Adverse childhood experiences, sleep problems, low self-control, and adolescent delinquency: A longitudinal serial mediation analysis

Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between sleep problems and externalizing symptoms in early adolescents: A four-wave longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing body of longitudinal research linking sleep problems and externalizing symptoms, regarding the direction of the effects of both variables, the results have been inconsistent. Given the mixed findings and inconsistent results in the literature, we propose that emotion dysregulation may link sleep problems and externalizing symptoms.

METHODS

The participants (N = 1281, 49.65 % female; M = 12.73 years at time 1, SD = 0.68) were middle school students who completed assessments for sleep problems, externalizing symptoms, and emotion dysregulation. The interval between each wave was six months, for two consecutive years. Autoregressive mediation models using longitudinal data and cross-sectional mediation models using baseline data were evaluated and compared through structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

The results revealed that severe sleep problems (at T1, T2, or T3) were associated with higher levels of externalizing symptoms later in adolescence (at T2, T3, or T4), but not vice versa. In addition, analyses of indirect effects indicated that emotion dysregulation mediated this link, such that greater sleep problems led to more emotion dysregulation, which, in turn, led to more externalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the critical role that emotional regulation plays in the link between sleep problems and externalizing symptoms and emphasize the need for students as well as middle school administration to pay close attention to both the sleep and externalizing symptoms of early adolescents.

The impact of sleep quality on emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents: a chained mediation model involving daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have revealed associations between sleep quality and mental health, yet the comprehensive role of sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control in difficulties with emotion regulation remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate how sleep quality affects emotion regulation difficulties among middle school students through pathways involving daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control, thereby providing a more comprehensive theoretical basis for mental health interventions.

METHODS

Utilizing the pittsburgh sleep quality index, the adolescent social exclusion scale, the brief self-control scale, and emotion regulation scale-short form, we assessed 1067 students randomly selected from four middle schools from October to November 2023. After the removal of extreme values (those exceeding 3 standard deviations), 806 students were retained for data analysis.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that poor sleep quality significantly contributes to increased daytime dysfunction(β = 0.86, SE = 0.07, p < .001), which in turn affects social exclusion(β = 0.60, SE = 0.16, p < 0 0.001), self-control abilities(β = 1.27, SE = 0.16, p < .001) and emotion regulation difficulties(β = 1.56, SE = 0.30, p < .001). Social exclusion mediates the relationship between sleep quality and emotion regulation difficulties(Estimate = 0.11, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.04, 0.20] ).

CONCLUSION

The aim of this study is to provide new insights into the development of effective intervention measures to improve sleep and mental health in adolescents.

Adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: mediating roles of poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility

Previous studies have found that adverse childhood experiences can lead to depressive symptoms. But the underlying mechanisms have not been determined. Guided by the 3-P model of insomnia and acceptance and commitment therapy, this study examined the mediating role of poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 996 senior high school students in China (Mage = 16.57 years; SD = 1.03) completed the self-report measures of adverse childhood experiences, depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and psychological inflexibility. Multiple mediation analysis revealed that adverse childhood experiences were related to depressive symptoms through poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility, serially. These findings point to potential targets in the prevention of and intervention in adolescent depressive symptoms.