A longitudinal investigation of the role of puberty in the development of emotional difficulties and sleep problems

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Objectives: Adolescence is a transitional period, often characterized by increased sleep problems and emotional difficulties (e.g. Liu et al., 2019; Guyer et al., 2016). Pubertal development is one theoretical mechanism thought to be associated with increases in sleep problems and emotional difficulties during adolescence (Franco et al., 2020; Casey et al., 2008). Although past research has linked puberty to both sleep problems and emotional difficulties separately (e.g. Lin et al., 2018; Vijayakumar et al., 2019; Silvers et al., 2012), few studies have examined how pubertal development, sleep problems and emotional difficulties might relate to one another during this developmental period. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal relationships between sleep problems, emotional difficulties, and pubertal development.

Methods: This three-year longitudinal study included 1284 participants, aged 8-14 in Year 1. Sleep was measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (Morin et al., 2011), while the Pubertal Development Scale was used to measure pubertal stage (Petersen et al., 1988). The Emotional Reactivity Scale and the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale were used to create a composite of emotional difficulties (Nock et al., 2008; Gratz & Roemer, 2004). Due to sex differences in pubertal timing (Grabers et al., 2010), analyses were conducted separately by sex.

Results: For both boys and girls, sleep problems and emotional difficulties were significantly positively correlated with one another at Time 1 and showed a bidirectional relationship such that higher levels in one variable were associated with a flatter increase in the other variable over time. For boys, pubertal stage was not associated with the initial level of emotional difficulties or sleep problems at Time 1. However, advanced pubertal stage at Time 1 did predict a steeper increase in both emotional difficulties and sleep problems over time. For girls, pubertal stage was already associated with the level of both emotional difficulties and sleep problems at Time 1, such that advanced pubertal stage indicated higher levels of both variables. Furthermore, advanced pubertal stage predicted a steeper increase in sleep problems over time, but no relation with the trajectory of emotional difficulties was found, suggesting that the development of emotional difficulties may occur earlier for girls.

Conclusions: These results suggest that, during pubertal development, sleep problems and emotional difficulties are positively related to one another. Individuals with higher levels of sleep problems at Time 1 showed smaller increases in emotional difficulties over time (and vice versa) likely because they did not have as much room to increase as those with lower levels of sleep problems. The results also demonstrate that puberty may be a vulnerable period for the development of sleep problems and emotional difficulties. Consequently, interventions targeting sleep quality and emotion management during pubertal development may be crucial to help adolescents successfully navigate this transitional period.

Authors

• Hamnah Shahid, Brock University
  Presenting Author

• Teena Willoughby, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author