Prenatal psychosocial stress and children's sleep problems: Evidence from the ELSPAC-CZ study

Prenatal exposure to maternal stress may increase the risk of developing sleep problems in childhood. This study examined the association between prenatal stressful life events (PSLE) and children’s sleep problems, taking into consideration their trajectory over time. Data were obtained from the Czech portion of the European Longitudinal Cohort Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC-CZ; N = 4,371 children). Mothers reported PSLE using an inventory of 42 life events and child sleep problems at five time-points (child age of 1.5, 3, 5, 7, and 11 years). The association was tested by a Poisson latent growth model, controlling for maternal and family demographics, birth characteristics, maternal depression, and alcohol use in pregnancy. The average rate of sleep problems was 2.06 (p < 0.001) at the age of 1.5 years and the rate of sleep problems decreased in a linear fashion over time (estimate = −0.118; p < 0.001). A higher number of PSLE was associated with a higher rate of sleep problems at the age of 1.5 years (incidence rate ratio [IRR] per interquartile range = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.12, p < 0.001) and with a reduced rate of decrease in sleep problems between the ages of 1.5 and 11 years (p < 0.001). Thus, PSLE were associated with chronicity of sleep problems in addition to their amount during early childhood. Prenatal exposure to stress may predispose individuals to the development of sleep problems in later life

Overweight People Have Low Levels of Implicit Weight Bias, but Overweight Nations Have High Levels of Implicit Weight Bias

Although a greater degree of personal obesity is associated with weaker negativity toward overweight people on both explicit (i.e., self-report) and implicit (i.e., indirect behavioral) measures, overweight people still prefer thin people on average. We investigated whether the national and cultural context - particularly the national prevalence of obesity predicts attitudes toward overweight people independent of personal identity and weight status. Data were collected from a total sample of 338,121 citizens from 71 nations in 22 different languages on the Project Implicit website (https://implicit.harvard.edu/) between May 2006 and October 2010. We investigated the relationship of the explicit and implicit weight bias with the obesity both at the individual (i.e., across individuals) and national (i.e., across nations) level. Explicit weight bias was assessed with self-reported preference between overweight and thin people; implicit weight bias was measured with the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The national estimates of explicit and implicit weight bias were obtained by averaging the individual scores for each nation. Obesity at the individual level was defined as Body Mass Index (BMI) scores, whereas obesity at the national level was defined as three national weight indicators (national BMI, national percentage of overweight and underweight people) obtained from publicly available databases. Across individuals, greater degree of obesity was associated with weaker implicit negativity toward overweight people compared to thin people. Across nations, in contrast, a greater degree of national obesity was associated with stronger implicit negativity toward overweight people compared to thin people. This result indicates a different relationship between obesity and implicit weight bias at the individual and national levels

Loneliness and social media: A qualitative investigation of young people's motivations for use and perceptions of social networking sites

The democratisation of Internet access has incrementally changed every domain of activity and has created new business and economic models. From answering work emails to learning a new language, shopping, booking medical appointments or managing one’s finances, almost everything is attainable at the click of a button. The added implications of the rapid rise of social networking websites (SNSs), such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, have further contributed to changing the way we communicate and build new friendships. Indeed most of our social relationships are now being ‘increasingly developed and maintained online’ (Nowland, Necka & Cacioppo, 2017: 1). Ostensibly, despite improved Internet access and enhanced social connectedness, modern societies are struggling to combat loneliness. It is reported to affect people of all ages, especially young adults (16-24 and 25-34 years old) who are avid Internet and social media users (see Office for National Statistics, 2018)