Trajectories and Links Between Children’s Sleep Patterns and Media Exposure During the COVID-19 Home Confinement

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of home confinement regulations has resulted in significant changes in family lifestyles, including children’s irregular sleep schedules and elevated media exposure (Liu et al., 2020; Wiederhold, 2020). These two aspects of children’s functioning have been a particular reason for concern, due to the importance of adequate sleep for children’s wellbeing, and the possible negative effects of excessive media exposure on children’s development and sleep (Chindamo et al., 2019; Gregory & Sadeh, 2016). Thus, the goals of this study were twofold:
(1) To assess trajectories of sleep and media exposure through the home confinement period.
(2) To examine the bidirectional links between sleep and media exposure.
Data were collected at three time points, in which mothers of children between the ages two to five years were asked to complete questionnaires via an online research platform. Time 1 was collected a week after home confinement regulations were implemented in Israel. Mothers were also asked to report about the two months before the COVID-19 outbreak (Time 0). Time 2 was collected a week after Time 1, during home confinement, and Time 3 was collected a week after the confinement regulations were amended, and childcare systems reopened. At all time points mothers reported about their children’s sleep latency and sleep duration (BISQ; Sadeh, 2004), total screen time, bedtime media use and background news exposure.
Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine patterns of change over time for sleep and media exposure (see Figure 1). For sleep duration, results supported a quadratic pattern, with no change between T0 and T1, a decrease at T2 and a sharp decrease between T2 and T3. For sleep latency, both linear and quadratic patterns were supported, with an increase between T0 to T2, and a decrease between T2 to T3. A similar pattern was detected for screen time. Bedtime media use showed a linear pattern of change, with an increase between T0 and T2, and stability between T2 and T3. Finally, background news exposure showed a linear and quadratic pattern, with an increase between T0 and T2, followed by a decrease between T2 and T3.
A series of autoregressive cross-lagged (ARCL) path models revealed small, yet significant bidirectional and unidirectional links between media exposure and sleep. For example, as depicted in Figure 2, bedtime media use at T1 predicted longer sleep latency at T2, and sleep latency at T0 predicted higher use of bedtime media at T2 and T3. The sleep duration models also showed some small significant bidirectional links.
Both sleep and media exposure patterns significantly changed through the home confinement period, with some aspects returning to pre-COVID levels following the reopening of childcare systems, and some aspects remaining significantly different. Media exposure and sleep showed small, albeit significant bidirectional links, with overall higher media exposure predicting shorter sleep duration and longer sleep latency, and pre-COVID sleep measures predicting media exposure during the confinement period.

Authors

• Alisa Egotubov, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
  Presenting Author

• Avigail Gordon Hacker, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  Non-Presenting Author

• Noa Gueron-Sela, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
  Non-Presenting Author