Sleep Rules and Sleep Regulation among Children of Incarcerated Parents

• In Event: 3523 - Family Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 15: Parental Effects on their Children's Well-Being

Abstract

We ask whether parental incarceration is associated with two categories of child sleep-related outcomes: sleep rules and sleep regulation. We find that children whose fathers have an incarceration history have similar bedtime rules (having a set bedtime, the timing of that bedtime, and having a regular bedtime routine) relative to children without a history of parental incarceration. However, children of incarcerated fathers are less likely to have their bedtimes consistently enforced, and they sleep less on average than children of parents without an incarceration history. Inconsistent bedtime enforcement partly mediates the association between paternal incarceration and sleep hours. In addition to emphasizing sleep hours as a potential mediator in models predicting the behavioral, social, and health consequences of parental incarceration, our findings suggest that public health efforts addressing disparities among children of incarcerated fathers should focus specific attention on consistency of bedtimes.

Authors

• Amelia R. Branigan, University of Maryland-College Park

• Jess M. Meyer, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill