final review

1 FINAL PROPOSAL: SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCH GRAD STUDENTS

Final Proposal: Sleep and Online Psychology Graduate Students

Student X

Research Methods in Psychology I

Dr. Y

August 16, 2020

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Sleep and Online Psychology Graduate Students

Sleep deprivation is a common problem in today’s busy society. Working a job,

bearing children and parenting, accomplishing daily tasks like personal care, shopping, and

engaging in social activities are similar to the popular challenge game, Jenga: a huge pile of

blocks stacked one upon another, hopefully in a stable fashion. Adding an undertaking as

intense as an online graduate program challenges balancing the extra hours needed to study,

listen, participate in clinical work, and achieve a professional education. Personal and

workplace expectations of performance may increase the pressures people experience to keep

all the blocks of responsibility in life in check.

Problem Statement

Advances in technology have evolved rapidly and created the ability to undertake

graduate learning in an online format. Due to the proliferation of online studies in the last

decade, few studies have been done regarding effects, quality, and comparisons to on-campus

graduate education programs (Ablanedo-Rosas et al., 2011). Many studies indicate that most

people require 6.5 to 8 hours of sleep a night (Ablanedo-Rosas et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2006;

Saeed et al., 2015). How might the addition of an online psychology graduate program affect

the sleep patterns of students adding this extra burden to their daily to-do list?

The research question for this study is, how does the addition of time and energy

involved in participating in the SNHU online psychology graduate program affect quantity and

quality of life? Based on previous research on sleep deprivation and the sleeping patterns of

working adults and students, the hypothesis is that there will be a negative relationship between

sleep quantity and general life stress.

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Literature Review

People enroll in and complete an online psychology graduate program for a variety of

reasons. Some do so in a desire to reach a level of proficiency in their field of study. Any

compromises in the area of sleep have been shown to have repercussions throughout all areas of

life, as well as impairing the quality of learning in their field of profession study.

Swanson et al. (2011) found that job strain and other life pressures impact sleep. Using

data from the 2008 Sleep in America Poll, which was a telephone survey focused on work and

sleep correlations, Swanson et al. (2011) purchased a random sample (N = 1,000) with quotas

established for demographics. One-way ANOVAS and chi-square tests of association were

used to examine hours worked and sleep. Results showed that respondents who worked longer

hours self-reported less sleep on both work and non-work days. The variables of sleep quality

were analyzed using t-tests.

Saeed et al. (2015) studied medical students in a cross-sectional survey to determine

their distinctive sleep patterns and compared mid-term scores of pass or fail to each sleep

group. Lack of sleep was negatively associated with exam performance. Saeed et al. (2015)

studied three groups: monophasic, biphasic, and polyphasic.

The monophasic group was defined by sleeping at least six hours in one stretch per day.

The biphasic group slept about eight hours in one stretch and took one nap per day. The

polyphasic group slept by taking many naps throughout a 24-hour period. Saeed et al., (2015)

studied 347 student participants that included 135 monophasic, 162, biphasic, and 50 polyphasic

sleepers. These students’ mid-term exam scores were correlated using SPSS. Results showed that

the biphasic group passed the mid-term in higher numbers than either of the other two groups.

The monophasic group scored significantly higher than the polyphasic group.

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The researchers concluded that the biphasic sleep pattern fits the natural human body’s

circadian cycle; echoing and supporting the work of Gunzelmann et al. (2009). The polyphasic

group was determined to be inefficient because many shorter periods of sleep prevented

extended REM sleep.

Saeed et al. (2015) also found that that a regular sleep time routine was so important that

moving the time of sleep by as little as two hours had a negative impact on the more commonly

reported effects of sleep deprivation, such as irritability, attention, psychomotor difficulties, and

problems with cognition (Ablanedo-Rosas et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2006).

The effect of sleep deprivation on the employment environment, such as night shift

work, was the focus of Hildingh and Baigi (2010). They used a 2004 Swedish population

study of 12,166 employed participants. Of this population, 2,047 respondents indicated they

had hypertension and a statistically significant number of these also reported some level of

sleep deprivation. Hildingh and Baigi (2010) determined that several factors, including time

pressures, workplace hostility, and sleep issues were associated with higher levels of

hypertension. Job strain was a major contributing factor.

A study done regarding shift work, especially night hours, by Buchvold et al. (2015), on

a sample of Norwegian nurses, used a cross-sectional study. The researchers collected data

from a sample (N = 2,059) regarding demographic and lifestyles. BMI, smoking, drinking,

hours of shift work, eating habits, caffeine use and exercise were all factors they examined

using a multiple hierarchical regression and binary logistic regression. The results showed a

positive, statistically significant increase in BMI with night shift work. Many psychology

graduate students might choose late night hours to study, when it is less distracting at home.

This may cut into night sleep cycles and could have adverse effects such as gaining weight,

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smoking for stress relief, or using caffeine to stay awake.

