Esther Lau | The University of Hong Kong (original) (raw)

Papers by Esther Lau

Journal of Sleep Research, 2018

symptoms and medication use. Our findings support the generalisability of results of previous res... more symptoms and medication use. Our findings support the generalisability of results of previous research trials and demonstrate the feasibility of implementing CBT for insomnia in clinical practice. Although CBT involves more time and effort compared with drug therapy, our patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the service provided. More work is required to alter the current approach to insomnia in the community and address the perceived barriers to implementing CBT.

PLOS ONE, May 13, 2015

The main objective was to study the impact of a daytime sleep opportunity on working memory and t... more The main objective was to study the impact of a daytime sleep opportunity on working memory and the mechanism behind such impact. This study adopted an experimental design in a sleep research laboratory. Eighty healthy college students (Age:17-23, 36 males) were randomized to either have a polysomnography-monitored daytime sleep opportunity (Napgroup, n=40) or stay awake (Wake-group, n=40) between the two assessment sessions. All participants completed a sleep diary and wore an actigraph-watch for 5 days before and one day after the assessment sessions. They completed the state-measurement of sleepiness and affect, in addition to a psychomotor vigilance test and a working memory task before and after the nap/wake sessions. The two groups did not differ in their sleep characteristics prior to and after the lab visit. The Nap-group had higher accuracy on the working memory task, fewer lapses on the psychomotor vigilance test and lower state-sleepiness than the Wakegroup. Within the Nap-group, working memory accuracy was positively correlated with duration of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and total sleep time during the nap. Our findings suggested that "sleep gain" during a daytime sleep opportunity had significant positive impact on working memory performance, without affecting subsequent nighttime sleep in young adult, and such impact was associated with the duration of REM. While REM abnormality has long been noted in pathological conditions (e.g. depression), which are also presented with cognitive dysfunctions (e.g. working memory deficits), this was the first evidence showing working memory enhancement associated with REM in daytime napping in college students, who likely had habitual short sleep duration but were otherwise generally healthy.

BMC Public Health, Apr 1, 2021

Background: Nonrestorative sleep is a common sleep disorder with a prevalence ranging from 1.4 to... more Background: Nonrestorative sleep is a common sleep disorder with a prevalence ranging from 1.4 to 35%, and is associated with various psychological and physical health issues. Noise exposure and noise sensitivity have been proposed to contribute to nonrestorative sleep. This study aimed to examine the relationships among noise, noise sensitivity, nonrestorative sleep, and physiological sleep parameters in Chinese adults. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted with randomly selected Chinese adults based on a frame stratified by geographical districts and types of quarters in Hong Kong. We administered a battery of questionnaires, including the Nonrestorative Sleep Scale, the Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale, the ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Perceived Stress Scale to assess nonrestorative sleep, noise sensitivity, social support, somatic symptoms and stress, respectively. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale while sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were assessed with an investigator-developed sheet. Nocturnal noise level and physiological sleep parameters were measured during nighttime for a week by noise dosimetry and actigraphy, respectively. A structured multiphase linear regression was conducted to estimate associations. Results: A total of 500 adults (66.4% female) with an average age of 39 years completed this study. Bivariate regressions showed that age, marital status, occupation, family income, season, exercise, cola and soda consumption, social support, somatic symptoms, stress, depression, noise sensitivity, total sleep time, and awakenings were associated with nonrestorative sleep. In the multivariable analysis, family income, season, exercise, social support, somatic symptoms, stress, and depression remained associated with nonrestorative sleep. Specifically, a one-unit increase of noise sensitivity was associated with 0.08 increase in nonrestorative sleep (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01, 0.15, p = 0.023). Nocturnal noise was negatively associated with time in bed (b = − 1.65, 95% CI: − 2.77, − 0.52, p = 0.004), total sleep time (b = − 1.61, 95% CI: − 2.59, − 0.62, p = 0.001), and awakenings (b = − 0.16, 95% CI: − 0.30, − 0.03, p = 0.018), but was not associated with nonrestorative sleep.

