender, feelings of hopelessness, and exposure to violence. The results indicate that sleep problems associated with traumatic stress decline with age, with four notable distinctions. First, the steepest decline occurs during the early adolescent years. Second, the rate of decline is steeper for males than for females. Third, exposure to violence impedes the rate of decline for all adolescents, but more dramatically for females than for males. Fourth, the rate of decline is smallest for adolescents with feelings of hopelessness who also had been exposed to violence. To explore the generalizability of these results to other types of sleep disorders, we analyzed cross-sectional data collected from a subsample of 14- and 15-year-old MYS participants (N = 263, 49% female, 100% African-American) who completed a sleep symptoms questionnaire. Four results from the cross-sectional analysis extend the findings of the longitudinal analysis. First, the cross-sectional results showed that symptoms of apnea, insomnia, nightmares, and restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder (RLS/PLMD), as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as a function of hopelessness. Second, symptoms of insomnia, RLS, and nightmares, as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as function of exposure to violence. Third, symptoms of insomnia and RLS/PLMD are greater under conditions of combined hopelessness and exposure to violence than for either condition alone. Fourth, symptoms of RLS/PLMD are worst for females who have been exposed to violence and experience hopelessness. Overall, the findings suggest that hopelessness and exposure to violence have negative independent and multiplicative effects on adolescent sleep, particularly for females. Understanding the causal factors associated with inadequate sleep in impoverished adolescents is important for three reasons. First, sleep is an important aspect of adolescent development. Second, inadequate sleep has severe consequences for adolescent morbidity, mortality, and overall quality of life. Third, impoverished adolescents are at the most severe risk for poor outcomes, and improvement in their sleep may produce large gains.
Controlling invasive species has become a management priority on public lands across America. Alt... more Controlling invasive species has become a management priority on public lands across America. Although managers recognize the need for policies that minimize the impact of non-indigenous organisms, the extent to which the public supports these policies remains largely unknown. This study used an on-site intercept survey of visitors to Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA, (N = 1,166) to assess public attitudes toward invasive species. Based on responses, visitors were grouped into two main attitude categories: absolute ecocentric individuals (who believed all living things had a right to coexist) and adaptive ecocentric individuals (who acknowledged that some degree of control may be necessary to restore ecosystem integrity). Despite conflicting perspectives, members of both groups agreed that adaptive on-site management was the most acceptable and least controversial method of invasive species control. Future studies could build on this approach to identify stakeholder characteristics that help to predict invasive species management preferences.
This study examined relationships among self-reported professional expertise, organizational supp... more This study examined relationships among self-reported professional expertise, organizational support of evidence-based practices (EBP), and professional growth.
Interpretation designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of environmental issues... more Interpretation designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of environmental issues can provide support for management actions in protected areas, but the relative impact of di erent interpretive strategies on public awareness and attitudes has not been adequately explored. e purpose of this research was to compare the e ects of two interpretive programs (a non-personal, visual-based yer and an
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10410236 2012 717341, Feb 5, 2013
This study was designed to (1) evaluate the effect of narratives used in a popular, publicly avai... more This study was designed to (1) evaluate the effect of narratives used in a popular, publicly available patient decision aid for early-stage breast cancer on hypothetical treatment decisions and attitudes toward the decision aid and (2) explore the moderating effects of participant numeracy, electronic health literacy and decision-making style. Two hundred women were asked to imagine that they had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and viewed one of two versions of a video decision aid for early-stage breast cancer. The narrative version of the aid included stories from breast cancer survivors; the control version had no patient stories. After viewing the video decision aid, participants made a hypothetical treatment choice between lumpectomy with radiation and mastectomy, answered several questions about their decision, and evaluated the quality of the decision aid. Participants received $100 for completing the study. The two conditions differed in their motivations for the treatment decision and perceptions of the aid's trustworthiness and emotionality but showed no differences in preferences for surgical treatments or evaluations of the decision aid's quality. However, the impact of patient narratives was moderated by numeracy and electronic health literacy. Higher levels of numeracy were associated with decreased decisional confidence and lower ratings of trustworthiness for the decision aid in the narrative video condition but not in the control video condition. In contrast, higher levels of electronic health literacy were associated with increased decisional confidence and greater perceptions of trustworthiness and credibility of the decision aid in the narrative video condition but not the control video condition.
