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InPsych 2019 | Vol 41

December | Issue 6

InPsych 2019 | Vol 41

Education and research : Research snapshot

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Coping with conflict

Young refugees are more likely to use non-productive coping strategies in reponse to interpersonal conflict.

Australian researchers explored how students from diverse migration backgrounds (refugee, immigrant and local) perceive and respond to conflict. They conducted focus groups with 17 students, aged 13–16 years, from different migration backgrounds to explore how they perceived and responded to conflict. Subsequently, 80 students completed questionnaires assessing their exposure to traumatic events and preferred coping styles when dealing with conflicts. Young refugees, compared to immigrant or local students were more likely to have been exposed to traumatic events. They were more likely to use non-productive coping within interpersonal conflicts, particularly among older refugee students, compared with students who had not had exposure to traumatic events. However, the refugee students also showed that they were resourceful in coping with conflict, such as by referring to their faith, seeking to belong and asking for help. The researchers recommend that universal conflict resolution education programs conceptualise conflict within a problem-solving and coping framework. For example, students could be taught to both draw on internal resources (e.g., problem solving) and external resources (e.g., seeking help from others).

doi.org/10.1111/ap.12245

Dancing with Parkinson’s disease

Dance classes may be an effective element of rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Dance is showing promise as an intervention for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), including improving motor symptoms such as balance, gait and coordination. It is not yet clear whether it can improve non-motor symptoms, which standard medical treatments show some limitations in treating. Australian researchers examined whether dancing classes, co-designed by people with PD, could improve cognition, psychological symptoms and quality of life in people with early-stage PD. Participants took part in either a one-hour class twice weekly for 12 weeks (n=17) or they had their usual treatment. Psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression), cognitive skills (episodic memory and executive function) and quality of life were significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. These benefits may be in part because dancing involves motor planning and memory, multi-tasking, expression of feelings and tapping into emotions. The researchers recommend a one-hour class twice a week be considered in rehabilitation programs for people with PD. However, they recommend follow-up assessment over a longer-period to determine the durability of the benefits.

doi.org/10.3233/NRE-192788

Deep sleep for a calm mind

A poor night’s sleep can increase anxiety by up to 30 per cent.

American research has revealed that a poor night’s sleep can trigger an up to 30 per cent rise in anxiety levels, while a daily dose of deep sleep is a natural means of reducing anxiety. Two sleep laboratory experiments (with 18 and 32 healthy adults respectively) were conducted with brain monitoring (polysomnography) and scanning (study 1 only). In addition, two online samples of healthy adults (n = 194 and 154 respectively) tracked their sleep and anxiety over two and four consecutive days/nights respectively. Across laboratory studies those adults who experienced more night-time deep (non-REM) sleep experienced the lowest levels of anxiety the next day. Following sleep deprivation 50 per cent of participants experienced clinical levels of anxiety. Among the online participants, the amount and quality of sleep that participants had predicted how anxious they felt the next day. The researchers report that even modest improvements in sleep quality may help reduce subjective anxiety, which highlights the role of targeting sleep in anxiety treatment.

doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0754-8

Screen use by preschoolers

The use of screen-based media changes the brains of young children.

In a study of 47 healthy American pre-kindergarten children aged 3–5 years, the integrity of brain white matter tracts, which support language and literacy skills, were examined and compared to the screen-time usage of the children. Screen time was assessed using a measure that reflects recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Children who had more screen time than recommended by the AAP showed lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter tracts supporting language, executive functions and emergent literacy skills than children whose screen use was in line with recommendations. Greater screen use was also associated with lower scores on language and literacy measures. The researchers suggest that at least some aspects of screen-based media use in early childhood may provide sub-optimal stimulation. However, further research is needed to better understand the association between screen-based media use and the developing brain.

doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3869

References

Disclaimer: Published in InPsych on December 2019. The APS aims to ensure that information published in InPsych is current and accurate at the time of publication. Changes after publication may affect the accuracy of this information. Readers are responsible for ascertaining the currency and completeness of information they rely on, which is particularly important for government initiatives, legislation or best-practice principles which are open to amendment. The information provided in InPsych does not replace obtaining appropriate professional and/or legal advice.

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