Quality of Life Research, May 16, 2020

Purpose Previous research has suggested the essential unidimensionality of the 12-item traditiona... more Purpose Previous research has suggested the essential unidimensionality of the 12-item traditional Chinese version of the Nonrestorative Sleep Scale (NRSS). This study aimed to develop a short form of the traditional Chinese version of the NRSS without compromising its reliability and validity. Methods Data were collected from 2 cross-sectional studies with identical target groups of adults residing in Hong Kong. An iterative Wald test was used to assess differential item functioning by gender. Based on the generalized partial credit model, we first obtained a shortened version such that further shortening would result in substantial sacrifice of test information and standard error of measurement. Another shortened version was obtained by the optimal test assembly (OTA). The two shortened versions were compared for test information, Cronbach's alpha, and convergent validity. Results Data from a total of 404 Chinese adults (60.0% female) who had completed the Chinese NRSS were gathered. All items were invariant by gender. A 6-item version was obtained beyond which the test performance substantially deteriorated, and a 9-item version was obtained by OTA. The 9-item version performed better than the 6-item version in test information and convergent validity. It had discrimination and difficulty indices ranging from 0.44 to 2.23 and − 7.58 to 2.13, respectively, and retained 92% of the test information of the original 12-item version. Conclusion The 9-item Chinese NRSS is a reliable and valid tool to measure nonrestorative sleep for epidemiological studies.

Sleep Medicine, Sep 1, 2015

Study objective: Working memory deficits in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been... more Study objective: Working memory deficits in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been reported in previous studies, but the results were inconclusive. This study tried to address this issue by delineating working memory functions into executive processes and storage/maintenance components based on the Baddeley's working memory model. Methods: Working memory and basic attention tasks were administered on 23 OSA children aged 8-12 years and 22 age-, education-, and general cognitive functioningmatched controls. Data on overnight polysomnographic sleep study and working memory functions were compared between the two groups. Associations between respiratory-related parameters and cognitive performance were explored in the OSA group. Results: Compared with controls, children with OSA had poorer performance on both tasks of basic storage and central executive components in the verbal domain of working memory; such differences were not significant in the visuo-spatial domain. The OSA group also performed worse on neuropsychological tests of attention and processing speed. Moreover, correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses further suggested that obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) and oxygen saturation (SpO 2) nadir were associated with verbal working memory performance. Conclusions: Our findings support the notion that there are significant neuropsychological deficits associated with childhood OSA, specifically in the storage and executive components of the verbal working memory, above and beyond basic attention and processing speed impairments. The associations between these working memory deficits and OSA-related respiratory variables (OAHI & SpO 2) Running head: WORKING MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IN OSA CHILDREN 4 further highlighted the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA-induced cognitive deficits. Verbal working memory impairments associated with OSA may compromise children's learning potentials and neurocognitive development. Early identification of OSA and assessment of the associated neurocognitive deficits are of paramount importance. Reversibility of cognitive deficits after treatment would be a critical outcome indicator.

Behavioral sciences, Nov 3, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 20, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, Aug 25, 2010

Research in the past 20 years has highlighted numerous neuropsychological defi cits associated wi... more Research in the past 20 years has highlighted numerous neuropsychological defi cits associated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSA) (for review, see Aloia,

BMC Public Health, 2021

Background Studies have demonstrated that noise is associated with various health problems, such ... more Background Studies have demonstrated that noise is associated with various health problems, such as obesity and hypertension. Although the evidence of the associations of noise with obesity and hypertension is inconsistent, there seems to be a stronger association of the latter. This study aimed to investigate the associations of noise with body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in adults living in multi-story residential buildings. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hong Kong from February 2018 to September 2019. The Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were administered to the participants. BMI and blood pressure were assessed. Nocturnal noise exposure and total sleep duration were measured for a week. Results Five hundred adults (66.4% female), with an average age of 39 years (range: 18–80), completed the ...

