A new study to be presented at SLEEP 2023 found that objectively measured short sleep duration partially moderates the association between impulsivity and mature-rated media usage in early adolescents.
Results show that higher impulsivity was predictive for more R-rated movie watching, and shorter sleep duration was predictive for more mature video gaming and R-rated movie watching one year later. Only 19% of participants slept more than eight hours on average.
Structural equation modeling found that sleep duration moderates the association between impulsivity and R-rated movie watching after controlling for bedtime screen use, parental monitoring, and demographic covariates.
“We found that impulsive adolescents with shorter sleep duration are more likely to be exposed to R-rated content,” says lead author Linhao Zhang, who is a doctoral student in the department of human development and family science at the University of Georgia in Athens, in a release.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep nine to 12 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Teens should sleep eight to 10 hours on a regular basis.
The three-year longitudinal study involved 2,757 early adolescents between the ages of 9 and 13 years; 50.7% were male. Their average age at the three-year follow-up was 12.9 years. Participants wore a Fitbit watch for at least seven days at the two-year follow-up to provide an objective estimate of sleep duration. They completed a questionnaire about impulsivity at the two-year follow-up, and questionnaires about R-rated movie watching and mature video gaming at both the two-year and three-year follow-up.
According to the authors, exposure to mature-rated media in youth is associated with decreased empathy and aggressive behaviors later in life. Shorter sleep duration is associated with decreased emotional regulation and attention span, making it a potential target to improve mental health, mood, and behavior in teens.
“Our results show that sleep duration may be a modifiable factor for prevention and intervention efforts, especially in adolescents at higher risk for excessive mature-rated media usage,” says Zhang in the release.
The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of Sleep and will be presented by Zhang during SLEEP 2023 on Tuesday, June 6, from 12 pm to 1:15 pm EDT, board 25.
Photo 271866235 / Adolescent Watching Movie © Pressmaster | Dreamstime.com
