Inadequate Sleep as a Mediating Variable Between Exposure to Interparental Violence and Depression Severity in Adolescents

Sara Nowakowski, Hye Jeong Choi, Jessica Meers, Jeff R. Temple

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Exposure to violence, including interparental and peer dating violence, is a public health concern associated with negative outcomes, including depression. However, little is known about mechanisms by which exposure to violence influences depressive symptoms. One factor that may help explain this association is problematic sleep. This study sought to determine whether short sleep duration mediates the relationship between exposure to violence (interparental and peer dating violence) and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the mediating role of short sleep duration from a 3-year longitudinal study of 1042 high school students. Results demonstrated interparental violence was negatively related to sleep duration (friends’ dating violence was not), and sleep duration negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Adolescents exposed to violence between their parents obtained less sleep on school nights. In turn, they reported more depressive symptoms. Short sleep duration mediated the relationship between exposure to interparental violence and depression severity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)109-114
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Child and Adolescent Trauma
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2016

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Interparental violence
  • Peer dating violence
  • Sleep

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine

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