Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Peer Victimization and Adolescent Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Sleep

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study examined multiple indices of sleep as moderators of the association between peer victimization and adjustment among typically developing adolescents. Participants included 252 adolescents (M = 15.79 years; 66 % European American, 34 % African American) and their parents. A multi-method, multi-informant design was employed to address the research questions. Sleep was assessed objectively with actigraphy (sleep minutes and sleep efficiency) and subjectively with self-reports. Adolescents reported on peer victimization and internalizing symptoms. Externalizing behaviors were examined with mother and father reports. Subjective sleep/wake problems moderated the associations between peer victimization and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A stronger relation emerged between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms among adolescents who reported higher versus lower levels of sleep/wake problems. Adolescents with elevated sleep/wake problems had higher levels of externalizing symptoms across the range of peer victimization. However, for those with fewer sleep/wake problems, a positive relation between peer victimization and externalizing symptoms was observed. Actigraphy-based sleep minutes and sleep efficiency also moderated the relations between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms. Although peer victimization was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms for all youth, those who reported the lowest levels of such symptoms had longer and more efficient sleep in conjunction with low levels of peer victimization. Findings are novel and highlight the importance of considering both bioregulatory processes and peer relations in the prediction of adolescents’ adjustment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acebo, C., & Carskadon, M. A. (2001). Scoring actigraph data using ACTION-W 2. Providence: Bradley Sleep Center, Brown University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acebo, C., Sadeh, A., Seifer, R., Tzischinsky, O., Wolfson, A., Hafer, A., & Carskadon, M. A. (1999). Estimating sleep patterns with actigraphy monitoring in children and adolescents: how many nights are necessary for reliable measures? Sleep, 22, 95–103.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Acock, A. C. (2005). Working with missing values. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1012–1028. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00191.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, L. W., Jacobs, J., Schramm, S., & Splittgerber, F. (2000). School transitions: beginning of the end or a new beginning? International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 325–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, J. (2012). Amos 21 user’s guide. Amos Development Corporation.

  • Astill, R. G., Van der Heijden, K. B., Van Ijzendoorn, M. H., & Van Someren, E. J. (2012). Sleep, cognition, and behavioral problems in school-age children: a century of research meta-analyzed. Psychological Bulletin, 138, 1109–1138. doi:10.1037/a0028204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, K. T., Desai, A., Field, J., Miller, L. E., Rausch, J., & Beebe, D. W. (2014). Sleep restriction worsens mood and emotion regulation in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 180–190.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beebe, D. W. (2011). Cognitive, behavioral, and functional consequences of inadequate sleep in children and adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 58, 649–665. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2011.03.002.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernier, A., Bélanger, M.-È., Tarabulsy, G. M., Simard, V., & Carrier, J. (2014). My mother is sensitive, but I am too tired to know: infant sleep as a moderator of prospective relations between maternal sensitivity and infant outcomes. Infant Behavior & Development, 37, 682–694. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.08.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bordeleau, S., Bernier, A., & Carrier, J. (2012). Maternal sensitivity and children’s behavior problems: examining the moderating role of infant sleep duration. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 41, 471–481.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brand, S., & Kirov, R. (2011). Sleep and its importance in adolescence and in common adolescent somatic and psychiatric conditions. International Journal of General Medicine, 4, 425–442.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J. (1996). Psychometric review of the trauma symptom checklist-40. In Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 373–376).

  • Brown, B. B., & Braun, M. T. (2013). Peer relations. In C. Proctor & A. Linley (Eds.), Research, applications, and interventions for children and adolescents (pp. 149–164). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile calculator for child and teen. Retrieved from http://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx.

  • Crick, N. R., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1996). Children's treatment by peers: Victims of relational and overt aggression. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 367–380.

