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The Role of Sleep in Links Between Daily Interpersonal Stress and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms During

Crystal B Li1,2, Emma K Lecarie1, Devan Walter3

  • 1Arizona State University, Department of Psychology, 950 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85287, United States.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
|October 14, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children experiencing more daily interpersonal stress showed increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Healthy sleep, particularly sufficient duration, may buffer these negative effects, highlighting sleep

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Sleep Science
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Interpersonal stress is linked to poor adjustment.
  • Healthy sleep may protect against negative adjustment outcomes.
  • Associations between stress, sleep, and adjustment in children are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Examine longitudinal associations between daily interpersonal stress, sleep, and internalizing/externalizing symptoms in middle childhood.
  • Investigate the role of sleep in mediating or moderating the relationship between stress and adjustment.
  • Provide insights for interventions targeting child adjustment.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study design.
  • Actigraphy used to measure sleep at age 8.
  • Parental reports of daily stress and child symptoms at age 8.
  • Child self-reports of symptoms at age 9.

Main Results:

  • Increased daily interpersonal stress at age 8 predicted increased internalizing/externalizing symptoms at age 9.
  • Higher sleep efficiency was associated with fewer externalizing symptoms.
  • Sleep duration moderated the stress-symptom relationship, with significant positive associations for average and high sleep duration.

Conclusions:

  • Daily interpersonal stress is a predictor of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in middle childhood.
  • Sleep efficiency and duration play a role in child adjustment.
  • Findings support the development of family and school interventions addressing stress and sleep.
Abstract

Keywords:
ActigraphyExternalizingInternalizingInterpersonal StressSleep

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