Browsing by Author "Glasgow, Trevin Earl"

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    A Longitudinal Investigation of the Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity Among Graduate Students
    Glasgow, Trevin Earl (Virginia Tech, 2020-03-20)
    Recent evidence showing graduate students to be at an elevated risk of developing mental health problems has attracted the attention of both researchers and non-researchers (Evans, Bira, Gastelum, Weiss, and Vanderford, 2018; Flatherty, 2018). This increased risk could be attributed to the stressors graduate students routinely experience. However, few studies have examined the negative effects of work stressors among graduate students and ways to protect graduate students from the negative impact of stressors. This research explored the association between work stressors and the mental health of graduate students, while considering the potential protective role of physical activity. Also studied was the potential predictors of physical activity, such as social support for physical activity. Graduate students completed three surveys over a semester. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to analyze within- and between-person variation. Increased levels of work stressors were associated with increased levels of mental health problems. Physical activity was not associated with improved mental health at both levels of analysis. However, higher levels of physical activity protected graduate students from the negative effects of role conflict and role ambiguity, but not work overload. Social support for physical activity and a mindset that stress is enhancing were both associated with increased physical activity. This is one of the first studies to not only consider the negative effects of work stressors on graduate students' mental health, but also the protective benefits of physical activity.
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    Person-Oriented Versus Task-Oriented Spin Instruction: Differential Impact on Participants' Mood and Sociability
    Glasgow, Trevin Earl (Virginia Tech, 2017-05-05)
    Exercise has been shown to improve mood (Stöhle, 2009). Research has explored how exercise instructors can affect class participants' mood (Edmunds, Ntoumanis, & Duda, 2008). One style of instruction that is less understood relates to task-oriented vs. person-oriented instruction. The primary aim of this research was to explore the impact of spin-class instruction style on mood among spin-class participants. In Study 1, research assistants (RAs) evaluated the instruction of spin-class instructors and administered mood surveys to spin-class participants and instructors. Overall, positive mood improved for all spin-class participants and instructors. Instruction style did not moderate this effect. In Study 2, a refined instruction evaluation form was used to better detect person-oriented vs. task-oriented instruction. Unlike in Study 1, RAs also completed mood surveys. Overall, positive mood improved as a function of the exercise class for spin-class members and instructors, but not for RAs. Instruction style did not moderate this mood effect. Overall, the results support prior research that exercise leads to mood improvement. However, an impact of instruction style on class participants' mood was not found. One novel approach of this study was that instruction style was not manipulated. This pragmatic approach allowed the research team to explore organic instructor-student dynamics in a spin-class, which may improve the generalizability of the findings.