0130 Negative Peer Interactions Among Adolescents Are Associated with More Difficulty Sleeping Free

Adolescence is a turbulent time for sleep health and social and psychological well-being. Adolescents commonly experience negative peer interactions and relationships. Few studies have investigated the associations of physical bullying and social exclusion with sleep, and those that have done so are not generalizable across the United States. The aim of this study was to assess whether negative peer interactions were related to sleep problems among a national, diverse sample of adolescents.

Data were from the age 15 wave of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort of adolescents from 20 US cities. Adolescents self-reported whether they experienced different forms of bullying (i.e., being picked on, hit or threatened with physical violence, or purposely excluded) and the number of nights they experienced having difficulty falling or staying asleep throughout the week (N=3,305). Poisson regression analyses for each sleep outcome were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, family structure, and caregiver education level.

About 16% of the sample reported experiencing some form of bullying, and about half reported no nights with difficulty falling or staying asleep. Adolescents who were picked on reported 30% more nights with difficulty falling asleep (p< 0.001) and 39% more nights with difficulty staying asleep (p< 0.001). Those who reported being hit or threatened with physical violence reported 27% more nights with difficulty falling asleep (p< 0.001) and 44% more nights with difficulty staying asleep (p< 0.001). Adolescents who were purposely excluded from activities reported 19% more nights with difficulty falling asleep (p< 0.001) and 38% more nights with difficulty staying asleep (p< 0.001).

Results support our hypothesis that negative peer interactions at schools across the US are associated with more nights with difficulty falling or staying asleep. If adolescents are already at risk for difficulty sleeping, experiencing bullying may further exacerbate risk. Schools should therefore identify and attempt to prevent negative peer interactions to protect adolescent sleep health and well-being.

R01HD073352, R01HD36916, R01HD39135, and R01HD40421