ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite research demonstrating sleep disturbance in children with Tourette syndrome (TS), few studies have examined bedtime regularity and sleep sufficiency, two important sleep health dimensions. Therefore, this study examined bedtime regularity and sleep sufficiency in children with TS relative to matched healthy control subjects, and its associated demographic, clinical, and behavioral factors. METHODS: Participants were 384 parents or caregivers of children aged three to 17 years, including 192 with current TS and 192 matched healthy control subjects drawn from the 2020-2021 cycle of the National Survey of Children's Health. Parents completed questions assessing demographic (i.e., age, race, sex), clinical (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, tic severity, behavioral or conduct problems, ADHD medication, health condition-related impairment), and behavioral (i.e., screen time) characteristics. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test of independence were performed to compare groups on bedtime regularity and sleep sufficiency, respectively. Ordinal regression and binary logistic regression without and with backward elimination were performed to evaluate indicators of bedtime regularity and sleep sufficiency, respectively, in children with TS. RESULTS: Children with current TS had significantly poorer bedtime regularity, but not sleep sufficiency, relative to matched healthy control subjects. In children with TS, anxiety and two or more hours of daily screen time were associated with higher likelihood of poor bedtime regularity. Autism was associated with lower likelihood of insufficient sleep, and depression was associated with increased likelihood of insufficient sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Findings put forth screen time, anxiety, and depression as intervention targets to optimize sleep health in children with TS.
ABSTRACT
Negative stress due to human handling has been reported for a number of domestic animals, including dogs. Many companion dogs display significant stress during routine care in the veterinary clinic, risking injury to staff and potentially compromising the quality of care that these dogs receive. On the other hand, positive interactions with humans can have a beneficial effect on dogs, particularly in stressful situations such as animal shelters. Research has shown that dogs can detect human emotions through visual, auditory, and chemical channels, and that dogs will exhibit emotional contagion, particularly with familiar humans. This study investigated relationships between emotional states of dogs and unfamiliar human handlers, using simultaneous measures of cardiac activity and behavior, during two sessions of three consecutive routine handling sets. Measures of cardiac activity included mean heart rate (HRmean), and two measures of heart rate variability (HRV): the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD); and the high frequency absolute power component of HRV, log transformed (HFlog). We also assessed human handlers' emotional state during handling sessions following an intervention designed to reduce stress, compared with sessions conducted on a different day and following a control activity. Polar H10 cardiac sensors were used to simultaneously record cardiac activity for both canine and human participants, and behavioral data were collected via digital video. The strongest influence on the dogs' stress levels in our study was found to be increasing familiarity with the setting and the handler; HRmean and SI decreased, and HRV (as RMSSD) increased, significantly from the first to the third handling set. Canine HRV (as HFlog) was also highest in set 3, although the difference was not statistically significant. There were no strong patterns found in the human cardiac data across handling set, session, or by pre-handling activity. We did not find consistent support for emotional contagion between the dogs and their handlers in this study, perhaps due to the brief time that the dogs spent with the handlers. Recommendations for application to dog handling, and limitations of our methods, are described.
ABSTRACT
This study explored the perspectives of elephant mahouts (n = 55) and tiger caregivers (n = 18) working in 4 private or 2 government facilities in Thailand to learn their experiences and viewpoints pertaining to use of animals in tourism. Interviews were conducted in Thailand at facilities in four cities. Mahouts working in private tourism facilities used one-to-one management and were significantly younger and more poorly compensated than those working at government-funded zoos, where some had shifted to group management. Tiger caregivers in tourism had direct contact with young tigers, with group management; these caregivers also were significantly younger than in government zoos, and with fewer benefits. Mahouts and tiger caregivers differed in how they viewed their relationships with their animals. Most mahouts considered their elephants as family members; a slight majority of these questioned the ethics of use of elephants in tourism. Tiger caregivers classified tigers as family or friend equally often; one-third of tiger caregivers declined answering on their approval of using tigers in tourism. What to do with aging tigers is a problem; this may explain some tiger caregivers' reticence to answer questions about using young tigers in tourism. While solving some problems, animal tourism creates several challenges.
