A Longitudinal Examination of Sleep and Externalizing Behavior

• In Event: Reduced Sleep as a Risk Factor for Antisocial and Criminal Behavior

Abstract

Background: The aim of this longitudinal study is to examine the influence of sleep disturbance during childhood on externalizing behavior and neurocognitive functioning in adolescence and young adulthood.

Methods: Data on antisocial behavior, neuropsychological performance, and social risk factors were obtained for 625 pairs of male and female monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins across a longitudinal study. Assessments occurred when the subjects were 9-10 years old (Wave 1), 11-12 years old (Wave 2), 14-15 years old (Wave 3), 16-18 years old (Wave 4), and 19-23 years old (Wave 5). Sleep disturbance was assessed at each wave using 7 sleep-related items on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBT), previously shown to be associated with objective sleep measures such as sleep diaries and actigraphy.

Results: Data analyses are in progress. We hypothesize that greater sleep disturbance in childhood will be associated with increased externalizing behavior in adolescence and early adulthood. Furthermore, we hypothesize that this association will be mediated by decrements in neuropsychological performance and measures of executive functioning.

Conclusions. This study will be the most complete attempt to date to disentangle the temporal relationships between sleep disturbance and antisocial behavior in youth.

Authors

• Olga Tkachenko, University of Pennsylvania

• Adrian Raine, University of Pennsylvania

• Laura Baker, University of Southern California