Study Objectives: Socioeconomically disadvantaged children are at risk for poor sleep hygiene and increased sleep problems. This pilot study examined the efficacy of Sleep Well!, a parent-based sleep education endeavor, which supplemented an outreach program that provides beds to socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Methods: In addition to receiving a bed, 152 children (mean age = 5.95 years, 57.2% boys) were randomly assigned to sleep education (3 messages: bedtime before 21:00; no caffeine; keep electronics out of the bedroom) or control (dental hygiene education) conditions. All education was provided at both the time of scheduling and delivery of a bed to each child. Parent-reported sleep data were collected at baseline and at 4-week follow-up. Results: Provision of a bed was associated with reduced bedroom electronics and increased parent-reported nighttime sleep duration for all children. However, relative to control children, intervention children showed even greater reductions in electronics (baseline mean = 1.91 items, follow-up mean = 0.85 items) and improvements in sleep duration (baseline mean = 9.75 hours, follow-up mean = 10.19 hours). There was no intervention effect for caffeine consumption or bedtime from baseline to follow-up. Conclusions: Providing beds to socioeconomically disadvantaged children resulted in increased sleep duration and decreased use of electronics at bedtime, while the combination of a bed and brief parent sleep education conferred additional sleep benefits. Further study of brief child sleep interventions is warranted, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged children who are at risk for sleep problems.

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According to the hopelessness theory of depression, some individuals have a cognitive vulnerability (i.e., negative cognitive style) that interacts with stressful life events to produce depression. A negative cognitive style is associated with a maladaptive cognitive response to stress (i.e., increased negative attributions); however, no study has assessed whether this cognitive vulnerability is also associated with a maladaptive endocrine (e.g., cortisol) response to stress. If shown to be related, individual differences in cognitive style may potentially explain why the literature on the association between cortisol stress reactivity and depression is mixed, as cortisol responses to stress may vary as a function of attributional style. The aim of the present study was to provide a preliminary test of whether cognitive vulnerability was related to cortisol reactivity to an acute laboratory stressor among a sample of young adults (n = 20; M age = 23.1 years; 10 females). Negative cognitive style and depressive symptoms were assessed via the Cognitive Style Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire, respectively. All participants also completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Salivary cortisol was collected before, during, and after the TSST. Results showed a significant association between negative cognitive style and cortisol stress reactivity, such that a greater negative cognitive style was related to a larger cortisol response to the TSST. Post hoc analyses revealed that this association was moderated by gender (i.e., effect observed in males only). Cortisol responses to the TSST, in general, were lower among females, but this relationship was not moderated by cognitive style. These findings may be related to underlying gender differences in stress vulnerability, which may have clinical implications for understanding the interactive effect of cognitive and neuroendocrine processes on vulnerability and resiliency to depression.

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Later in life Veterans may report increased thoughts and memories of traumatic military experience in the context of age-related changes, a process called Later-Adulthood Trauma Reengagement (LATR); this process may lead to resilience or distress. We describe the development of a 10-session group intervention with goals of providing psychoeducation about LATR, enhancing stress management and coping skills, and fostering meaning making. We characterize implementation and outcome characteristics for seven group cohorts over 5 years; groups were completed in-person or virtually. Outcomes were measured with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Meaning in Life Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive Appraisals of Military experience (PAMES), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Forty-seven Veterans (aged 65-93) began the group, 37 (87%) completed at least six sessions. These 37 Veterans reported an average of eight stressful events in the prior year, mostly major illness, death of a friend, and decline in memory and enjoyable activities, which may have set the stage for LATR. Veterans resonated with the LATR concept on standardized scales and qualitative comments. In pre-post comparisons, participants reported higher levels of PAMES (η 2 = .225), resilience (η 2 = .208), and meaning in life (η 2 = .145), with fewer symptoms of PTSD (η 2 = .199) and depression (η 2 = .124). There were no significant differences in outcomes for those who completed the group in-person or virtually. The LATR protocol may provide a framework for working with older adults reporting emergence or exacerbation of thoughts and memories of earlier trauma in later life, fostering positive adaptation. Impact StatementAs people age, they may engage in life review; for Veterans this may bring new or increased thoughts about military service. We developed a group intervention to educate Veterans about Later-Adulthood Trauma Reengagement (LATR) and to provide tools for stress management and meaning making. Veterans who completed the intervention reported increased resilience, meaning in life, and positive views of military service, and decreased distress, suggesting the group may be useful to older Veterans experiencing LATR.