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Published on: December 14, 2014
Sleep mediates the link between resiliency and behavioural problems in children at high and low risk for alcoholism
Ilana S Hairston1, Deirdre A Conroy1, Mary M Heitzeg1
1School of Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv - Jaffa, Jaffa, Israel.
Insights
Children of alcoholic parents may have reduced sleep. Sufficient sleep in children is linked to better self-regulation, fewer behavioral problems, and less conflict at home.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Sleep Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Children with alcoholic parents face increased risks for substance use and mental health issues.
- Parental mental illness is associated with higher rates of sleep disorders in children.
- Understanding sleep patterns in children of alcohol-abusing parents is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize sleep patterns in children of alcoholic parents using actigraphy.
- To investigate the mediating role of sleep characteristics in the relationship between self-regulation and functional outcomes.
- To examine the association between sleep, self-regulation, and behavioral/emotional regulation in children.
Main Methods:
- Actigraphy and sleep diaries were used to assess sleep over one week in 82 children (ages 7.2–13.0).
- Participants were categorized based on parental history of alcohol abuse (family history negative, recovered alcoholic, or current alcohol use disorder).
- Secondary analysis of longitudinal data on self-regulation indices and functional outcomes was performed.
Main Results:
- Children from families with no parental history of alcohol abuse (FH-) exhibited more objectively measured total sleep time.
- Greater total sleep time correlated with higher resiliency, better behavioral control, fewer behavioral problems, and less home conflict.
- Total sleep time partially mediated the link between resiliency and perceived conflict, and between resiliency and externalizing problems.
Conclusions:
- Children in high-risk homes (parental alcoholism) may have reduced opportunities for sufficient sleep.
- Insufficient sleep can worsen the impact of impaired self-regulatory capacity on behavioral and emotional regulation in children.
- Promoting adequate sleep may be a key strategy for mitigating negative outcomes in children of alcoholic parents.
Abstract:
Children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk for developing substance use problems. Having a parent with any mental illness increases the risk for sleep disorders in children. Using actigraphy, this study characterized sleep in children of alcoholics and community controls over a period of 1 week. This study further examined whether sleep characteristics of the children mediated the relationship between self-regulation indices (i.e. undercontrol and resiliency) and outcome measures of function (e.g. problem behaviours and perceived conflict at home). Eighty-two children (53 boys, 29 girls, 7.2-13.0 years old) were recruited from the ongoing Michigan Longitudinal Study. Seventeen participants had no parental history of alcohol abuse or dependence family history negative (FH-), 43 had at least one parent who was a recovered alcoholic, and 22 had at least one parent who met diagnostic criteria within the past 3 years. Sleep was assessed with actigraphy and sleep diaries for 1 week, and combined with secondary analysis of data collected for the longitudinal study. FH- children had more objectively measured total sleep time. More total sleep time was associated with greater resiliency and behavioural control, fewer teacher-reported behavioural problems, and less child-reported conflict at home. Further, total sleep time partially mediated the relationship between resiliency and perceived conflict, and between resiliency and externalizing problems. These findings suggest that in high-risk homes, the opportunity to obtain sufficient sleep is reduced, and that insufficient sleep further exacerbates the effects of impaired dispositional self-regulatory capacity on behavioural and emotional regulation.
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