Parental Incarceration History and Adolescent Sleep

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Sleep Science
• Criminology

Background:

• Adolescence is a critical period for circadian rhythm shifts and widespread sleep deprivation.
• Parental incarceration is a significant adverse childhood experience with potential long-term health consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parental incarceration and various aspects of adolescent sleep.
• To examine if different types of parental incarceration (father-only, mother-only, both-parent) differentially impact sleep.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multivariable regression analysis on data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study.
• Sample comprised 15-year-old adolescents residing in midsize or larger U.S. cities.
• Assessed sleep duration, timing, disturbance, and regularity (social jetlag).

Main Results:

• Father-only and both-parent incarceration were associated with 1-2 additional days of sleep disturbance monthly.
• Both-parent incarceration correlated with increased sleep irregularity (17 minutes more social jetlag).
• Short sleep duration was common across all groups, irrespective of parental incarceration history.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with incarcerated parents experience poorer sleep quality, particularly increased disturbance and irregularity, compared to peers.
• Sleep issues related to parental incarceration persist into adolescence, even if overall sleep duration is not reduced.
• Interventions for adolescents affected by parental incarceration should prioritize addressing sleep irregularity and disturbance.