  • Crowley, S. J., Tarokh, L., & Carskadon, M. A. (2014). Sleep during adolescence. In S. H. Sheldon, R. Ferber, M. H. Kryger, & D. Gozal (Eds.), Principles and practice of pediatric sleep medicine (pp. 45–52). Atlanta: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cullerton-Sen, C., & Crick, N. R. (2005). Understanding the effects of physical and relational victimization: the utility of multiple perspectives in predicting social-emotional adjustment. School Psychology Review, 34, 147–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, R. E. (1996). The impact of inadequate sleep on children’s daytime cognitive function. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, 3, 44–50. doi:10.1016/S1071-9091(96)80028-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dearing, E., & Hamilton, L. C. (2006). V. Contemporary advances and classic advice for analyzing mediating and moderating variables. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 71, 88–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Sheikh, M., & Kelly, R. J. (2011). Sleep in children: Links with marital conflict and child development. In M. El-Sheikh (Ed.), Sleep and development: Familial and socio-cultural considerations (pp. 3–28). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • El-Sheikh, M., Buckhalt, J. A., Keller, P. S., & Granger, D. A. (2008). Children’s objective and subjective sleep disruptions: links with afternoon cortisol levels. Health Psychology, 27, 26–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El-Sheikh, M., Kouros, C. D., Erath, S. A., Cummings, E. M., Keller, P., & Staton, L. (2009). Marital conflict and children’s externalizing behavior: interactions between parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 74, vii–79.

  • El-Sheikh, M., Erath, S. A., & Bagley, E. J. (2013). Parasympathetic nervous system activity and children’s sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, 22, 282–288.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El-Sheikh, M., Tu, K. M., Erath, S. A., & Buckhalt, J. A. (2014). Family stress and adolescents’ cognitive functioning: sleep as a protective factor. Journal of Family Psychology. doi:10.1037/fam0000031.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • E-Sheikh, M., Hinnant, J. B., Kelly, R. J., & Erath, S. (2010). Maternal psychological control and child internalizing symptoms: vulnerability and protective factors across bioregulatory and ecological domains. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51, 188–198. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02140.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, G. W. (2003). A multimethodological analysis of cumulative risk and allostatic load among rural children. Developmental Psychology, 39, 924–933.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gregson, K. D., Tu, K. M., & Erath, S. A. (2014). Sweating under pressure: skin conductance level reactivity moderates the association between peer victimization and externalizing behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 22–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber, R., Cassoff, J., Frenette, S., Wiebe, S., & Carrier, J. (2012). Impact of sleep extension and restriction on children’s emotional lability and impulsivity. Pediatrics, 130, e1155–e1161. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-0564.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawker, D. S. J., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: a meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • James, E. M., Reynolds, C. R., & Dunbar, J. (1994). Self-report instruments. In T. H. Ollendick, N. J. King, & W. Yule (Eds.), International handbook of phobic and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 317–329). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, K., & Harrison, Y. (2001). Frontal lobe function, sleep loss, and fragmented sleep. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 5, 463–475. doi:10.1053/smrv.2001.0203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Juvonen, J., Nishina, A., & Graham, S. (2001). Self-views versus peer perceptions of victim status among early adolescents. In J. Juvonen & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized (pp. 105–124). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, R. J., & El-Sheikh, M. (2014). Reciprocal relations between children’s sleep and their adjustment over time. Developmental Psychology, 50, 1137–1147.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, R. J., Marks, B. T., & El-Sheikh, M. (2014). Longitudinal relations between parent–child conflict and children’s adjustment: the role of children’s sleep. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42, 1175–1185.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Killgore, W. D., Kahn-Greene, E. T., Lipizzi, E. L., Newman, R. A., Kamimori, G. H., & Balkin, T. J. (2008). Sleep deprivation reduces perceived emotional intelligence and constructive thinking skills. Sleep Medicine, 9, 517–526.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2004). Peer victimization: the role of emotions in adaptive and maladaptive coping. Social Development, 13, 229–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Skinner, K. (2002). Children’s coping strategies: moderators of the effects of peer victimization? Developmental Psychology, 38, 267–278.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1985). The children’s depression inventory (CDI). Psychological Bulletin, 21, 995–998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lachar, D., & Gruber, C. P. (2001). Personality inventory for children. Depression, 18, 91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lemola, S., Schwarz, B., & Siffert, A. (2012). Interparental conflict and early adolescents’ aggression: is irregular sleep a vulnerability factor? Journal of Adolescence, 35, 97–105. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.06.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, T., Tu, K. M., El-Sheikh, M., & Vaughn, B. (2015). Preschool children’s negatie emotionality and peer status: The moderating role of sleep. Manuscript submitted for publication

  • Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: a critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71, 543–562.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meltzer, L. J., Montgomery-Downs, H. E., Insana, S. P., & Walsh, C. M. (2012). Use of actigraphy for assessment in pediatric sleep research. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 16, 463–475. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2011.10.002.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Overbeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simon-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nishina, A., & Juvonen, J. (2005). Daily reports of witnessing and experiencing peer harassment in middle school. Child Development, 76, 435–450.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., Curran, P. J., & Bauer, D. J. (2006). Computational tools for probing interactions in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling, and latent curve analysis. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 31, 437–448. doi:10.3102/10769986031004437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., & Telch, M. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 244–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., Boelen, P. A., van der Schoot, M., & Telch, M. J. (2011). Prospective linkages between peer victimization and externalizing problems in children: a meta-analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 215–222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1978). What I think and feel: a revised measure of children’s manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 6, 271–280.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1997). What I think and feel: a revised measure of children's manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 15–20.

  • Rudolph, K. D., Troop-Gordon, W., & Granger, D. A. (2010). Peer victimization and aggression: moderation by individual differences in salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 843–856.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1993). Stress, coping, and development. In N. Garmezy & M. Rutter (Eds.), Stress, coping, and development in children (pp. 1–41). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A. (2011a). Sleep assessment methods. In M. El-Sheikh (Ed.), Sleep and development: Familial and socio-cultural considerations (pp. 355–372). New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195395754.003.0015.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A. (2011b). The role and validity of actigraphy in sleep medicine: an update. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 15, 259–267.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A. (2015). Sleep assessment methods. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 80, 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A., Sharkey, K. M., & Carskadon, M. A. (1994). Activity-based sleep-wake identification: an empirical test of methodological issues. Sleep, 17, 201–207.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A., Tikotzky, L., & Kahn, M. (2014). Sleep in infancy and childhood: Implications for emotional and behavioral difficulties in adolescence and beyond. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 27, 453–459.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sameroff, A. J. (1983). Developmental systems: Contexts and evolution. In P. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (pp. 237–294). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shochat, T., Cohen-Zion, M., & Tzischinsky, O. (2014). Functional consequences of inadequate sleep in adolescents: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18, 75–87.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., & Avenevoli, S. (2000). The role of context in the development of psychopathology: a conceptual framework and some speculative propositions. Child Development, 71, 66–74. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Storch, E. A., Crisp, H., Roberti, J. W., Bagner, D. M., & Masia-Warner, C. (2005). Psychometric evaluation of the social experience questionnaire in adolescents: descriptive data, reliability, and factorial validity. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 36, 167–176.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tu, K. M., Erath, S. A., & Flanagan, K. S. (2012). Can socially adept friends protect peer-victimized early adolescents against lower academic competence? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33, 24–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, M. P., & van Der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 731–748.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 368–375.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfson, A. R., & Carskadon, M. A. (1998). Sleep schedules and daytime functioning in adolescents. Child Development, 69, 875–887.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, R., & Leadbeater, B. (2010). Adults make a difference: the protective effects of parent and teacher emotional support on emotional and behavioral problems of peer‐victimized adolescents. Journal of Community Psychology, 38, 80–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Grant R01-HD046795 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded to Mona El-Sheikh. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We wish to thank the staff of our research laboratory, most notably Bridget Wingo, for data collection and preparation, and the school personnel, children, and parents who participated.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University, 203 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849-5214, USA

    Kelly M. Tu, Stephen A. Erath & Mona El-Sheikh

Authors
  1. Kelly M. Tu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen A. Erath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mona El-Sheikh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mona El-Sheikh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tu, K.M., Erath, S.A. & El-Sheikh, M. Peer Victimization and Adolescent Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Sleep. J Abnorm Child Psychol 43, 1447–1457 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0035-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0035-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation