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This study examined whether sleep problems predicted academic performance, classroom disruptive behavior, and substance use among 171 adolescents (58% female; age: M =14.05, SD =1.46). We also tested whether poor self-regulation mediated such relationships. Students reported their sleep problems (i.e., insomnia), reasons for doing schoolwork, ability to control their attention and behavior, school grade, classroom disruptive behavior, and substance use. Teacher ratings of academic performance were also gathered. The results showed that selfregulation significantly mediated the effects of sleep problems on academic performance, classroom disruptive behavior, and substance use. The developmental implications of the findings were discussed.
Sleep problems are a major public health issue in the U.S. An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems and about 30 million Americans have frequent or chronic insomnia (National Institute of Health, 2006). According to a national study, more than one half (56%) of 6th-12th graders got less sleep than they thought they needed to feel their best; 51% felt tired or sleepy during the day and 51% had difficulty falling asleep at least once in the last two weeks (National Sleep Foundation, 2006). This study examined the relationship among sleep problems, academic performance, and substance use among a group of adolescents. The study also tested whether self-regulation mediated the effect of sleep problems on academic performance and substance use.
Sleep Problems and Academic Performance
The association between sleep problems (e.g., insomnia, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness) and academic performance has been shown in studies with elementary school students (El-Sheikh, Buckhalt, Keller, Cummings, & Acebo, 2007), junior high and high school students (Chung & Cheung, 2008; Joo et al., 2005; Lazaratou, Dikeos, Anagnostopoulos, Sbokou, & Soldatos, 2005) and college students (Lack, 1986). In a group of 166 U.S. elementary school students, emotional security mediated the effect of marital conflict on the quality and duration of sleep, as indicated by actigraph data (note: actigraphs are instruments, usually in the form of a wrist watch, that measure activity level at wake time and sleep time) (El-Sheikh et al., 2007). Disruptions on the quality and duration of sleep in turn had a negative effect on academic, emotional, and behavioral performance (El-Sheikh et al., 2007). A study of 3871 11th graders in Korea showed that those with excessive...