Associations Between Daily Sleep and Mood Among Ethnically and Racially Minoritized Adolescents During High School: A...

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Sleep Science
• Mental Well-being

Background:

• High school is a critical period for adolescent development, marked by significant changes in sleep patterns and mood.
• Ethnically and racially minoritized adolescents, including Black and Latiné youth, may experience unique challenges during this transition.
• Understanding the interplay between sleep and mood is crucial for supporting adolescent well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between sleep duration, wake after sleep onset, and daily mood (positive and negative) in Black and Latiné adolescents.
• To examine how these sleep-mood associations change from 9th to 11th grade.
• To explore within-person and between-person level relationships.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 181 Black and Latiné adolescents across five northeastern high schools.
• Annual data collection from 9th to 11th grade (2015-2017).
• Analysis of self-reported sleep duration, wake after sleep onset, and mood at within-person and between-person levels.

Main Results:

• Increased daily sleep duration was associated with decreased negative mood the following day at the within-person level.
• At the between-person level in 11th grade, longer sleep duration correlated with higher positive mood.
• In 11th grade, longer sleep duration and longer wake after sleep onset were linked to higher negative mood, with no significant associations in 9th or 10th grades.

Conclusions:

• Healthy sleep habits appear to be a protective factor for adolescent mood and overall well-being during the high school transition.
• The associations between sleep and mood are particularly significant in the 11th grade for Black and Latiné adolescents.
• Interventions promoting healthy sleep may enhance positive mood and mitigate negative mood in this population.