0255 Adolescent Sleep Patterns are Associated with the Selection of Positive and Negative Emotional Situations

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep problems are associated with the development of emotional disorders such as depression, yet the specific emotional processes impacted by sleep are still poorly understood. Situation selection is a relatively understudied category of emotion regulation strategies that involves approaching or avoiding particular situations (Gross, 1998), which minimizes opportunities for undesirable emotions or increases opportunities for positive ones. The present study examined the relationship between adolescent sleep and situation selection. Method(s): Participants included 54 healthy adolescents (ages 13-17; M = 15.19, SD = 1.23; 61% female) who completed one week of actigraphy and assessments of situation selection using: 1) trait questionnaires, 2) daily diaries, and 3) an experimental task where participants were given the option to watch emotional video clips of their choice. Result(s): A series of regression models (controlling for age, gender, and whether participation occurred during a school break) indicated that greater intraindividual variability (IIV) in bedtime (p = .025) and midsleep point (p = .028) were associated with less trait avoidance of negative situations. A longer sleep onset latency was associated with less avoidance of negative situations based on the daily reports (p = .009). Significant interactions with gender indicated that for boys, greater IIV in bedtime was associated with less selection of positive situations based on the trait (p = .029) and daily reports (p = .009). IIV in sleep duration (p = .03) and midsleep point (p = .01) were associated with selecting less positive stimuli in the lab-based task for boys only. All IIV findings remained even when controlling for average sleep values. Conclusion(s): Unhealthy sleep patterns are associated with less avoidance of negative emotional situations, and for boys less selection of positive emotional situations. Poor selection of emotional situations may be one reason why sleep disturbances are commonly associated with emotional problems. These findings add to a growing body of research on sleep and emotional experiences and provide further support for the deleterious effects of intraindividual sleep variability in youth.