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Adolescence is a developmental period with high vulnerability to sleep problems. However, research identifying distinct patterns and underlying determinants of sleep problems is scarce. This study investigated discrete subgroups of, changes in, and stability of sleep problems. We also examined whether peer victimization influenced sleep problem subgroups and transitions in patterns of sleep problems from late adolescence to young adulthood. Sex differences in the effects of peer victimization were also explored. In total, 1,455 male and 1,399 female adolescents from northern Taiwan participated in this longitudinal study. Latent transition analysis was used to examine changes in patterns of sleep problems and the effects of peer victimization on these changes. We identified three subgroups of sleep problems in males and two in females, and found that there was a certain level of instability in patterns of sleep problems during the study period. For both sexes, those with greater increases in peer victimization over time were more likely to change from being a good sleeper to a poor sleeper. The effects of peer victimization on baseline status of sleep problems, however, was only significant for males, with those exposed to higher levels of peer victimization more likely to be poor sleepers at baseline. Our findings reveal an important role of peer victimization in predicting transitions in patterns of sleep problems. Intervention programs aimed at decreasing peer victimization may help reduce the development and escalation of sleep problems among adolescents, especially in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rationale Sleep quality has been linked to several behavioral and psychological problems. No longitudinal study has examined the associations and underlying mechanisms between the trajectories of family characteristics and sleep quality in adolescents. Objective This study investigates the effects of heterogeneous trajectories of family dysfunction on sleep quality in adolescents and examines whether resilience mediates these associations. Method Data came from 2280 adolescents participating in a longitudinal study across grades 2 through 11 in northern Taiwan. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify discrete developmental patterns of family dysfunction. Multiple linear regression was applied to examine the associations between family dysfunction trajectories and sleep quality. Mediation analysis was conducted to test whether resilience mediates the associations examined. Results Four distinct trajectories of family dysfunction were identified: low persistent (26%), escalating dysfunction (21%), moderate stable (25%), and high persistent (28%). Compared to adolescents in the low-persistent trajectory, those in the escalating-dysfunction, moderate-stable, and high-persistent trajectories had significant lower levels of sleep quality (B = −0.19, p <.001, B = −0.14, p <.01, and B = −0.13, p <.05, respectively). Resilience significantly mediated the effects of all family dysfunction trajectories (relative to the low-persistent trajectory) on sleep quality (95% bootstrap confidence intervals are −0.06 to −0.02, −0.05 to −0.02, and −0.08 to −0.03 for escalating-dysfunction, moderate-stable, and high-persistent trajectories, respectively). Conclusions Family dysfunction conferred risks for poor sleep quality in adolescents and the negative effects, in part, were through decreasing resilience. Interventions to improve sleep quality in adolescents by targeting family function may be more effective when incorporating resilience. Highlights • For grade 2–9 students, four distinct family dysfunction trajectories were identified. • Youths in escalating, moderate, high dysfunction groups reported poorer sleep. • Resilience mediated the links between family dysfunction and sleep quality. • Boosting resilience in youths facing family dysfunction may improve sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale Peer victimization in children and adolescents is a serious public health concern. Growing evidence exists for negative consequences of peer victimization, but research has mostly been short term and little is known about the mechanisms that moderate and mediate the impacts of peer victimization on subsequent antisocial behavior. Objective The current study intended to examine the longitudinal relationship between peer victimization in adolescence and antisocial behavior in young adulthood and to determine whether sleep problems influence this relationship. Methods In total, 2006 adolescents participated in a prospective study from 2009 to 2013. The moderating role of sleep problems was examined by testing the significance of the interaction between peer victimization and sleep problems. The mediating role of sleep problems was tested by using bootstrapping mediational analyses. All analyses were conducted using SAS 9.3 software. Results We found that peer victimization during adolescence was positively and significantly associated with antisocial behavior in young adulthood ( β = 0.10, p < 0.0001). This association was mediated, but not moderated by sleep problems. Specifically, peer victimization first increased levels of sleep problems, which in turn elevated the risk of antisocial behavior (indirect effect: 0.01, 95% bootstrap confidence interval: 0.004, 0.021). Conclusion These findings imply that sleep problems may operate as a potential mechanism through which peer victimization during adolescence leads to increases in antisocial behavior in young adulthood. Prevention and intervention programs that target sleep problems may yield benefits for decreasing antisocial behavior in adolescents who have been victimized by peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Rural adolescents are at high risk for dating violence victimization (DVV), which has serious negative consequences. Understanding more about the conditions that increase DVV risk for rural adolescents is needed to inform prevention efforts. In response to calls for examining the influence of upper levels of the social ecology on adolescent dating violence, this study examined whether associations between the family context and physical DVV were conditioned by the characteristics of the neighborhoods in which the family resided. Methods Data were from a multi-wave longitudinal study of 3,236 rural adolescents nested in 65 block groups, which defined neighborhoods. Data were collected between 2003 and 2005. Multilevel growth curve modeling was conducted in 2014 to test hypothesized synergistic effects of the family and neighborhood on trajectories of physical DVV from grade 8 to 12. Results Low parental closeness was a DVV risk in residentially stable ( p <0.001), but not unstable, neighborhoods. Family aggression was a DVV risk, regardless of neighborhood characteristics ( p =0.001). Low parental monitoring and rule setting were not DVV risks and their effects were not moderated by neighborhood characteristics. Neighborhood ethnic heterogeneity was significantly ( p <0.05) positively associated with DVV, but neighborhood economic disadvantage, social disorganization, and violence were not associated with DVV. None of the effects varied by sex of the adolescent, across time (grade), or by the combination of sex and time. