The role of pre-sleep cognitions in adolescent sleep-onset problems

© 2018 Elsevier BV. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (March 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policy.Study Objectives: To examine the relationship between pre-sleep cognitions and sleep-onset difficulties in an adolescent sample. Methods: Participants were 385 students (59% male) from grades 9 to 11, between 13 and 18 yrs old (M=15.6, SD=1.0), from 8 co-educational high schools of varied socioeconomic status in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. The cross-sectional study used a questionnaire battery including the Sleep Anticipatory Anxiety Questionnaire - Adolescent Version [SAAQ-A], completed during school time, followed by 8 days of sleep diary completion and wearing wrist actigraphy to obtain subjective and objective sleep onset latency [SOL]. Results: Significant relationships were found between somatic arousal (SAAQ-A subscale) and objective SOL, and between sleep-related cognitions (SAAQ-A subscale) and subjective SOL and SOL overestimation (sleep misperception). No relationships were found between subjective SOL and somatic or rehearsal and planning cognitions. Objective SOL was not related to rehearsal and planning, or sleep-related cognition scores, and sleep misperception had no relationship with somatic, and rehearsal and planning cognition scores. Conclusions: These findings are similar to those in clinical adult populations, but also notably different, for example the lack of association between negative sleep-related pre-sleep cognitions and objective sleep difficulty. This study’s results provide a basis for existing relationships between negative pre-sleep cognitions and subjective and objective sleep difficulties in this population to be examined causally in more detail

Cognitive-behavioural treatment of trauma-related nightmares in children: a developmental adaptation of imagery rehearsal therapy

Bowen Hills, QL

The contribution of peer and media influences to the development of body satisfaction and self-esteem in young girls: a prospective study

This study aimed to prospectively examine the role of peer and media influences in the development of body satisfaction (incorporating the desire for thinness and satisfaction with appearance) in young girls, as well as the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem. A sample of 97 girls 5–8 years of age completed individual interviews at Time 1 and 1 year later at Time 2. Linear panel analyses found that Time 1 perception of peers ’ desire for thinness was temporally antecedent to girls ’ desire for thinness, appearance satisfaction, and self-esteem 1 year later. In addition, the watching of appearance-focused television programs was temporally antecedent to appearance satisfaction. Finally, girls ’ desire for thinness was found to temporally precede low self-esteem. Thus, as early as school entry, girls appear to already live in a culture in which peers and the media transmit the thin ideal in a way that negatively influences the development of body image and self-esteem

Family disorganization, sleep hygiene, and adolescent sleep disturbance

The link between sleep hygiene and adolescent sleep is well documented, though evidence suggests contributions from other factors, particularly the family environment. The present study examined whether sleep hygiene mediated the relationship between family disorganization and self-reported sleep onset latency, total sleep time, and daytime sleepiness in adolescents. Participants were 217 adolescents, aged 13 to 18 (M = 14.9, SD = 1.0) years, (43% male), recruited from four high schools in South Australia. Sleep hygiene fully mediated the relationship between family disorganization and sleep onset latency (z = 2.77, p < .01) and daytime sleepiness (z = 3.47, p < .01). Only partial mediation was evident for total sleep time (z = 2.50, p < .05). These findings suggest that consideration should be given to the family environment when assessing sleep disturbance in adolescents, and subsequently implementing interventions.8 page(s