Sleep in Adolescence: The Importance of Family and School Contexts

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Approximately 62% of high school adolescents in the United States do not obtain sufficient sleep (National Sleep Foundation, 2006). Sleep problems are linked to a range of mental and physical health issues in adolescence (Shochat et al., 2014), making sleep a nationally recognized public health concern during this developmental period. Growing research highlights the importance of considering contextual influences on adolescent sleep (Becker et al., 2015), including family and school influences. Whereas positive aspects of youths’ contexts (e.g., parental acceptance) have been linked with healthier sleep (Fuligni et al., 2015), negative environments (e.g., peer victimization) can result in sleep problems (Donoghue & Meltzer, 2018). Despite this, there is much to be explored regarding the impact of family and school-level contexts on sleep in adolescence. Further, there is a need for research examining these processes across diverse samples. This symposium focuses on two key contextual influences (family, school) as they relate to sleep in adolescence. The four studies span diverse ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and areas of the United States, and focus on influences within the family (e.g., family functioning, time spent with parents and siblings) and school context (e.g., ethnic/racial composition, peer aggression). Further, studies incorporate multiple methods of assessment of sleep and innovative methodologies (e.g., actigraphy, diary assessment), designs (e.g., longitudinal), and statistical procedures (e.g., multilevel modeling). Collectively, these papers contribute to growing literature examining adolescent sleep in these developmentally-salient contexts, and have implications for family- and school-based interventions that aim to promote healthful sleep among high schools students.

Sub Unit

• Health, Growth, Injury

Chair

• Jeri Sasser, Arizona State University

Individual Presentations

• Adolescent Sleep in a Family Context: Family Dysfunction’s Role in Adolescent Sleep and Mental Health - Presenting Author: Jack S Peltz, SUNY Brockport; Non-Presenting Author: Ronald Rogge, University of Rochester

• Spending Time With Family Predicts Sleep in Latinx Adolescents: Variation by Family Values and Dynamics - Presenting Author: Jeri Sasser, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: Emma Lecarie, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: HyeJung Park, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: Leah D Doane, Arizona State University

• Exposure to Peer Aggression and Adolescent Sleep Problems: Moderation by Parental Acceptance - Presenting Author: Megan Zeringue, Middle Tennessee State University; Non-Presenting Author: Stephen Erath, Auburn University; Non-Presenting Author: Mona M El-Sheikh, Auburn University

• The Role of School Racial Composition on Sleep & Discrimination Over Time - Presenting Author: Kyle Lorenzo, Fordham University; Non-Presenting Author: Jillianne Fowle, Fordham University; Non-Presenting Author: Ye Feng, Fordham University; Non-Presenting Author: Tiffany Yip, Fordham University