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the importance of considering the family and neighborhood, and particularly their synergistic effects in efforts to prevent adolescent DVV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neighborhood context plays a role in the development of adolescent health risk behaviors, but few studies have investigated the influence of neighborhoods on the perpetration of dating violence. This longitudinal study examined the direct effects of risky neighborhood structural and physical characteristics on trajectories of the perpetration of dating violence, tested whether collective efficacy mediated these relationships, and determined if the effects varied by the sex of the adolescent. Adolescent data are from a multi-wave longitudinal study from grades 8 to 12; neighborhood data were collected from parents' interviews and U.S. Census data. Multilevel growth curve models were conducted with 3,218 students; the sample was 50 % male, 41 % White, 50 % Black, and 9 % other race/ethnicity. In models examining risky neighborhood variables one at a time, and controlling for potential individual-level confounders, the sex of the adolescent interacted with economic disadvantage, residential instability, and physical disorder; these risky neighborhood characteristics increased risk for girls' but not boys' perpetrating of dating violence. In full models with all of the risky neighborhood variables, the sex of the adolescent continued to interact with neighborhood economic disadvantage; living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods increased girls' but not boys' risk for dating violence across all ages. No other risky neighborhood effects were found for boys or girls. Collective efficacy did not mediate the relationships between other neighborhood characteristics and the outcome. These findings suggest that dating violence prevention strategies for girls should consider the contexts in which they live rather than only targeting changes in their individual characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peer context is a central focus in research on adolescent risk behaviors but few studies have investigated the role of the peer context in the perpetration of adolescent dating violence. This longitudinal study examined between-subjects and within-person contemporaneous and lagged effects of peer attributes, measured with social network analyses, on trajectories of dating violence perpetration and determined if effects varied by grade and/or sex of the adolescent. Data are from adolescents who participated in a five-wave panel study beginning when they were in 7 through 9th grade and ending when they were in 10 through 12th grade (n = 3,412); half were male, 40.5 % were white, 49.9 % were black and 10.4 % were of another race/ethnicity. Significant between-subjects effects indicate that adolescents who typically have friends who use dating violence, and girls who are typically high in social status, are at increased risk for using dating violence throughout adolescence. Adolescents who typically have high quality friendships and girls who typically have friends with pro-social beliefs are at decreased risk for using dating violence throughout adolescence. Significant within-person contemporaneous effects indicate that both boys and girls reported lower levels of dating violence than usual at times when they had more friends with pro-social beliefs, and reported higher levels of dating violence than usual at times when they had higher social status. None of the lagged effects were significant and none of the effects varied across grade. These findings suggest that the peer context plays an important role in the development of the perpetration of adolescent dating violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine both the between-person and within-person effects of sleep problems on the trajectory of suicidal ideation from ages 14 to 22 and investigate whether resilience moderates the effects. Age and sex differences were explored in the main and interaction effects of sleep problems and resilience on suicidal ideation. The study sample included 2491 adolescents (1260 males and 1231 females) who participated in a prospective study spanning 2009 through 2016 in northern Taiwan. Sex-stratified multilevel models were used to examine the between-person and within-person effects of sleep problems and the moderating effects of resilience on the trajectory of suicidal ideation in males and females. Across adolescents, higher levels of sleep problems contributed to an elevated risk of suicidal ideation for both sexes. Within individuals, a higher risk of suicidal ideation was observed when an adolescent's sleep problems exceeded their typical levels. The within-person effects of sleep problems were further determined to vary by age in males, with the effects gradually decreasing throughout late adolescence but increasing again in young adulthood. The buffering effects of resilience were only observed in females. The relationships between the within-person effects of sleep problems and suicidal ideation were only significant in female adolescents with low levels of resilience. Our findings extend the research by demonstrating both the between-person and within-person association between sleep problems and suicidal ideation. We further revealed age and sex differences in the within-person effects of sleep problems and the buffering effects of resilience. Prevention and intervention programs that target sleep problems could be tailored based on individuals' age, sex, and levels of resilience to prevent suicidal ideation. • Higher levels of sleep problems contributed to greater risks of suicidal ideation. • Within-person fluctuation in sleep problems affected the risks of suicidal ideation. • Age differences emerged for the within-person effects of sleep problems in males. • Resilience only buffered the within-person effects of sleep problems in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the association between SES and the trajectory of insufficient sleep among children aged 0.5–8 years and to investigate whether these associations vary by age. The moderating role of maternal emotional support was further explored. Data were obtained from 20,874 children participating in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Multilevel models were conducted to explore the association between SES and the trajectory of insufficient sleep. The moderating role of maternal emotional support was examined by testing the significance of the interaction between SES and emotional support. Low parental education and poverty contributed to increased risk of insufficient sleep, and the observed associations varied by age. Specifically, the influences of parental education increased with age, and the effects of poverty were significant only among preschoolaged children. Poverty dynamics were also significantly associated with an elevated risk of insufficient sleep, but the association was mitigated by maternal emotional support. Children with low SES exhibited increased risk of insufficient sleep. Furthermore, the relationship between SES and insufficient sleep differed by age, with varying patterns emerging for different SES indicators. However, the negative influences of low SES could be mitigated by increasing maternal emotional support. Interventions that reduce SES disparity or enhance maternal emotional support could decrease the risk of insufficient sleep among children living with an SES disadvantage. • Children in families with low socioeconomic status (SES) had increased risks of insufficient sleep. • Age differences existed in the association between SES and insufficient sleep, with varying patterns emerging for different SES indicators. • Maternal emotional support mitigated the effects of poverty dynamic on insufficient sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]