Developmental Implications of Early Childhood Sleep

描述（由申请人提供）：睡眠相关的评估和干预措施越来越多地在儿科，心理和教育实践中进行测试。然而，实践的发展科学基础相当有限。对自然发生的睡眠的研究已经确定了睡眠不足的变量，但没有将它们置于一个清晰的维度结构中; 他们暗示但没有充分确定睡眠影响儿童的社会发展;他们提出但没有建立睡眠如何通过影响自我调节的增长来塑造社会发展的机制。为了更好地定义睡眠不足的维度，并绘制睡眠不足在儿童社会发展结果中的作用，该项目纵向研究了2 1/2、3和3 1/2岁的儿童，这是睡眠和自我调节相对强烈的发展时期，为儿童的社会发展奠定了基础。 后来的同行和学术上的成功。儿童的睡眠不足将通过活动记录仪和父母日记进行评估，睡眠问题通过临床使用的父母报告量表进行评估;通过实验室任务进行自我调节;通过父母和二级护理人员报告进行调整。家庭环境，包括压力源和养育方式，将同时进行评估，包括问卷调查，访谈和观察方法，以及与主题相关的新方法，观察孩子的睡前前奏。对以下7个假设进行了检验：1）儿童睡眠不足的活动图和父母日记测量将产生3个心理测量学上合理的可分离因素：短时间、时间和数量的夜间变化以及夜间睡眠片段，这些因素将在每个年龄形成一个二阶因素，并适用于所有3个年龄。2)孩子们会表现出中等水平的睡眠不足因素的连续性。3)家庭环境与儿童睡眠有一定的关系。4)睡眠不足因素 将与儿童的社会适应措施内和跨年龄，甚至控制家庭环境变量，也与儿童的适应。5)睡眠不足也将与儿童的自我调节和成长有关，甚至控制家庭环境。6)假设假设4和5将得到支持，儿童自我调节的成长将解释睡眠对儿童社会发展的影响。7)作为第二个假设，我们预计气质不稳定和认知语言技能将分别调节睡眠不足和社会发展结果之间的联系。 公共卫生相关性：这项拟议中的研究评估了幼儿的睡眠不足是否以及如何对自我调节和行为调整的发展产生重要影响。这项纵向研究精确测量了睡眠不足的维度，控制了家庭因素，并测试了自我调节作为睡眠不足对调整影响的发展机制，将提供迄今为止最权威的答案。研究结果将指导幼儿项目，以预防行为和学业适应问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sleep-related assessments and interventions are increasingly tested in pediatric, psychological, and educational practice. However, the developmental science basis for practice is quite limited. Studies of naturally-occurring sleep have identified sleep deficit variables, but have not placed them in a clear dimensional structure; they have implied but not sufficiently established that sleep affects children's social development; and they have suggested but not established a mechanism for how sleep might shape social development, via effects on growth in self-regulation. To better define the dimensions of sleep deficits and chart the role of sleep deficits in children's social development outcomes, the proposed project longitudinally studies children at ages 2 1/2 , 3, and 3 1/2, a period of relatively intense development in both sleep and self- regulation that sets the stage for later peer and academic success. Children's sleep deficits will be assessed by actigraphs and parent diary, and sleep problems by a clinically-used parent-report scale; self-regulation by laboratory tasks; and adjustment by parent and secondary caregiver reports. Family context, including stressors and parenting, will be assessed at the same times, with questionnaire, interview, and observational methods, and also with the topically relevant, novel method of observing the prelude to the child's bedtime. The following 7 hypotheses are tested: 1) Actigraphic and parent diary measures of child sleep deficit will yield 3, psychometrically sound, separable factors: short amount, night-to-night variability in timing and amount, and within-night fragmentation of sleep, and these factors will both form one 2nd-order factor at each age and apply at all 3 ages. 2) Children will show moderate levels of continuity on the sleep deficit factors. 3) Family context will relate to child sleep to moderate degrees. 4) Sleep deficit factors will be associated with child social adjustment measures both within and across ages, even controlling for family context variables that are also associated with child adjustment. 5) Sleep deficits will also be associated with child self-regulation and its growth, even controlling for family context. 6) Assuming hypotheses 4 and 5 will be supported, child growth in self-regulation will explain effects of sleep on child social development. 7) And as a secondary hypothesis, we expect that temperamental unmanageability and cognitive-verbal skills will each moderate the linkage between sleep deficits and social development outcomes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study evaluates whether and how young children's sleep deficits have important effects on development of self-regulation and behavioral adjustment. This longitudinal study, which precisely measures the dimensions of sleep deficit, controls for family factors, and tests self-regulation as a developmental mechanism for sleep deficit effects on adjustment, will provide the most authoritative answer to date. Results will guide early childhood programs to prevent behavioral and academic adjustment problems.