Journal of Sleep Research, 2018

Introduction: Mood problems and sleep restriction are prevalent in youths and detrimental to thei... more Introduction: Mood problems and sleep restriction are prevalent in youths and detrimental to their cognitive functions. We aim to investigate if depressed youths benefited from a daytime sleep opportunity in their control of responses to emotional stimuli.

RESULTS: Diary-based WASO was significantly lower following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (13.9±30.1 ... more RESULTS: Diary-based WASO was significantly lower following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (13.9±30.1 min vs. 23.2±38.6 min; P=.03, d=0.47). Self-reported SOL, awakenings, sleep depth, and sleep quality were not significantly between conditions, though SIT-STAND led to small-sized reduction in SOL and awakenings (d=0.33 and d=0.29, respectively). There was a small-sized reduction in actigraphic WASO following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (30.2±12.7 min vs. 37.7±25.0 min; d=0.39), though this difference was not statistically significant (P=.09). Actigraphic estimates of bedtime, out-of-bed time, total sleep time, and SOL did not differ between conditions (P>.61, d<0.11). CONCLUSION: Alternating sitting and standing during the workday leads to small improvements in sleep on the night following the simulated workday, particularly in reduced wake time. Whether this effect on sleep remains or is enhanced with long-term reduction in workplace sedentary behavior deserves further exploration.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Nov 1, 2015

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Social unrest, coupled with the outbreak of COVID-19, was a double-hit for Hong Kong in early 202... more Social unrest, coupled with the outbreak of COVID-19, was a double-hit for Hong Kong in early 2020. Those stressful societal situations not only trigger negative emotions, such as anxiety and/or depression, but also consolidate a person’s belief towards oneself (i.e., meaning in life) and society (i.e., social axioms). The study included 2031 participants from the Formation and Transformation of Beliefs in Chinese (FTBC) project dataset. The data were collected in Hong Kong from February 2020 to March 2020 (double-hit). Path analysis and multiple regression were used to examine the mediating and moderating effects of the presence subscale (P) of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) on the relations between social axioms and negative emotions. Results showed that low MLQ-P mediated the associations between cynicism and negative emotions and between low religiosity and negative emotions and moderated the relation between social cynicism and emotional outcomes. Exploratory analyses ...

Health Psychology

Moderation effects in multiple regression, tested usually by the inclusion of a product term, are... more Moderation effects in multiple regression, tested usually by the inclusion of a product term, are frequently investigated in health psychology. However, several issues in presenting the moderation effects in standardized units and their associated confidence intervals are commonly observed. While an old method had been proposed to standardize variables in moderated regression before fitting a moderated regression model, this method was rarely used due to inconvenience and even when used, the confidence intervals derived were biased. Here, we attempt to solve these two problems by providing a tool to conveniently conduct standardization in moderated regression without the step of standardizing the variables beforehand and to accurately form the nonparametric bootstrapping confidence intervals for this standardized measure of moderation effects. Health psychology researchers are now equipped with a tool that can be used to report and interpret standardized moderation effects correctly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality and Individual Differences, 2021

Abstract While forgivingness has been associated with health and psychosocial variables, previous... more Abstract While forgivingness has been associated with health and psychosocial variables, previous cross-sectional studies could not address the temporal characteristics of their relationships. To overcome this limitation, the present study investigated longitudinally the antecedents and consequences of forgivingness, as well as the association of mood states and Big Five personality traits with forgivingness. We obtained complete data on forgivingness, Big Five personality traits, and moods across three waves of surveys over six years from 294 participants, and from more participants who completed only one or two waves. Structural equation modelling for the cross-lagged longitudinal analysis was applied, controlling for auto-correlations and effects of external variables. Our data revealed a weak link from conscientiousness to later forgivingness. More importantly, forgivingness predicted emotional stability, agreeableness and less negative moods longitudinally. Our findings challenged the previously-assumed causative roles of Big Five personality traits in forgivingness but corroborated the desirable predictive effects of being forgiving in developing more positive moods and personality characteristics.

