Sleep and disparities in child and adolescent development

Abstract

Sleep is a robust predictor of child and adolescent development. Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and related experiences (e.g., discrimination) are associated with sleep, but researchers have just begun to understand the role of sleep in the development of racial/ethnic and SES disparities in broader psychosocial adjustment and cognitive functioning during childhood and adolescence. In this article, we discuss poor sleep as a potential mechanism contributing to the development of such disparities, and better sleep as a potential protective factor that diminishes such disparities. We conclude by offering recommendations for research to advance understanding of sleep as a key bioregulatory system that may underlie or protect against detrimental developmental outcomes related to socioeconomic adversity and belonging to a historically minoritized group.

Short Sleep Duration: Children’s Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders and Demographic, Neighborhood, and Family Context in a Nationally Representative Sample, 2016–2019

“…As expected, sleep disparities were associated with social determinants of health ( 5 , 14 , 21 , 23 , 24 ). Short sleep duration was more prevalent among children in most racial and ethnic minority groups than among non-Hispanic White children ( 23 , 29 ).…”

“…As expected, sleep disparities were associated with social determinants of health ( 5 , 14 , 21 , 23 , 24 ). Short sleep duration was more prevalent among children in most racial and ethnic minority groups than among non-Hispanic White children ( 23 , 29 ). Non-Hispanic Black children had the highest prevalence and were approximately 50% more likely than non-Hispanic White children to have short sleep duration.…”

“…Although associations decreased after adjusting for other demographic, family, and neighborhood factors and MBDD, children from several racial and ethnic minority groups still had significantly higher prevalence of short sleep duration, particularly non-Hispanic Black children. Given that racial and ethnic minority populations are affected by additional risks for health disparities that were not addressed in the available survey data, a more comprehensive examination of systemic racism and social determinants of health may be needed to understand what contributes to these sleep disparities ( 9 , 23 , 30 ). In our study, the child’s sex was not associated with short sleep duration, unlike in another study, which found shorter sleep among female adolescents ( 24 ).…”

“…Poverty is related to risks that impair sleep, such as health risks, danger and stress, crowding, lack of suitable sleep spaces, or food insecurity ( 9 , 10 , 15 ). Children from racial and ethnic minority groups experience increased risk for insufficient sleep ( 7 , 9 , 21 , 22 , 24 ), potentially through mental stress from experiencing racism and discrimination ( 9 , 23 ), and through structural racism and the associated higher prevalence of socioeconomic risks related to poor sleep ( 21 , 22 ).…”

Child emotional abuse and adult depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Black females: The moderating role of adolescent sleep duration.

“…Next, we used these centered scores to create an interaction term to test the moderating effect of sleep duration during adolescence. Based on documented links between puberty, parent socioeconomic status, and adolescent sleep (Carskadon et al, 1993; El-Sheikh, Gillis, et al, 2022; Foley et al, 2018), we controlled for these variables in the analyses. We also controlled for the frequency or sexual and physical abuse before age 18 years given associations with emotional abuse (Crow et al, 2014).…”