Ablanedo-Rosas et al. (2011) conducted an empirical case analysis at a modern

accredited university focusing on stress in academic professionals, administrative staff, and

students. They created a questionnaire constructed to address stress and its effects and had the

measure reviewed by five academics, then pre-tested by two academics, two administrative

staff, and four students. Out of 1,500 questionnaires sent to students, 237 were returned for

analysis, or 16% of the student population. One-way ANOVA was used to test between-group

effects, while anger and stress variables were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Pearson’s

correlation (Ablanedo-Rosas et al., 2011, p. 558). Linear regression for the variables showed

significant results only for the variables of work stress, work overload, work saturation, being

overwhelmed, and stress management abilities. Students rated highest in sleep problems and

depression or irritability when compared to academics and administrative personnel. Students

felt being overwhelmed and having lack of sleep to be their biggest problem.

Myers et al. (2012) used multiple regression analysis to identify self-care practices and

the level of stress perceived by psychology graduate students. Sending out a self-report

survey, 488 students completed the questionnaire and returned the results. Ages ranged from

20 to 61 years (M = 27, SD = 5.44) with 84% female and 87% Caucasian respondent. All were

enrolled in accredited American Psychological Association (APA) graduate programs. The

predominance of females and Caucasians was consistent with recent APA statistics regarding

the demographics of graduate students in psychology (Myers et al., 2012, p. 62).

Statistically significant differences showed married subjects were less stressed. Older

students also reported less stress as did those with adequate income. Linear regression showed

no impact based on race or geographic area, or type of graduate program. Healthy sleep

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practices showed a specific significant predictor for less stress, as did higher levels of social

support. The participants rated most likely to be significantly stressed were those who were not

in a relationship, confirming prior research by Hudson & O’Regan (1994). Sleep deprivation

also correlated with negative emotional reactions, such as irritation or hostility. Bias may be

present in the fact that the participants choose to join the study. These findings agree also

aligned with Orzel-Gryglewska (2010), which was a study of online psychology graduate

students. Orzel-Gryglewska (2010 found female online doctoral/graduate students felt more

stress and indicated a need for more social support in their experiences.

New breakthroughs in research in biomedical models of sleep deprivation have been

conducted by using fMRIs to capture the following physical consequences: tunnel vision or

blurry vision and the inability of the visual cortex to capture the entire image of information

when fatigued. Saeed et al. (2015) found that sleep deprivation lessened the creation and

storing of memories. This impairment was harmful to graduate students who must excel in

learning new material. Fatigue also negatively impacted cognition (Saeed, et al., 2015),

sleepiness during waking hours, slow response times, and drops in attention (Hildingh &

Baigi, 2010).

A common theme in this literature review was the need for proper sleep habits to ensure

health and effective life function. Some researchers advocated and have created studies to

develop sleep education programs for beginning college students. Peachey and Zelman (2012),

created a sleep appreciation program for psychology graduate students who participated in a10-

week online course. After raising awareness of sleep habits, these graduate students were able to

utilize this information in regard to their clinical practice training.

Brown et al. (2006) created STEPS, a 30-minute oral presentation which included

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handouts on sleep hygiene guidelines, stimulus control instructions, and information about

substances with caffeine. Prior to this STEPS presentation, the participants took two Introduction

to Psychology classes took the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and The Sleep Hygiene

Awareness and Practices Scale (SHAPS). At six weeks post experiment, the students report

better amount of quantity and quality of sleep. Brown et al. (2006) determined that prophylactic

approach in presenting the value of sleep education and steps to manage sleep quality were

helpful for students adjusting to and succeeding.

Advantages & Disadvantages

In regard to the research question of this paper, the literature review provided the

advantage of setting an established evidence basis for the need for at least eight hours of sleep

per day (Brown et al., 2006; Gunzelmann et al., 2009; Swanson et al., 2011). Swanson et al.

(2011) found that job strain and pressure impacted sleep in the result from a large sample (N =

1,000) of telephone surveys regarding work stress and hours slept. Hildingh and Baigi (2010),

in their Swedish study, supported prior research about the relationship between sleep and work.

Some studies may suffer from bias in that they depend on participants who self-select

into the study. The telephone surveys analyzed by Swanson et al. (2011) may have induced

participants to answer questions because they were contacted and did not have to show

initiative to join the survey. Self-selection bias can skew research results.

A disadvantage of the studies cited above on includes a focus on psychology graduate

students, medical students, and college students. This approach limited the generalizability of

these studies. The various research efforts considered students in different fields of study;

these many not be interchangeable. Also, undergraduate students may not have as high a

level of stress as graduate students, so stress measures in studies of undergraduate students

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may be understated (Myers et al., 2012).