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2021

1190 Poster Session: Counseling, Coping, and Individual Differences - Division: 3

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2020

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Hong Kong General Research Fund (Project ... more This research was supported in part by a grant from the Hong Kong General Research Fund (Project number: 17604915). We thank Doris Mok, who passed away in 2016, for her suggestions at the design phase of this project, Sing-hang Cheung for his valuable input on dataanalysis, Wai-Luen Kwok for insights from a theological perspective, and Jasmine Lam for her assistance in data management.

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2018

This prospective study explored psychological changes during faith exit and attempted to identify... more This prospective study explored psychological changes during faith exit and attempted to identify individual characteristics of believers who would within a 3-year time frame become disengaged from their faith. Data were collected from 632 Chinese Protestant Christians, of whom 188 left their faith within 3 years after the 1st survey. The faith exiters’ subsequent changes in personality, beliefs, and values, if any, were not any different from what were observed among other Christians. The only exceptions were that fate control belief and stimulation value increased more and religiosity social axiom declined more among the exiters than among those who stayed in faith. Latent growth mixture modeling indicated that about half of the faith exiters would initially experience an improvement in psychological symptoms, and the other half a deterioration. Poor quality of life at baseline was a risk factor for increase in psychological symptoms postexit. Besides being more likely to be a university student, the would-be exiters had a beliefs and values profile that was more similar to that of the nonbelievers than of the believers in other studies. However, with the exception of low emotional stability, the Big Five did not predict exit. The findings strongly suggest that changes in beliefs and values might have begun long before the actual faith exit, whereas personality change, if any, might take a long time after the transition. Changes in psychological symptoms after faith exit can be multitrajectory.

Journal of Sleep Research, 2018

symptoms and medication use. Our findings support the generalisability of results of previous res... more symptoms and medication use. Our findings support the generalisability of results of previous research trials and demonstrate the feasibility of implementing CBT for insomnia in clinical practice. Although CBT involves more time and effort compared with drug therapy, our patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the service provided. More work is required to alter the current approach to insomnia in the community and address the perceived barriers to implementing CBT.

PLOS ONE, May 13, 2015

The main objective was to study the impact of a daytime sleep opportunity on working memory and t... more The main objective was to study the impact of a daytime sleep opportunity on working memory and the mechanism behind such impact. This study adopted an experimental design in a sleep research laboratory. Eighty healthy college students (Age:17-23, 36 males) were randomized to either have a polysomnography-monitored daytime sleep opportunity (Napgroup, n=40) or stay awake (Wake-group, n=40) between the two assessment sessions. All participants completed a sleep diary and wore an actigraph-watch for 5 days before and one day after the assessment sessions. They completed the state-measurement of sleepiness and affect, in addition to a psychomotor vigilance test and a working memory task before and after the nap/wake sessions. The two groups did not differ in their sleep characteristics prior to and after the lab visit. The Nap-group had higher accuracy on the working memory task, fewer lapses on the psychomotor vigilance test and lower state-sleepiness than the Wakegroup. Within the Nap-group, working memory accuracy was positively correlated with duration of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and total sleep time during the nap. Our findings suggested that "sleep gain" during a daytime sleep opportunity had significant positive impact on working memory performance, without affecting subsequent nighttime sleep in young adult, and such impact was associated with the duration of REM. While REM abnormality has long been noted in pathological conditions (e.g. depression), which are also presented with cognitive dysfunctions (e.g. working memory deficits), this was the first evidence showing working memory enhancement associated with REM in daytime napping in college students, who likely had habitual short sleep duration but were otherwise generally healthy.

