Abstract
Prior research demonstrates an association between parental divorce and separation and a range of negative child outcomes, including sleep difficulties. We used the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing longitudinal dataset to examine whether associations between parents ending a romantic relationship (i.e., parental relationship dissolution) and child sleep quality are moderated by maternal socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the association between a parental relationship dissolution and child sleep by race/ethnicity, findings suggest a significant moderating role of maternal education, such that the association between a parental relationship dissolution and child sleep was stronger for children in middle childhood whose mothers report higher versus lower levels of education. Such findings emphasize the need to support all families, including those with more resources, during the process of parental divorce and separation so that we can prevent the development of psychopathology among children who experience this very common adverse childhood experience.
Highlights
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Divorce and parental separation (parental relationship dissolutions) is a common adverse childhood experience.
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Parental relationship dissolutions are related to a number of psychological and behavioral problems for children.
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We found that the sleep of nine year old children from high SES homes was more negatively impacted by parental relationship dissolutions.
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Declines in sleep for nine year old children from high SES homes predicted more symptoms of behavioral problems.
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These results highlight the importance of the supporting sleep of children after they experience a parental relationship dissolution.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-1342962) to Brittany N. Rudd and National Institute of Health Training Fellowships (T32 # HD 07475, T32 MH109433). Funding for the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study was provided through grants R01HD36916, R01HD39135, and R01HD40421, as well as a consortium of private foundations (for the complete list, see http://www.fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/funders.asp). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health.
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The Indiana University Institutional Review Board deemed this project non-human subjects research as it involved the analysis of publically available, de-identified, dataset.
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Rudd, B.N., Reilly, M.E., Holtzworth-Munroe, A. et al. Interactive Effects of Parental Separation and Socioeconomic Status on Child Sleep Quality and Child Development. J Child Fam Stud 30, 2180–2190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01989-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01989-1