Clinical tool developed by UALR professors now in Iran and Russia
The Sleep Hygiene Index, a clinical instrument developed by two UALR professors that is now the standard for measurement of adult sleep hygiene in the field of psychology, is most recently being translated for use in Iran and Russia.
Drs. David Mastin and Robert Corwyn, professors of psychology at UALR, and Jeff Bryson, professor of psychology at Fielding Graduate University and former student of Mastin, first published their findings on sleep hygiene in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine in 2006.
The Sleep Hygiene Index helps measure what behaviors a person may be engaging in that facilitate or interfere with sleep.
The instrument is so useful, it has been implemented in a wide range of studies, from predicting what kind of grade a student will receive to improving the sleep habits of workers at NASA.
The 2009 Time magazine article, “Larks and Owls: How Sleep Habits Affect Grades,” cited the Sleep Hygiene Index as it was used by Mastin’s wife, also a sleep researcher.
The index has previously been, or is in the process of being, translated into Hindi, Korean, Formosan Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese. It has been used widely in such places as NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Environmental Conservation Industry.
The index has enormous potential to not only add to the current body of scientific knowledge, but also to improve the health and well-being of millions of people, according to Corwyn.
“Sleep deprivation is a worldwide health, safety, and productivity concern that attracts substantial research funding and media attention,” he said.
Mastin has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, an M.S. degree in applied psychology from Jacksonville State University, and a B.S. degree in psychology from the University of Alabama.
Corwyn earned a Ph.D. with a focus on psychology and research at the University of Memphis in 2003. He received a B.A. in liberal arts with an emphasis on business administration in 1992 and an M.S. in gerontology in 1995 at UALR.