Trajectories of Child Socioemotional and Cognitive Functioning Predicted by Early Sleep and Behavior Problems

• In Event: 65.081 - Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: 65.081-5 - Division E: Human Development Session 2

Abstract

We examined whether sleep and behavior problems at age 3 predicted the trajectories of children’s socioemotional and cognitive functioning through grade1, grade 3, and age 15 (N=1,364). The current study considered reciprocal relations across domains and indirect associations between variables by utilizing an extended cross-lagged mediation model through structural equation modeling to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the relations. The results showed that children’s sleep problems at age 3 were indirectly predictive of their socioemotional difficulties at grade 1 whereas this was not evident for their cognitive development at any time point. In comparison, behavior problems at age 3 predicted both trajectories of children’s cognitive and socioemotional functioning either directly or indirectly through grade 1, grade 3, and age 15.

Authors

• Eunjoo Jung, Syracuse University

• Bora Jin, Syracuse University