Sleep across early childhood: implications for internalizing and externalizing problems, socioemotional skills, and cognitive and academic abilities in preschool

Caroline P Hoyniak; John E Bates; Maureen E McQuillan; Angela D Staples; Isaac T Petersen; Kathleen M Rudasill; Victoria J Molfese

doi:10.1111/jcpp.13225

Back

Sleep across early childhood: implications for internalizing and externalizing problems, socioemotional skills, and cognitive and academic abilities in preschool

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Sleep across early childhood: implications for internalizing and externalizing problems, socioemotional skills, and cognitive and academic abilities in preschool

Caroline P Hoyniak, John E Bates, Maureen E McQuillan, Angela D Staples, Isaac T Petersen, Kathleen M Rudasill and Victoria J Molfese

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, Vol.61(10), pp.1080-1091

10/2020

DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13225

PMCID: PMC7812691

PMID: 32173864

Files and links (1)

url

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7812691View

Open Access

Abstract

Background Sleep is thought to be important for behavioral and cognitive development. However, much of the prior research on sleep's role in behavioral/cognitive development has relied upon self‐report measures and cross‐sectional designs. Methods The current study examined how early childhood sleep, measured actigraphically, was developmentally associated with child functioning at 54 months. Emphasis was on functioning at preschool, a crucial setting for the emergence of psychopathology. Participants included 119 children assessed longitudinally at 30, 36, 42, and 54 months. We examined correlations between child sleep and adjustment across three domains: behavioral adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems), socioemotional skills, and academic/cognitive abilities. We further probed consistent associations with growth curve modeling. Results Internalizing problems were associated with sleep variability, and cognitive and academic abilities were associated with sleep timing. Growth curve analysis suggested that children with more variable sleep at 30 months had higher teacher‐reported internalizing problems in preschool and that children with later sleep timing at 30 months had poorer cognitive and academic skills at 54 months. However, changes in sleep from 30 to 54 months were not associated with any of the domains of adjustment. Conclusions Findings indicate that objectively measured sleep variability and late sleep timing in toddlerhood are associated with higher levels of internalizing problems and poorer academic/cognitive abilities in preschool.

adjustment problems

Sleep

Details

Title: Subtitle: Sleep across early childhood: implications for internalizing and externalizing problems, socioemotional skills, and cognitive and academic abilities in preschool
Creators: Caroline P Hoyniak - Washington University in St. Louis
John E Bates - Indiana University
Maureen E McQuillan - Indiana University
Angela D Staples - Eastern Michigan University
Isaac T Petersen - University of Iowa
Kathleen M Rudasill - Virginia Commonwealth University
Victoria J Molfese - University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, Vol.61(10), pp.1080-1091
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13225
PMID: 32173864
PMCID: PMC7812691
NLM abbreviation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry
ISSN: 0021-9630
eISSN: 1469-7610
Number of pages: 12
Grant note: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD073202)
Language: English
Date published: 10/2020
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Center for Social Science Innovation
Record Identifier: 9984070265302771

Metrics

20 Record Views

42 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details