Work

Socioeconomic status and sleep in adolescence: The role of family chaos.

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with poor sleep in youth, yet mechanisms underlying this association are not well-understood. The present study examined greater chaos as a mediator of associations between low SES and 2 indices of poor sleep. Two hundred fifty-two adolescents (53% girls; 66% White/European American, 34% Black/African American) participated in the 3-wave longitudinal study. The sample was socioeconomically diverse. At age 16, parents reported on 2 indices of SES: family income and perceived economic well-being. Adolescents reported on chaos within their family at age 17 and on 2 key sleep-wake processes-sleep quality and daytime sleepiness-at age 18. Family chaos functioned as a mediating or intervening variable in longitudinal associations between lower SES and both poorer sleep quality and greater daytime sleepiness. The findings suggest the potential utility of targeting family level processes that exemplify chaos, such as unpredictability, noise, and interruptions, to improve sleep among adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/fam0000636

Authors: Lauren E. Philbrook, Ekjyot K. Saini, Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell, Joseph A. Buckhalt, Mona El-Sheikh

Institutions: Colgate University, Auburn University

Language: English

Topic: Sleep and related disorders

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, No poverty, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development