Project Summary/Abstract
Sleep problems among youth are highly prevalent and associated with a broad range of emotional, behavioral,
cognitive, and physical issues. Indeed, sleep problems are ubiquitous to mental health disorders and evidence
supports sleep problems as a precursor to internalizing pathology in youth. The early adolescence
developmental period (i.e., peri-puberty) presents as a particularly vulnerable stage for the negative effects of
insufficient and/or poor-quality sleep. When considering influences on youth’s sleep, parenting behaviors and
the parent-youth relationship have been demonstrated to predict the development and maintenance of poor
sleep in youth. However, research is lacking on the specificity of which dimensions of parenting behaviors (e.g.,
nighttime parenting, general parenting practices) are most strongly associated with youth sleep problems.
Further, parenting practices have scarcely been addressed in sleep interventions for adolescents, especially in
the context of preventing mental health difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression) that typically accompany sleep
problems and that are occurring at escalating rates in adolescents. Considering the negative sequelae
associated with experiencing sleep problems in early adolescence, the current proposal aims to advance the
understanding of the influence of specific parenting practices on disrupted sleep in youth by leveraging the
sponsors’ clinical trial to examine intervention outcomes of a family-focused sleep group intervention for peri-
pubertal youth with co-occurring sleep and internalizing problems when compared to a treatment-as-usual youth-
focused sleep intervention. The proposed study will employ a comprehensive, objective, multi-method, and multi-
informant examination of trajectories in daytime and nighttime parenting practices and of youth sleep health
using methodology such as ecological momentary assessment and actigraphy (Research Aim 1). Further, group
differences in the trajectory of change in parenting practices and youth sleep (Research Aim 2) will also be
examined. Lastly, the proposed study aims to examine the mechanisms underlying improvements in youth sleep
and psychosocial health (Research Aim 3). Dr. McMakin will provide mentorship on the assessment and
treatment of sleep problems and psychosocial well-being in peri-pubertal youth (Training Goal #1). Dr. Parent
and Dr. Forehand will consult on the impact of parenting practices on youth sleep health and psychosocial
development (Training Goal #2). Dr. Timmons and Dr. Hayes will consult on developing advanced quantitative
skills to examine intensive, high volume streams of data on parenting practices and youth sleep (Training Goal
#3). Drs. McMakin and Parent will supervise and consult on the overall proposed study and ethics. Findings will
advance the understanding of transactional models between youth sleep problems and parenting and inform
prevention and intervention services for youth with co-occurring sleep and behavioral and emotional difficulties.
The proposed research aims and training goals have been intentionally delineated to prepare the applicant for a
career as an independent investigator focused on studying youth sleep health within the family context.
