Youth violence exposure, adolescent delinquency and anxiety, and the potential mediating role of sleep problems during middle childhood

Chelsea M. Weaver and Daniel S. ShawUniversity of Pittsburgh

Introduction and Study Goals

Results

Violence exposure, adolescent functioning, and sleep problems

Youth violence exposure has been linked to adolescent delinquency (Weaver et al., 2008) and anxiety in previous studies; however, little research has focused on the role of sleep problems in mediating this relationship.

Exposure to violence is thought to increase children’s arousal and worry, likely interfering with sleep, which in turn has been shown to impair cognitive (Buckhalt et al., 2007) and affective functioning (Dahl, 2002), including the propensity to engage in antisocial behavior.

Although both violence exposure (Cooley-Quille & Lorion, 1999) and children’s sleep disturbances (Stein et al., 2001) have been linked to problem behavior, few studies have explored whether associations between violence exposure and delinquency are mediated by sleep difficulties.

The present study explored children’s exposure at school entry to (1) violent school atmospheres, (2) inter-parental aggression, (3) and neighborhood danger and their links to adolescent delinquency and anxiety, as well as how middle childhood sleep impairment might mediate such relations among a sample of at-risk boys.

Hypotheses

1.Violent school atmospheres, high inter-parental aggression and neighborhood danger assessed at school entry (ages 5-6) will be associated with elevated delinquency and anxiety during adolescence (age 15).

2.Associations will be mediated by middle childhood sleep problems.

Method continued

Discussion

conduct, in-school suspensions, and fights). Sleep quality and latency to sleep (in minutes) were measured via maternal-report when children were 11 using the Sleep Quality Questionnaire. Delinquency was measured using the Self-report of Delinquency (Elliott et al., 1985) and anxiety was measured using the self-report Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (March, 1997). Both outcomes were measured at age 15.

Results suggested that exposure to violence at school entry across multiple environmental contexts has negative effects on at-risk boys’ sleep quality during middle childhood. In turn, sleep disruptions predicted the development of delinquency and anxiety during adolescence.

Effects of violent school atmospheres at age 6 and inter-parental aggression at age 5 persisted to affect sleep quality at age 11, supporting the theory that children’s hyper-arousal from violence exposure interferes with sleep. Importantly, the current study showed these effects persisted 5 years later.

In turn, longer latency to sleep predicted higher rates of self-reported anxiety at age 15, supporting previous work showing that sleep disruptions impair affective functioning. Importantly, this pathway was shown to exist from age 11 to age 15 utilizing different reporters for each measure.

Evidence for mediation of sleep problems was not found. Future research should investigate other process variables that may account for the links between violence exposure and sleep and between sleep and adolescent adjustment (e.g., self-regulation).

This study has implications for understanding the persistence of early violence exposure’s effects on later sleep problems among at-risk boys, and the impact of sleep disruption on adolescent adjustment.

Figure 1. The effects of childhood (1) violent school atmospheres, (2) neighborhood dangerousness , and (3) inter-parental aggression on adolescent delinquency, and the potential mediating role of middle childhood sleep impairment.

Results continued

Two structural equation models were fit to test the predictions between latent school violence, latent inter-parental aggression (verbal and physical aggression), and neighborhood dangerousness at the transition to school, sleep problems in middle childhood, and (1) adolescent delinquency and (2) anxiety (see Figures 1 and 2).

-0.18+

-1.48*

-0.04*

.01+

46.65+

1.38*

0.74*1.002.61* 1.19* 1.00

Verbal Aggression

Physical Aggression

Inter-Parental Aggression

Latency to Sleep

School Violence

Neighborhood Dangerousness

Disorderly Conduct

In-School Suspensions Fights

Sleep Quality

Adolescent Delinquency

χ2 (19) = 30.59, p = .05; χ2/df = 1.61; CFI = .92; TLI = .84; RMSEA = .05; SRMR = .09

-1.46*

-0.04*

0.03*

45.90*

1.46*

0.80*1.002.34* 1.13* 1.00

Verbal Aggression

Physical Aggression

Inter-Parental Aggression

Latency to Sleep

School Violence

Neighborhood Dangerousness

Disorderly Conduct

In-School Suspension

s

Fights

Sleep Quality

Adolescent Anxiety

χ2 (19) = 32.65, p = .05; χ2/df = 1.71; CFI = .09; TLI = .81; RMSEA = .05; SRMR = .09

Figure 2. (1) violent school atmospheres, (2) neighborhood dangerousness , and (3) inter-parental aggression on adolescent anxiety, and the potential mediating role of middle childhood sleep impairment.

0.44+

Results of structural equation models

Exposure to violent school atmospheres at age 6 and inter-parental aggression at age 5 (while controlling for neighborhood danger at age 5) predicted poorer overall sleep quality and a longer latency to sleep at age 11 in both models (see Figures 1 and 2). A non-statistical trend suggested a relationship between higher neighborhood danger and longer latency to sleep.

In turn, maternal reports of longer latency to sleep at age 11 predicted higher levels of self-reported anxiety at age 15 (see Figure 2). There were non-statistical trends for poorer sleep quality and longer latency to sleep predicting higher rates of self-reported delinquency at age 15 (see Figure 1).

MethodParticipants were part of the Pitt Mother & Child Project (N = 257). Mother-son dyads were recruited between 1991-1992 from WIC centers in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area when target children were infants. The sample was predominantly low-income (per capita income $2984/month) and ethnically diverse (45% African American or biracial).

Data were collected when children were 5, 6, 11, and 15. Inter-parental aggression was measured via maternal-reports on the Conflict Tactics Scale (verbal aggression and physical aggression subscales; Strauss, 1979) at age 6; maternal report of neighborhood danger was assessed at age 5; school quality items were collected at age 6 from a state-wide computerized database (incidents of disorderly

There was no evidence of sleep quality nor latency to sleep mediating the relationships between violence exposure and delinquency and anxiety.