Although sleep problems are associated with negative outcomes among adolescents, studies have not... more Although sleep problems are associated with negative outcomes among adolescents, studies have not focused on sleep disorder symptoms among adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods and how sleep problems may be related to two factors common in those environments: hopelessness and exposure to violence. This study used data from the longitudinal Mobile Youth Survey (MYS; N = 11,838, 49% female, 93% African-American) to examine trajectories of sleep problems by age (10-18 years) among impoverished adolescents as a function of gender, feelings of hopelessness, and exposure to violence. The results indicate that sleep problems associated with traumatic stress decline with age, with four notable distinctions. First, the steepest decline occurs during the early adolescent years. Second, the rate of decline is steeper for males than for females. Third, exposure to violence impedes the rate of decline for all adolescents, but more dramatically for females than for males. Fourth, the rate of decline is smallest for adolescents with feelings of hopelessness who also had been exposed to violence. To explore the generalizability of these results to other types of sleep disorders, we analyzed cross-sectional data collected from a subsample of 14- and 15-year-old MYS participants (N = 263, 49% female, 100% African-American) who completed a sleep symptoms questionnaire. Four results from the cross-sectional analysis extend the findings of the longitudinal analysis. First, the cross-sectional results showed that symptoms of apnea, insomnia, nightmares, and restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder (RLS/PLMD), as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as a function of hopelessness. Second, symptoms of insomnia, RLS, and nightmares, as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as function of exposure to violence. Third, symptoms of insomnia and RLS/PLMD are greater under conditions of combined hopelessness and exposure to violence than for either condition alone. Fourth, symptoms of RLS/PLMD are worst for females who have been exposed to violence and experience hopelessness. Overall, the findings suggest that hopelessness and exposure to violence have negative independent and multiplicative effects on adolescent sleep, particularly for females. Understanding the causal factors associated with inadequate sleep in impoverished adolescents is important for three reasons. First, sleep is an important aspect of adolescent development. Second, inadequate sleep has severe consequences for adolescent morbidity, mortality, and overall quality of life. Third, impoverished adolescents are at the most severe risk for poor outcomes, and improvement in their sleep may produce large gains.
Controlling invasive species has become a management priority on public lands across America. Alt... more Controlling invasive species has become a management priority on public lands across America. Although managers recognize the need for policies that minimize the impact of non-indigenous organisms, the extent to which the public supports these policies remains largely unknown. This study used an on-site intercept survey of visitors to Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA, (N = 1,166) to assess public attitudes toward invasive species. Based on responses, visitors were grouped into two main attitude categories: absolute ecocentric individuals (who believed all living things had a right to coexist) and adaptive ecocentric individuals (who acknowledged that some degree of control may be necessary to restore ecosystem integrity). Despite conflicting perspectives, members of both groups agreed that adaptive on-site management was the most acceptable and least controversial method of invasive species control. Future studies could build on this approach to identify stakeholder characteristics that help to predict invasive species management preferences.
This study examined relationships among self-reported professional expertise, organizational supp... more This study examined relationships among self-reported professional expertise, organizational support of evidence-based practices (EBP), and professional growth.
Interpretation designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of environmental issues... more Interpretation designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of environmental issues can provide support for management actions in protected areas, but the relative impact of di erent interpretive strategies on public awareness and attitudes has not been adequately explored. e purpose of this research was to compare the e ects of two interpretive programs (a non-personal, visual-based yer and an
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10410236 2012 717341, Feb 5, 2013
This study was designed to (1) evaluate the effect of narratives used in a popular, publicly avai... more This study was designed to (1) evaluate the effect of narratives used in a popular, publicly available patient decision aid for early-stage breast cancer on hypothetical treatment decisions and attitudes toward the decision aid and (2) explore the moderating effects of participant numeracy, electronic health literacy and decision-making style. Two hundred women were asked to imagine that they had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and viewed one of two versions of a video decision aid for early-stage breast cancer. The narrative version of the aid included stories from breast cancer survivors; the control version had no patient stories. After viewing the video decision aid, participants made a hypothetical treatment choice between lumpectomy with radiation and mastectomy, answered several questions about their decision, and evaluated the quality of the decision aid. Participants received $100 for completing the study. The two conditions differed in their motivations for the treatment decision and perceptions of the aid's trustworthiness and emotionality but showed no differences in preferences for surgical treatments or evaluations of the decision aid's quality. However, the impact of patient narratives was moderated by numeracy and electronic health literacy. Higher levels of numeracy were associated with decreased decisional confidence and lower ratings of trustworthiness for the decision aid in the narrative video condition but not in the control video condition. In contrast, higher levels of electronic health literacy were associated with increased decisional confidence and greater perceptions of trustworthiness and credibility of the decision aid in the narrative video condition but not the control video condition.
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