The current study aimed to evaluate multiple longitudinal determinants of externalizing behavior problems in twins/triplets aged 7 to 12 years. Specifically, a prospective longitudinal design was utilized to assess relationships between age 5 sleep problems, age 5 temperament traits, and later externalizing problems. Additionally, heritability of sleep problems was assessed by utilizing the twin method, and genetic contributions of two specific genes – DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR – were evaluated. A total of 93 twins/triplets (40 boys and 53 girls) and their parents participated in the current study, and data were collected through self-report, parent-report, and molecular and behavioral genetic methods. Results suggest that sleep disturbances are significantly heritable, and that neither early sleep problems, temperament traits, nor specific genes significantly predicted follow-up externalizing problems. Post-hoc analyses assessing gene X environment interactions showed that externalizing problems were significantly predicted by the interaction between stressful life events and DRD4 risk, which is consistent with differential susceptibility models. This study has implications for future research as well as clinical practice, including for early screening, prevention, and intervention efforts aimed at decreasing childhood externalizing and sleep problems.

Crucial research about suicidal thoughts and behaviors is often done in a cross-sectional manner that only considers limited risk factors. This research is limited in scope and rarely produces meaningful results to inform treatment. This study uses a longitudinal design to follow 93 participants over approximately 6 months. Participants are individuals with autism and social anxiety who were part of high-risk groups for suicidality, sleep problems, and social isolation. Participants recorded their sleep patterns and suicidal thoughts daily via the phone app MetricWire and continuously wore a GENEActiv actigraphy device to tract their objective sleep patterns. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS): Baseline/Screening Version, C- SSRS: Since Last Visit Version; The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI); The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); and The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Level 2 Sleep Disturbance Adult Form were used to characterize the sample population. Data were analyzed using a longitudinal multilevel regression design. Findings indicate that perceived sleep quality was negatively correlated to suicide ideation over time. Self- reported sleep duration, gender, and Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) score were not significant predictors of suicidal ideation over time. Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report (LSAS) score was positively correlated to suicide ideation. Clinical implications of these findings suggest a renewed effort must be made to assess for suicidality in persons reporting social anxiety and that effective intervention to improve sleep quality could reduce suicidal ideation.

Abstract available through American Journal of Epidemiology.

Abstract available through Circulation.

<p>Sleep problems are one of the most common health complaints in the population. Furthermore, people often judge good sleep as crucial for everyday well-being and it has been shown that lack of sleep has negative health effects. However, sleep has not been a subject of much sociological study.</p><p>In this study sleep problems are analysed in different ways. First, a cross-sectional analysis is done in order to find out whether sleep problems in the population have increased from 1968 to 2000. Secondly, a longitudinal analysis is done to see how sleep problems pattern from middle-age to old-age. Last, it is analysed whether there are any differences in the sleep patterns from middle-age to old-age for manual workers and non-manuals.</p><p>This study shows that there has been an increase in sleep problems from 1968 to 2000 in the population. However the increase has only affected younger age groups (between the age 19-55), the elderly population is unaffected. The increase is found among both men and women. Longitudinal analyses of a cohort (born 1915-1925) followed from middle-age to old-age (for 34 years) showed that one out of four experienced an onset of sleep problems during the study. This is in line with earlier research stating that insomnia to a large part is age-related. Furthermore, it was found that manual workers had a larger increase of sleep problems across the 34 years than non-manuals, perhaps suggesting an accumulation effect.</p><p>All analyses were separated for gender and women constantly reported more sleep problems than men. This is not surprising since this relation have been found across almost all cultures and times. Nevertheless, in this study no increase of the gender gap was found with advancing age, a relation found in most other studies. However more research is needed to understand the reason behind the gendered nature of sleep problems.</p>

Sleep problems are one of the most common health complaints in the population. Furthermore, people often judge good sleep as crucial for everyday well-being and it has been shown that lack of sleep has negative health effects. However, sleep has not been a subject of much sociological study. In this study sleep problems are analysed in different ways. First, a cross-sectional analysis is done in order to find out whether sleep problems in the population have increased from 1968 to 2000. Secondly, a longitudinal analysis is done to see how sleep problems pattern from middle-age to old-age. Last, it is analysed whether there are any differences in the sleep patterns from middle-age to old-age for manual workers and non-manuals. This study shows that there has been an increase in sleep problems from 1968 to 2000 in the population. However the increase has only affected younger age groups (between the age 19-55), the elderly population is unaffected. The increase is found among both men and women. Longitudinal analyses of a cohort (born 1915-1925) followed from middle-age to old-age (for 34 years) showed that one out of four experienced an onset of sleep problems during the study. This is in line with earlier research stating that insomnia to a large part is age-related. Furthermore, it was found that manual workers had a larger increase of sleep problems across the 34 years than non-manuals, perhaps suggesting an accumulation effect. All analyses were separated for gender and women constantly reported more sleep problems than men. This is not surprising since this relation have been found across almost all cultures and times. Nevertheless, in this study no increase of the gender gap was found with advancing age, a relation found in most other studies. However more research is needed to understand the reason behind the gendered nature of sleep problems.

There is minimal research into behavioural interventions for typically developing preschoolers (2-5 years of age) with sleep problems. Often these children are not considered as a distinct developmental group and are incorporated into sleep intervention studies for infants or school-aged children. Yet preschoolers do differ in their language, social and cognitive abilities. The present study examines an intervention tailored to the developmental abilities of four preschool children with sleep problems. It utilised positive reinforcement in order to create a less restrictive intervention than those based on extinction alone. This was combined with a range of other behavioural strategies such as parental presence, standard and graduated extinction to reduce a variety of sleep problems. Problems targeted included bedtime refusal, co-sleeping, night waking and a possible diagnosis of sleep terrors. Behavioural interventions effectively reduced sleep problems in all four participants. Parental report demonstrated acceptance of strategies implemented and satisfaction in intervention outcomes.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.