BMC Public Health, Apr 1, 2021

Background: Nonrestorative sleep is a common sleep disorder with a prevalence ranging from 1.4 to... more Background: Nonrestorative sleep is a common sleep disorder with a prevalence ranging from 1.4 to 35%, and is associated with various psychological and physical health issues. Noise exposure and noise sensitivity have been proposed to contribute to nonrestorative sleep. This study aimed to examine the relationships among noise, noise sensitivity, nonrestorative sleep, and physiological sleep parameters in Chinese adults. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted with randomly selected Chinese adults based on a frame stratified by geographical districts and types of quarters in Hong Kong. We administered a battery of questionnaires, including the Nonrestorative Sleep Scale, the Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale, the ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Perceived Stress Scale to assess nonrestorative sleep, noise sensitivity, social support, somatic symptoms and stress, respectively. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale while sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were assessed with an investigator-developed sheet. Nocturnal noise level and physiological sleep parameters were measured during nighttime for a week by noise dosimetry and actigraphy, respectively. A structured multiphase linear regression was conducted to estimate associations. Results: A total of 500 adults (66.4% female) with an average age of 39 years completed this study. Bivariate regressions showed that age, marital status, occupation, family income, season, exercise, cola and soda consumption, social support, somatic symptoms, stress, depression, noise sensitivity, total sleep time, and awakenings were associated with nonrestorative sleep. In the multivariable analysis, family income, season, exercise, social support, somatic symptoms, stress, and depression remained associated with nonrestorative sleep. Specifically, a one-unit increase of noise sensitivity was associated with 0.08 increase in nonrestorative sleep (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01, 0.15, p = 0.023). Nocturnal noise was negatively associated with time in bed (b = − 1.65, 95% CI: − 2.77, − 0.52, p = 0.004), total sleep time (b = − 1.61, 95% CI: − 2.59, − 0.62, p = 0.001), and awakenings (b = − 0.16, 95% CI: − 0.30, − 0.03, p = 0.018), but was not associated with nonrestorative sleep.

Quality of Life Research, May 16, 2020

Purpose Previous research has suggested the essential unidimensionality of the 12-item traditiona... more Purpose Previous research has suggested the essential unidimensionality of the 12-item traditional Chinese version of the Nonrestorative Sleep Scale (NRSS). This study aimed to develop a short form of the traditional Chinese version of the NRSS without compromising its reliability and validity. Methods Data were collected from 2 cross-sectional studies with identical target groups of adults residing in Hong Kong. An iterative Wald test was used to assess differential item functioning by gender. Based on the generalized partial credit model, we first obtained a shortened version such that further shortening would result in substantial sacrifice of test information and standard error of measurement. Another shortened version was obtained by the optimal test assembly (OTA). The two shortened versions were compared for test information, Cronbach's alpha, and convergent validity. Results Data from a total of 404 Chinese adults (60.0% female) who had completed the Chinese NRSS were gathered. All items were invariant by gender. A 6-item version was obtained beyond which the test performance substantially deteriorated, and a 9-item version was obtained by OTA. The 9-item version performed better than the 6-item version in test information and convergent validity. It had discrimination and difficulty indices ranging from 0.44 to 2.23 and − 7.58 to 2.13, respectively, and retained 92% of the test information of the original 12-item version. Conclusion The 9-item Chinese NRSS is a reliable and valid tool to measure nonrestorative sleep for epidemiological studies.

