The Association between Sleep Deprivation, Aggression, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescents in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated whether there were associations between how much adolescents slept per night and how much aggressive and antisocial behavior they displayed and were exposed to. Two hundred thirty-eight adolescents (122 females, 116 males; mean age = 15.5 years, SD = 2.0) from Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria, participated in the study, which was conducted with a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. It was found that the total sleeping time of the adolescents correlated negatively with five scales measuring Adult Aggression, Sibling Aggression, Domestic Violence, Parental Negativity, and Antisocial Behavior. Thus, the less the adolescents slept, the more they were exposed to aggression, and they also themselves behaved more aggressively and antisocially. Participants living in overcrowded conditions slept less than others.