0993 SLEEP INTERVENTION IMPROVES SELF-CONTROL IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence suggests that short sleep duration associates with impaired self‐control, yet very few studies have assessed the efficacy of a sleep intervention for improving this behavioral domain. Our project measured the impact of a sleep intervention on self‐control in school‐aged children. Methods: Sixty‐six children (8‐11 y, 68.2% female) with complete data, who self‐reported sleeping <9.5 h/day were randomized to either a control or sleep intervention condition (i.e., 4‐session behavioral intervention to enhance sleep by 1‐1.5 h/night). Sleep duration was assessed using a sleep diary, daily call‐ins and wrist actigraphy for one week at baseline and one week at 8 weeks post‐intervention. Self‐control was assessed using the Self‐Control Rating Scale (SCRS) completed by each child's parent at baseline and 8‐weeks post‐intervention. Higher scores on the SCRS indicate greater impulsivity and less self‐control. Partial correlations and mixed‐model ANOVAs were used for statistical analyses, with age as a covariate. Results: Baseline sleep duration ranged from 6.7‐9.8 h/night. At baseline, children with shorter sleep durations were perceived as having lower self‐control by their parents (r=‐0.29, p=0.019). Children randomized to control and sleep intervention conditions did not differ in terms of age, gender, race, baseline sleep duration or baseline SCRS score (p's>0.20). Significant condition∗time interaction effects were found for sleep duration (F(1, 63)=25.54, p<0.001) and SCRS score (F(1, 63)=4.13, p=0.046). From baseline to 8‐weeks post‐intervention, children randomized to the sleep intervention exhibited a significant increase in sleep duration (35.9 ± 28.3 minutes nightly, p<0.001) and were perceived as having greater self‐control by their parents (‐11.0 ± 24.8 SCRS score, p=0.016); children randomized to the control condition exhibited no change in sleep duration (‐8.6 ± 41.1 minutes, p=0.24) or in SCRS score (‐0.49 ± 17.3, p=0.88). Conclusion: A brief sleep intervention was feasible and effective for increasing sleep duration and improving self‐control in school‐aged children. These results add to the growing evidence for the importance of sleep for health in children.