Children's sleep problems have been linked to a wide range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and poor school performance. The negative effects of family conflict on children may have some of their influence through impaired sleep. Children who sleep better have less risk for developing problems due to family stressors than those who sleep poorly. Children in lower SES families are at greater risk for sleep problems due to a number of factors, including poorer health care, crowding, and multiple environmental stressors. Childhood obesity is associated with poor sleep and impaired health, and lower SES children are at greater risk for obesity. This project is among the first to study all of these factors in combination over several years. 220 children and their families will participate. Children will wear activity monitors that measure sleep quantity and quality, and will be assessed with measures of cognitive performance and emotion regulation. Parents will complete measures of family stressors, and children's behavioral and emotional problems. Teachers will provide information on school behavior and achievement. The findings will clarify the role of individual and group differences in sleep for children's development and also inform educational and clinical interventions.
