Family contexts and sleep during adolescence

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Sleep Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Sleep deprivation and nightly sleep variation are critical health concerns for adolescents.
• Adolescent sleep patterns are influenced by social contexts, particularly family environments.
• Nightly sleep variation is a significant, yet under-researched, aspect of adolescent sleep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between family contexts and intra-individual variation (IIV) in nightly sleep duration among adolescents.
• To examine if disadvantaged family contexts are linked to higher IIV in adolescent sleep duration.
• To explore the relationship between family characteristics and average nightly sleep duration in adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Utilized survey and ecological momentary assessment data from a diverse population-based sample of 11-17 year-olds (N=1095).
• Employed a novel multi-level regression modeling approach (location-scale mixed modeling).
• Analyzed associations between family characteristics (parental marital status, SES, economic security, caregiver stress) and sleep duration variation.

Main Results:

• Adolescents in disadvantaged family contexts (unmarried parents, low SES, economic insecurity, high caregiver stress) exhibited higher IIV in nightly sleep duration.
• Family social and economic factors demonstrated a stronger association with nightly sleep variation than with average sleep duration.
• Specific family characteristics were linked to increased variability in adolescent sleep duration.

Conclusions:

• Family social and economic contexts are significantly associated with nightly sleep variation in adolescents.
• Nightly sleep variation, influenced by family environment, represents an under-researched factor contributing to adolescent sleep problems.
• Findings suggest potential pathways for health disparities related to adolescent sleep and family socioeconomic status.