Influence of gender on psychomotor vigilance task performance by adolescents

Abstract

During adolescence, the sleep phase delay associated with early school times increases daytime sleepiness and reduces psychomotor performance. Some studies have shown an effect of gender on psychomotor performance in adults and children. Males present faster reaction times (RT) compared with females. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of gender on Palm psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) performance in adolescents. Thirty-four adolescents (19 girls, 13 to 16 years old) attending morning school classes of a public school in Curitiba, PR, Brazil, participated in the study. Sleep patterns were measured using actigraphy and sleepiness data were accessed with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). KSS and PVT measurements were collected at two times in the morning (8:00 and 11:00 h). The data were compared using one-way ANOVA, considering gender as a factor. ANOVA indicated that gender did not affect sleep patterns and subjective somnolence; however, a statistically significant effect of gender was detected for PVT performance. Boys presented faster RT (RT-PVT1: 345.51 ms, F = 6.08, P < 0.05; RT-PVT2: 343.30 ms, F = 6.35, P < 0.05) and fewer lapses (lapses-PVT1: 8.71, F = 4.45, P < 0.05; lapses-PVT2: 7.82, F = 7.06, P < 0.05) compared with girls (RT-PVT1: 402.96; ). These results showed that this effect of gender, already reported in adults and children, is also observed in adolescents. The influence of gender should be taken into account in studies that use Palm PVT to evaluate psychomotor performance in this age range.

Are educational interventions able to prevent excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents?

“…That is, the EPS intervention did not help them change their sleep patterns. The sleep patterns and sleep deprivation of this sample of Brazilian adolescents were similar to those observed in other studies upon adolescents from Brazil and other countries (LeBourgeois et al 2004;Gaina et al 2005;Hansen et al 2005;Gibson et al 2006;Beijamini et al 2008;Loessl et al 2008).…”

Reliability of the 5-min psychomotor vigilance task in a primary school classroom setting

“…Previous studies (Beijamini et al, 2008) have reported differences in mean RT between the sexes and in their approach to the task, particularly regarding the The low number of practice trials, combined with the results from the main study, add further evidence to the device's potential; results suggest that for this particular sample, time-consuming testing in isolation is not necessary. The implication of this finding is a potential reduction in the impact of PVT assessment on the classroom learning environment, which could result in more interest from educational institutions and staff members in being involved in future studies.…”

The Relationship between Regular Sports Participation and Vigilance in Male and Female Adolescents

“…Both vigilance performance [ 17 ] and cardiovascular fitness [ 18 ] seem to be influenced by gender. However, while some studies have investigated the physical benefits of regular soccer participation in male adolescents [ 5 , 6 ], no study has investigated this relationship in female adolescents.…”