Associations between sleep consolidation in infancy and peer relationships in middle childhood

Adolescent sleep quality and quantity and educational attainment: a test of multiple mechanisms using sibling difference models

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to determine whether and how sleep quality and quantity during adolescence are related to educational attainment in adulthood. This study also investigates whether this relationship varies by gender.

METHODS

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the present study employed a sibling fixed effect approach that takes into account unobserved family background factors such as genetics and social environments. Gender-stratified analyses were conducted to consider the potential gendered relationship between adolescent sleep and educational attainment.

RESULTS

Controlling for unobserved family-level heterogeneity attenuated the associations between adolescent sleep characteristics and educational attainment, albeit in different ways for boys and girls. Gender-stratified models suggest that, for boys, only the association between short sleep duration and educational attainment was robust to adjustment for sibling fixed effects. In contrast, for girls, among three sleep quality measures, only trouble falling or staying asleep remained significantly associated with educational attainment even after controlling for unobserved family heterogeneity. Sibling fixed effects estimates suggest that short sleep duration (6 or fewer hours per night) was negatively associated with years of schooling only among boys (b = -0.443), whereas trouble falling or staying asleep was associated with a reduction in years of schooling only among girls (b = -0.556). The mechanisms underlying the observed associations also differed by gender. For boys, the association between short sleep duration and educational attainment was partially explained by a combination of educational, social, and psychological factors. Only intermediate educational factors explained part of the association between trouble falling or staying asleep and educational attachment among girls.

CONCLUSIONS

The study's finding that the relationship between adolescent sleep characteristics and educational attainment and the mechanisms underlying this relationship differ by gender calls attention to the need for gender-specific interventions.

Associations of sleep problems with non-physical bullying perpetration and victimization among adolescents: A cross-lagged panel study

OBJECTIVE

The current study attempted to explore the possible temporal direction of the relationship between sleep problems and non-physical bullying perpetration as well as non-physical bullying victimization among adolescents.

DESIGN

The study used a longitudinal panel survey design with a 6-month interval.

SETTING

A cluster random sampling method was conducted to recruit students from junior high schools in Northern Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

Eight hundred twenty-two students (46.6% were boys) completed a survey at 2 waves.

MEASUREMENT

Adolescents reported their sleep problems, non-physical bullying perpetration, and non-physical bullying victimization in both waves.

RESULTS

The results from cross-lagged panel models revealed that sleep problems at time 1 significantly predicted non-physical bullying victimization at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. In addition, non-physical bullying perpetration at time 1 significantly predicted sleep problems at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. No significant differences emerged between male and female adolescents in the cross-lagged model of sleep problems with non-physical bullying perpetration and non-physical bullying victimization.

CONCLUSION

This study advances the literature by revealing that sleep problems may be a consequence, not a precursor, of adolescent non-physical bullying perpetration and a precursor, not a consequence, of non-physical bullying victimization. Intervention programs aimed at preventing adolescents from being non-physically bullied may consider improving their sleep quality. Reducing adolescents' non-physical bullying perpetration may also improve sleep quality along the way.

Children's Emotional Expressivity After Sleep Restriction Forecasts Social Problems Years Later

Sleep patterns affect children's socioemotional functioning in ways that may predict long-term social problems. However, precise mechanisms through which these effects occur remain unexplored and thus unknown. Building on findings in adults, the current study examined whether changes in children's facial expressions of emotion after sleep restriction predict social problems concurrently and/or longitudinally. At time 1, 37 children (mean = 9.08 years, SD = 1.3) completed in-lab emotional assessments both when rested and after two nights of sleep restriction. Participants' parents provided reports of their child's social problems at time 1 and approximately 2 years later (time 2; mean = 11.26 years, SD = 1.6). Children who exhibited less positive facial expressions in response to positive images after sleep restriction evidenced greater social problems longitudinally, even when controlling for earlier social problems. Results suggest that inadequate sleep may undermine children's social functioning via alterations in emotional expression which may become more salient with age.

Sleep and social relationships in healthy populations: A systematic review

Over the past decade, research linking sleep and social relationships has burgeoned. Researchers across the globe are trying to understand whether the quality and quantity of our social relationships matter for sleep, and vice versa. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, identifying over 200 relevant articles examining sleep and social relationships in healthy populations. Here, we summarize our findings by reviewing 1) links between sleep and broad social ties across the lifespan, and 2) links between sleep and specific social relationships identified in the literature search, including romantic relationships, family relationships, and work relationships. Taken together, the literature provides evidence that the quality and presence of social relationships, especially our closest relationships, play a role in how we sleep. Likewise, sleep appears to influence our social bonds. However, the majority of work is correlational, limiting conclusions about the directionality of these effects. We conclude by synthesizing the findings, considering the limitations of the present literature, and identifying key future directions for this emerging area of research.