Conclusiones Ajustes al documento final El equipo ha confrontado y valorado la información obtenida Ha realizado la construcción de sentido a partir de las cual surgen las

You are invited to participate

We are inviting individuals aged either 18 - 25 years or 60 years and older to participate in a research project entitled: Developmental Perspectives on Community Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep. This project is being conducted by a student researcher, Chelsea Dolan, as part of a Doctorates of Clinical Psychology course at Victoria University under the supervision of Professor Dorothy Bruck from the Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development.

Project explanation

Previous research suggests that a variety of beliefs, expectations, and attributions about sleep may be influential in causing or continuing poor sleep. The purpose of the study is to compare the perceptions of two age groups (18 to 25 year olds and 60 years and older) in their beliefs and attitudes about sleep.

What will I be asked to do?

In this research you will be required to complete two anonymous questionnaires about sleep and a sleep plot task. All tasks in total will take approximately 20 minutes of your time. The questionnaires will ask you to rate your agreement/disagreement with a list of sleep related statements and the other questionnaire will ask you to tick the response you think best describes the effect a behaviour may have on sleep. Note that these questions relate to your views about sleep and are not about your own sleep. The sleep plot will ask you to draw two graphs of normal sleep patterns, one for a healthy 18 year old and the other for a healthy 65 year old. Participation in this research is completely voluntary and if you decide to participate you may complete the tasks when given to you or place them in the replied paid envelope and post them to the researcher.

What will I gain from participating?

While we do not anticipate that you, as an individual, will receive any benefits from your participation in this project, this research will help those working in the health professions understand more about people’s beliefs about what constitutes ‘good’ sleep and how these change with age.

How will the information I give be used?

All questionnaires will remain confidential. As a participant you are NOT required to disclose your name. The information that participants provide will be used in this study (which may be published) and

presented as group data. Participants’ data will be stored in line with ethical guidelines set out by Victoria University.

By completing the questionnaires, it is implied that you have given consent for your data to be used and reported as a group.

What are the potential risks of participating in this project?

This research poses minimal risks, however if at any time while participating in this study you feel discomfort or anxiety please feel free to cease completing the questionnaires and withdraw your participation. Withdrawal from the study will have no negative consequences, as you only consent to participate upon returning the questionnaires to the researcher. If you feel any significant anxiety about your own sleep and/or wellbeing we encourage you to contact your local doctor or psychologist, Dr. Gerard Kennedy by phone on 99192481 or email [email protected].

How will this project be conducted?

The data will be collected, and using a statistical package, will be analysed and compared to participants across the two age groups within the study.

Who is conducting the study?

This study is being conducted through Victoria University. If you have any queries regarding your participation in this study please feel free to contact the Principal Research or Student Researcher on the contact details provided below:

Principal Researcher:

Professor Dorothy Bruck

Email: [email protected] Phone: 9365 2158 Student Researcher: Chelsea Dolan Email: [email protected] Phone: 0422 293 917

Any queries about your participation in this project may be directed to the Principal Researcher listed above.

If you have any queries or complaints about the way you have been treated, you may contact the Secretary, Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC, 8001 phone (03) 9919 4781.

Appendix H: Phase One: Exploratory factor analysis: factor loadings of the deleted items and statistics for all seven factors.

Factors and items F 1 F 2 F 3 F 4 F 5 F 6 F 7

Amplification of the consequences of sleep

(1) People need 8 hrs of sleep to feel refreshed & function well during the day 0.486 (5) When people feel tired, no energy or not function well it is because they did not sleep well 0.652

(6) Poor sleep can lead to greatly disturbed family/personal relationships 0.457

(10) A poor night's sleep will interfere with activities the next day 0.703

(11) Poor sleep leads to people becoming socially withdrawn 0.566

(13) When people feel irritable, depressed, or anxious it is because they did not sleep well 0.462

(19) Sleep problems are a major cause of life problems 0.555

(20) Without an adequate night's sleep it is hard to function the next day. 0.767

Poor sleep expectations

(3) Everyone should be able to fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow 0.684

(8) Waking up during the night suggests a sleeping problem 0.550

(17) Not getting enough sleep leads to a shorter life expectancy 0.506

Sleep medication

(2) Medication is probably the only solution to sleeplessness; 0.666

(4) Sleeping pills prescribed is a safe and effective cure for chronic insomnia 0.746

(9) Insomnia is essentially the result of a chemical imbalance, which sleeping tablets can fix 0.723

Treatment of and misattributions of the consequences of sleep

(7) Chronic insomnia may have serious consequences on physical health 0.677

(12) Insomnia does not respond to therapies that aim to change behaviours 0.533

(15) If a person goes without sleep for 1-2 nights, they may have a "nervous breakdown" 0.363

(18) Faulty practices around sleep-wake behaviours can cause ongoing sleep problems 0.721

Good sleep expectations

(14) A good night's sleep means sleeping like a log all night 0.739

(16) Healthy sleep means falling asleep quickly 0.524

Deleted items

(6) Poor sleep leads to nausea and headaches 0.606

(5) Most people wake up a few times during the night 0.602 0.503

(17) Herbal remedies can be a big help for insomnia 0.786

(19) Sleeping tablets are only effective for short-term sleeping problems 0.607

Appendix I: Phase Two: Confirmatory factor analysis of the VOSS