Poster #91 - The Indirect Effects of Sleep Problems on the Associations Between Peer Victimization and Emotional Problems

• In Event: Poster Session 15

Abstract

Introduction: Approximately twenty-four percent of children experience chronic peer victimization from kindergarten through 12th grade (Ladd et al., 2017). With the advancements made in technology and social media throughout the last decade, there has been an increase in the prevalence of cyber victimization as well (Hamm et al., 2015). Peer victimization has been linked to negative emotional outcomes, including symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as anger (Forbes et al., 2019). Moreover, peer victimization has been associated with sleep problems (i.e., sleep disturbance, sleep impairment; van Geel et al., 2016), which have also been linked to negative emotional outcomes (Armstrong et al., 2014). As such, the purpose of the current study was to investigate whether there was an indirect effect from traditional and cyber peer victimization to emotional problems (i.e., symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger) through sleep-related disturbance and impairment.

Method: The sample consisted of 278 students (51.1%) in grades 3-5 at two elementary schools in the West South-Central region of the United States. Children ranged from 7-12 years of age, with a mean age of 9.27 years (SD = 0.94). Fifty-one percent of the sample identified as Hispanic/Latino. Children completed self-report measures of traditional and cyber victimization, sleep disturbance and impairment, and anxiety, depressive, and anger symptoms during the Fall 2021 semester via group administration.

Results: Results indicated that traditional peer victimization was significantly related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger as well as sleep disturbance and impairment. Additionally, there were significant indirect effects from traditional peer victimization to emotional problems through both sleep disturbance and sleep impairment. Similarly, cyber victimization was significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger; there was also a significant link between cyber victimization and sleep impairment, whereas the link between cyber victimization and sleep disturbance approached significance (p = .05). Further, there were significant indirect effects of cyber victimization to emotional problems through both sleep disturbance and sleep impairment.

Discussion: The current findings suggest that the links from traditional and cyber peer victimization to emotional problems such as anxiety, depressive, and anger symptoms may be influenced by both sleep disturbance and sleep impairment. That is, it seems as if sleep problems may serve as a mechanism linking peer victimization to emotional problems. These findings indicate that it may be beneficial from a prevention perspective to target sleep problems when attempting to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger among elementary school-age children who have or are experiencing peer victimization.

Authors

• Elizabeth Mallory Gunder, Texas Tech University
  Presenting Author

• Brianna Turney Ricker, Texas Tech University

• John L Cooley, Texas Tech University

• Caroline Cummings

• Montana Baker, Texas Tech University

• Brooke Streicher