Annie Vallières, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Psychology, Université Laval
Director of Intervention Unit for sleep disorders, Service de consultation de l’École de psychologie (SCEP), Laval University
Researcher affiliated, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (IUSMQ)(IUSMQ) and Centre de recherche du centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec – Laval University
Professor Annie Vallières studies the social, psychological and cultural aspects of sleep problems. This approach allows her to better understand these disorders in a variety of contexts, including night workers, and in different countries and cultures.
Most night workers have difficulties sleeping. These problems have significant negative consequences: depression, illness, digestive problems, in addition to absence from work and a higher risk of accident. Many of these difficulties can be explained by the fact that these workers' schedules cause them to have to sleep at a time when their biological clock encourages awakening.
Dr. Vallières’s studies have shown that many night shift workers in the health care environment suffer from a sleep disorder, but that very few of them receive help. They have also identified aggravating factors that are as many intervention targets to improve the sleep of night workers. Among these factors, thoughts before falling asleep, job satisfaction and sleep-related behaviors, such as setting a sleep schedule, are important.
Dr. Vallières’s work helps develop behavioral intervention approaches adapted to the reality of night workers.
Approximately 33% of workers with non-standard working hours suffer from the Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWD). It is associated with increased risk of depression, morbidity, gastric ulcers and an increase in absenteeism and the number of accidents at work. The sleep difficulties are mainly due to the fact that the work schedule brings night workers to sleep when their biological clock promotes wakefulness. However, it was suggested that psychological factors such as depressive symptoms or social factors such as job satisfaction, play a role in the evolution of these disorders. Our first study showed that 51% of night workers suffer from SWD and receive few help. Furthermore, this study identifies the importance of pre-sleep cognitive activation, job satisfaction, thoughts and sleep-related behaviours associated with bedtime routines in the presence of sleep disorders. The current study aims to deepen the conceptualization of SWD. The project studies specifically sleep, arousal and psychosocial status of night workers with or without sleep disorders. The effectiveness of interventions for SWD is studied. The expected results will provide new insights in the understanding of sleep disorders among night workers and provide a first behavioural intervention approach.
Professionnals :
Séverine Garnier, Ph.D., Psychologue
Fanny Dubois, Ph.D.
Ph.D., students assistants :
Michel Bertrand, B.A.
Alric Papathomas, B.A.
Dave Laroche, B.A.
Mikael Verreault, B.A.
Patricia Nolin, B.A.
Bachelors students assistants :
Fidélia Longchamps
Julia Delage
1. Vallières, A., Mérette, C., Bastien, C.H., & Roy, M., (2020, soumis). Insomnia, sleepiness and psychosocial features of shift work disorder. Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine.
2. Agnew, S., Vallières, A., Hamilton, A., McCrory, S., Nikolic, M., Kyle, S., Fleming, L., Crawford, M.R. (2020, accepté). Adherence to cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia- an updated systematic review. Sleep medicine reviews.
3. Vallières, A., Pappathomas, A., Araujo, T., Crawford, M.R., & Garnier, S. (2020). Who is seeking help in a psychological sleep clinic? International journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-020-09882-9
4. Bastille-Denis, E., Lemyre, A., Pappathomas, A., Roy, M., & Vallières, A. (2020). Are variables that maintain insomnia also involved in shift work disorder? Sleep Health, 6(3), 399-406.
5. Lemyre, A., Légaré-Bergeron, L., Bolduc-Landry, R., Garon, D., & Vallières, A. (2020). High-level control in lucid dreams. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 0(0), 1-23.
6. Lemyre, A., St-Onge, M., & Vallières, A. (2019). The perceptions of nightmare sufferers regarding the functions, causes, and consequences of their nightmares, and their coping strategies, The International Journal of Dream Research, 12(2), 35-48.
7. Lemyre, A., Bastien, C., & Vallières, A. (2019). Nightmares in mental disorders: A review. Dreaming, 29(2), 144-166.
8. Araújo, T., Lemyre, A., Leanza, Y., & Vallières, A. (2019). Sociocultural variations of sleep difficulties’ coping strategies in couple relationships in Canada and in Brazil, Sleep and Hypnosis: A Journal of Clinical Neuroscience and Psychopathology, 21(2), 158-169.
9. Crawford, M., & Vallières, A. (2018). The dark side of adherence- a commentary on Palm et al. (2019) Factors influencing adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment in obstructive sleep apnea and mortality associated with treatment failure - a national registry-based cohort study, Sleep Med, 51: 85-91. Sleep Medicine, 59, 96.
10. Claveau, S., Lemyre, A., Bastien C.H. et Vallières, A. (2017) Efficacité d’interventions comportementales pour le sommeil des travailleurs de nuit. Exploration préliminaire, Médecine du Sommeil, 14, 174-185.
11. Vallières, A., Roy, M., Bastille-Denis, E., Claveau, S., & Tarek, S. (2015). Exploring a Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia in Shift Workers. Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy, 2015, 2167-0277.
12. Vallières, A., Azaïez, A., Moreau, V., LeBlanc, M. & Morin, C. M. (2014). Insomnia in Shift Work. Sleep Medecine, 15, 1440–1448.
13. Vallières, A., & Garnier, S. (2019). Travailler de nuit, dormir de jour : un défi réaliste. In S. Grondin (Ed), La psychologie au quotidien, (vol. 4, chap. 5, pp. 89-110). Les presses de l’Université Laval.
14. Vallières, A., & Bastille-Denis, E. (2012). Circadian Rhythm Disorders II: Shift work. Dans C.A. Espie & C.M. Morin (Eds), Oxford Handbook of Sleep and Sleep Disorders (chap.29, pp. 626- 647) London: Oxford University Press.
After postdoctoral internships at the Centre d'études des troubles du sommeil at Université Laval and at the Sleep Research Laboratory of the Sackler Institute of Psychobiological Research at the University of Glasgow (UK), Ms. Vallières joined the School of Psychology at Université Laval in 2006 as a regular professor. Specializing in clinical health psychology, particularly on sleep and the treatment of insomnia, she is developing a research program with two main components. The first component deals with sleep disorders associated with night shift work. The aim is to identify the psychological variables associated with these sleep difficulties and to develop a cognitive-behavioural treatment for this sleep disorder. The other component of this research program focuses on the socio-cultural aspects of sleep in collaboration with a team in Montreal and one in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It aims, among other things, to evaluate the influence of socio-cultural aspects on sleep habits, on the manifestations of insomnia symptoms, on chronotype (propensity to be alert), on complaints related to sleep difficulties and on the strategies used to cope with sleep difficulties. Her research projects are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
2005 - 2007 Bourse de recherche (post-doctorale)
Organisme : IRSC : 55 000/année$
2006 Mention d’honneur pour le prix Guy-Bégin dans le cadre du 29e congrès de la Société québécoise de recherche en psychologie (SQRP), Montréal, Québec
2005 Mention d’honneur pour la qualité du dossier et la thèse de doctorat $200
Organisme : Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval
2004 - 2006 Bourse de recherche (post-doctorale)
Organisme : FRSQ $38 132/année (déclinée)
2001 - 2002 Bourse de formation de troisième cycle
Organisme: Axe sommeil du Réseau Santé mentale et Neurosciences du Québec: $10 000/année
2000 Bourse de formation de troisième cycle
Organisme: Fonds Facultaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche: $10 000/année
2525 Chemin de la Canardière
Québec (Québec)
G1J 2G3
Canada