Another disadvantage in some recent biophysical studies on sleep is that it is difficult to

reproduce the fMRI studies which scientists used to predict the effects of sleep loss. This

medical area is not able to be subjected to t-tests or probability studies due to the lack of access

to data and the dearth of such research. These studies show promise in underlying the

symptoms sleep deprivation may occur individuals and will add to previous research showing

that lack of sleep is as dangerous in driving accidents as is driving drunk (Ablanedo-Rosas et

al., 2011; Brown et al., 2006).

To summarize the findings of the literature review above, the need for sufficient sleep

has been established in prior research (Ablanedo-Rosas et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2006; Saeed

et al., 2015). Sleep is one part of life that cannot be dismissed without physical, emotional, and

cognitive consequences. Side effects of sleep deprivation have been identified in large

population studies as well as in meta-analyzes using I-tests to examine variables of life which

can impact sleep (Swanson et al., 2010). The studies using fMRIs are difficult to reproduce for

the average researcher and results must be taken on face value due to the small amount of such

studies.

A common disadvantage in all the above research is the lack of study specifically done

with online students, especially in graduate programs. This area would include the burdens of

everyday life, which factor into the type of sleep the SNHU online graduate students’

experiences. The lack of current data from research on online graduate students, combined with

foundational evidence regarding sleep deprivation, support the need for this study. These

studies provide a helpful foundation to study the hypothesis that online graduate psychology

students are likely to get less sleep and have more stress.

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Method

Participants

The number of participants for this study will be those SNHU psychology graduate

students who self-select into the study. All participants will be gathered from a population of

current online psychology graduate students enrolled in the Southern New Hampshire

University Online Studies program. The demographics of this population are will not be known

as demographic considerations are not part of this study’s hypothesis.

Materials

The material for this study will consist entirely of a survey. The survey will be created

and administered in Qualtrics, an online platform endorsed for use by SNHU for this project.

Qualtrics will allow those who self-select into the study to participate will relative ease.

Procedures

After the survey is constructed, a unique link to the survey will be posted in the

Psychology Student Lounge at SNHU to provide access for current graduate students to

complete. Participants will be asked to indicate their responses to topics such as the number of

hours slept per night and questions related to their stress levels. These variables will be

analyzed to determine if the hypothesis for this study can be accepted.

Ethical Considerations

This study will be authorized by SNHU. The restrictions place on this study (e.g., only

being allowed to collect data from fellow students) helps ensure the ethicality of this effort. In

addition, informed consent information will be presented and only those who grant consent will

be allowed to participate. Any prospective participant can choose to not participate, or can

choose to exit the study at any time, without any penalty or negative repercussions. Neither the

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researcher nor the class instructor will know who did or did not participate in this study.

Because this study will ask about personal issues (i.e., sleep and stress), there is a

possibility that some respondents could experience some level of distress. For example,

participants may not have had full awareness of the amount of stress in their lives and

responding to questions about stress could trouble them, actually increasing their stress levels.

Participants will therefore be provided with the phone number of the SNHU Counseling Center.

The suggestion will also be made to contact a local Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

for assistance should they feel the need to do so.

Data Analysis Plan

Prepare New Data

The raw data from the online survey will be entered into SSPS. Each variable will be

examined for descriptive data, such as the mean and standard deviation. Scatterplots and

boxplots will be created to find any outliners which may affect the data analysis. Outliers, if any,

will be addressed based on their number and severity.

Descriptive Statistics

Descriptive statistics will, at a minimum, include means, ranges, and standard deviations

for each variable. This information will be presented in table form for clarity. Scatterplots and

boxplots will be used, if appropriate based on the data received.

Analytic Procedures

According to Rosnow and Rosenthal (2013), variables are not examined in isolation but

in context with other variables and the nature of the study. The relationship between sleep

quantity and stress will be analyzed using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation (r), which is

appropriate for seeking a relationship between two sets of ratio data. Findings will be deemed

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significant if p < .05.

Principles and Standards

The APA Code of Ethics (2017) will be followed throughout this study. This will

include presenting accurate data and correctly using and reporting statistical results. All sources

will be properly cited.

Participants’ personal information will be guarded and no one will know who did (or

did not) participate in the study. Only the researcher will have access to the raw data and this

data will be destroyed at the conclusion of PSY-520. The APA Ethics Code requires specific

ethical attributes of good research in Standard 8: Research and Publication.

Results

The expectation for this study will be that the research hypothesis will be accepted:

there will be a significant, negative correlation between sleep hours and stress. If so, this study

will add to the body of knowledge on the topic of sleep by supporting the idea that reduced

sleep quantity is associated with higher stress levels. Because this study will focus only on

graduate students in psychology, this will be important information for those who are

psychology graduate students as well as graduate school instructors and administrators.

However, the focus on psychology graduate students may also limit the generalizability of this

study.

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References

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occupational stress on academic and administrative staff, and on students: An

empirical case analysis. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 33(5),

553-564. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2011.605255

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conduct. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Brown, F. C., Buboltz, W. C., & Soper, B. (2006). Development and evaluation of the

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