Adolescent Sleep Quality: An Exploratory Study of Sleep Complaints and Impacts for Boarding Students from Regional and Remote Communities in Years 7 to 12

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates aspects of sleep quality and some of the potential impacts of sleep complaints for 168 male boarding students from regional and remote communities in Years 7 to 12. An online self-report questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between sleep quality and participants' sense of academic self-perception, motivation and regulation, resilience, as well as indicators of non-specific psychological distress, life satisfaction, behavioural and emotional wellbeing. Results found general parity between participants' overall scores for sleep quality and norms on the sleep/wake problems scale. However, it emerged that over the previous seven days only a small proportion of participants were satisfied with their sleep every night, with the majority reporting feeling tired or sleepy during the day. This and other findings are discussed in relation to current national sleep recommendations for adolescents, as well as with consideration to the promotion of healthy adolescent development and optimal academic performance, behavioural and cognitive functioning, and emotional regulation. Implications for boarding school routines are discussed with an emphasis on time allocated to sleep, and actual time spent asleep, by adolescent boarders. Strengths and limitations of this study are presented.