Sleep Medicine, Sep 1, 2015

Study objective: Working memory deficits in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been... more Study objective: Working memory deficits in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been reported in previous studies, but the results were inconclusive. This study tried to address this issue by delineating working memory functions into executive processes and storage/maintenance components based on the Baddeley's working memory model. Methods: Working memory and basic attention tasks were administered on 23 OSA children aged 8-12 years and 22 age-, education-, and general cognitive functioningmatched controls. Data on overnight polysomnographic sleep study and working memory functions were compared between the two groups. Associations between respiratory-related parameters and cognitive performance were explored in the OSA group. Results: Compared with controls, children with OSA had poorer performance on both tasks of basic storage and central executive components in the verbal domain of working memory; such differences were not significant in the visuo-spatial domain. The OSA group also performed worse on neuropsychological tests of attention and processing speed. Moreover, correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses further suggested that obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) and oxygen saturation (SpO 2) nadir were associated with verbal working memory performance. Conclusions: Our findings support the notion that there are significant neuropsychological deficits associated with childhood OSA, specifically in the storage and executive components of the verbal working memory, above and beyond basic attention and processing speed impairments. The associations between these working memory deficits and OSA-related respiratory variables (OAHI & SpO 2) Running head: WORKING MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IN OSA CHILDREN 4 further highlighted the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA-induced cognitive deficits. Verbal working memory impairments associated with OSA may compromise children's learning potentials and neurocognitive development. Early identification of OSA and assessment of the associated neurocognitive deficits are of paramount importance. Reversibility of cognitive deficits after treatment would be a critical outcome indicator.

Behavioral sciences, Nov 3, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 20, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, Aug 25, 2010

Research in the past 20 years has highlighted numerous neuropsychological defi cits associated wi... more Research in the past 20 years has highlighted numerous neuropsychological defi cits associated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSA) (for review, see Aloia,

BMC Public Health, 2021

Background Studies have demonstrated that noise is associated with various health problems, such ... more Background Studies have demonstrated that noise is associated with various health problems, such as obesity and hypertension. Although the evidence of the associations of noise with obesity and hypertension is inconsistent, there seems to be a stronger association of the latter. This study aimed to investigate the associations of noise with body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in adults living in multi-story residential buildings. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hong Kong from February 2018 to September 2019. The Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were administered to the participants. BMI and blood pressure were assessed. Nocturnal noise exposure and total sleep duration were measured for a week. Results Five hundred adults (66.4% female), with an average age of 39 years (range: 18–80), completed the ...

Journal of Sleep Research, 2018

Introduction: Mood problems and sleep restriction are prevalent in youths and detrimental to thei... more Introduction: Mood problems and sleep restriction are prevalent in youths and detrimental to their cognitive functions. We aim to investigate if depressed youths benefited from a daytime sleep opportunity in their control of responses to emotional stimuli.

RESULTS: Diary-based WASO was significantly lower following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (13.9±30.1 ... more RESULTS: Diary-based WASO was significantly lower following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (13.9±30.1 min vs. 23.2±38.6 min; P=.03, d=0.47). Self-reported SOL, awakenings, sleep depth, and sleep quality were not significantly between conditions, though SIT-STAND led to small-sized reduction in SOL and awakenings (d=0.33 and d=0.29, respectively). There was a small-sized reduction in actigraphic WASO following SIT-STAND compared to SIT (30.2±12.7 min vs. 37.7±25.0 min; d=0.39), though this difference was not statistically significant (P=.09). Actigraphic estimates of bedtime, out-of-bed time, total sleep time, and SOL did not differ between conditions (P>.61, d<0.11). CONCLUSION: Alternating sitting and standing during the workday leads to small improvements in sleep on the night following the simulated workday, particularly in reduced wake time. Whether this effect on sleep remains or is enhanced with long-term reduction in workplace sedentary behavior deserves further exploration.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Nov 1, 2015

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Social unrest, coupled with the outbreak of COVID-19, was a double-hit for Hong Kong in early 202... more Social unrest, coupled with the outbreak of COVID-19, was a double-hit for Hong Kong in early 2020. Those stressful societal situations not only trigger negative emotions, such as anxiety and/or depression, but also consolidate a person’s belief towards oneself (i.e., meaning in life) and society (i.e., social axioms). The study included 2031 participants from the Formation and Transformation of Beliefs in Chinese (FTBC) project dataset. The data were collected in Hong Kong from February 2020 to March 2020 (double-hit). Path analysis and multiple regression were used to examine the mediating and moderating effects of the presence subscale (P) of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) on the relations between social axioms and negative emotions. Results showed that low MLQ-P mediated the associations between cynicism and negative emotions and between low religiosity and negative emotions and moderated the relation between social cynicism and emotional outcomes. Exploratory analyses ...

Health Psychology

Moderation effects in multiple regression, tested usually by the inclusion of a product term, are... more Moderation effects in multiple regression, tested usually by the inclusion of a product term, are frequently investigated in health psychology. However, several issues in presenting the moderation effects in standardized units and their associated confidence intervals are commonly observed. While an old method had been proposed to standardize variables in moderated regression before fitting a moderated regression model, this method was rarely used due to inconvenience and even when used, the confidence intervals derived were biased. Here, we attempt to solve these two problems by providing a tool to conveniently conduct standardization in moderated regression without the step of standardizing the variables beforehand and to accurately form the nonparametric bootstrapping confidence intervals for this standardized measure of moderation effects. Health psychology researchers are now equipped with a tool that can be used to report and interpret standardized moderation effects correctly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality and Individual Differences, 2021

Abstract While forgivingness has been associated with health and psychosocial variables, previous... more Abstract While forgivingness has been associated with health and psychosocial variables, previous cross-sectional studies could not address the temporal characteristics of their relationships. To overcome this limitation, the present study investigated longitudinally the antecedents and consequences of forgivingness, as well as the association of mood states and Big Five personality traits with forgivingness. We obtained complete data on forgivingness, Big Five personality traits, and moods across three waves of surveys over six years from 294 participants, and from more participants who completed only one or two waves. Structural equation modelling for the cross-lagged longitudinal analysis was applied, controlling for auto-correlations and effects of external variables. Our data revealed a weak link from conscientiousness to later forgivingness. More importantly, forgivingness predicted emotional stability, agreeableness and less negative moods longitudinally. Our findings challenged the previously-assumed causative roles of Big Five personality traits in forgivingness but corroborated the desirable predictive effects of being forgiving in developing more positive moods and personality characteristics.

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2021

1190 Poster Session: Counseling, Coping, and Individual Differences - Division: 3

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2020

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Hong Kong General Research Fund (Project ... more This research was supported in part by a grant from the Hong Kong General Research Fund (Project number: 17604915). We thank Doris Mok, who passed away in 2016, for her suggestions at the design phase of this project, Sing-hang Cheung for his valuable input on dataanalysis, Wai-Luen Kwok for insights from a theological perspective, and Jasmine Lam for her assistance in data management.

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2018

This prospective study explored psychological changes during faith exit and attempted to identify... more This prospective study explored psychological changes during faith exit and attempted to identify individual characteristics of believers who would within a 3-year time frame become disengaged from their faith. Data were collected from 632 Chinese Protestant Christians, of whom 188 left their faith within 3 years after the 1st survey. The faith exiters’ subsequent changes in personality, beliefs, and values, if any, were not any different from what were observed among other Christians. The only exceptions were that fate control belief and stimulation value increased more and religiosity social axiom declined more among the exiters than among those who stayed in faith. Latent growth mixture modeling indicated that about half of the faith exiters would initially experience an improvement in psychological symptoms, and the other half a deterioration. Poor quality of life at baseline was a risk factor for increase in psychological symptoms postexit. Besides being more likely to be a university student, the would-be exiters had a beliefs and values profile that was more similar to that of the nonbelievers than of the believers in other studies. However, with the exception of low emotional stability, the Big Five did not predict exit. The findings strongly suggest that changes in beliefs and values might have begun long before the actual faith exit, whereas personality change, if any, might take a long time after the transition. Changes in psychological symptoms after faith exit can be multitrajectory.