Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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Description
Prior research has established associations between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) scores and risk for obesity in middle childhood, but it is less clear whether other objectively- and subjectively-measured sleep indicators may be associated with BMI scores, weight status (e.g., obesity), and other estimates of weight and body fat such as waist circumference (WC) and percent body fat. Empirical studies have also demonstrated independent associations between broad self-regulation and sleep indicators and BMI scores, but no study to date has tested these factors in a model together and the extent to which associations between normative sleep problems, weight indicators, and effortful control (EC) may be explained by shared genetic or environmental influences. Data from a large longitudinal study of twins was used to test phenotypic associations between sleep problems at eight years and weight indicators at nine years, including whether EC at eight years moderates these associations. Additionally, multiple quantitative behavior genetic models were used to estimate unique and shared genetic and environmental covariances among normative sleep problems, weight indicators, and EC at eight years of age and whether additive genetic influence on weight in middle childhood differs by child weight status group. Phenotypic findings showed that greater sleep duration at eight years predicted greater decreases BMI at nine years of age for children with low levels of EC at eight years. Greater sleep midpoint variability at eight years predicted greater increases in percent body fat from eight to nine years of age for children with low EC at eight years. Behavior genetic findings showed greater environmental influences on parent-reported sleep duration and quality, as well as objective sleep midpoint variability. Similarly, associations between parent-reported sleep duration and sleep midpoint variability and other sleep indicators and EC were primarily accounted for by shared environmental factors. In contrast, there was high additive genetic influence on objective sleep quantity and quality, all weight indicators, and EC. Many of the associations between sleep indicators, sleep and weight indicators, and among weight indicators were entirely accounted for by shared additive genetic factors, suggesting that common, underlying sets of genes explain these relations.
ContributorsBreitenstein, Reagan Styles (Author) / Doane, Leah D. (Thesis advisor) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Perez La Mar, Marisol (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The objective of the current study was to examine sleep and academic functioning during middle childhood. More specifically, the twin design was used to determine the heritability of academic competence and sleep. Phenotypic analyses using multi-level mixed model regressions were performed to predict academic functioning from sleep. Lastly, socioeconomic status was tested as a moderator in the associations between sleep and academic functioning. Participants included twins (N = 191 families; Mage = 8.47 years) recruited from Arizona birth records at 12 months of age. Sleep duration, latency, onset, efficiency, variability, and sleep problems were assessed using actigraph watches and the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Academic functioning was assessed using subtests of the Woodcock Johnson Cognitive Test of Achievement-IV (picture vocabulary, passage comprehension, and applied problems) and the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire. As determined by twin intraclass correlations, the heritability of academic competence ranged from 51-76%. Sleep heritability ranged from 14-80%. In addition, phenotypic analyses only showed a significant association between sleep latency and WJ picture vocabulary scores. More specifically, sleep latency was negatively associated with the picture vocabulary subtest. Additional models were run to examine if any interactive effects were present between early SES and the various sleep parameters. Several significant associations were observed with applied problems scores and parent-reported academic competence. Specifically, for children of low SES, a significant positive association was observed for sleep duration and WJ applied problems scores, as well as for sleep efficiency and WJ applied problems scores. No significant associations were observed for sleep efficiency and HBQ scores with children of any SES. Also, no significant relationships were observed with children of high SES for any of the academic measures.
ContributorsVakulskas, Emily (Author) / Doane, Leah (Thesis director) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Breitenstein, Reagan (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Chronic pain is common during childhood and has negative immediate and long-term implications for physical and mental health. Prior research points to physical activity and sleep as protective health-promoting behaviors predicting lower chronic pain intensity and disability during adulthood. No study has yet examined the interaction of physical activity and sleep parameters in prediction of chronic pain in a community sample of children. Guided by the biopsychosocial model of pediatric chronic pain, this study explored objectively assessed physical activity and sleep patterns at age 8 as predictors of childhood chronic pain at age 9 in a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 896 twins participating in the longitudinal Arizona Twin Project. It was hypothesized that parameters of physical activity levels and sleep health would independently predict chronic pain one year later, and that sleep parameters would moderate the association between physical activity and chronic pain. Monthly chronic pain was common, with 57.1% of participants reporting at least one pain location. Headaches, stomachaches, and backaches were the most frequent chronic pain presentations. Participants exceeded physical activity guidelines but did not meet sleep recommendations for their age group. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that physical activity and sleep parameters at age 8 did not predict chronic pain one year later, and that sleep parameters did not moderate the associations between physical activity and chronic pain. The present study provides evidence that the associations between objectively assessed physical activity and sleep and chronic pain are not yet evident during middle childhood in this community sample compared to patient samples who have existing pain, suggesting that these health behaviors may play distinct roles in pain development versus pain management. They also point to the need to pinpoint the time frame during which these health behaviors become relevant and potentially interact to predict chronic pain development and maintenance. Longitudinal research tracking these health behaviors and pain using both subjective and objective methods as children transition into and through adolescence can help to identify optimal developmental stages at which to target prevention and intervention efforts to promote long term health.
ContributorsBartsch, Eva Marie (Author) / Davis, Mary C (Thesis advisor) / Doane, Leah D (Committee member) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Adverse neighborhood environments have been found to negatively influence children’s sleep and physical activity outcomes (Pabayo et al., 2014; Aguilar-Farias et al., 2020). Previous literature suggests that positive parenting and familism values may play protective roles in high-risk neighborhood contexts (Romero et al., 2020). This study utilized a strengths-based approach to examine relations between neighborhood opportunities and sleep and physical activity in children, and whether positive parenting and familism values buffered these associations. This study utilized a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 710 twin children (Mage=8.44 years, SD=.69; 51.4% female; 58.5% non-Hispanic White, 23.7% Hispanic). Children wore actigraphy watches for 7 nights (M=6.79, SD=.71) to capture sleep (duration, efficiency, midpoint, midpoint variability) and physical activity (MVPA and sedentary behaviors) parameters. Objective neighborhood opportunity was evaluated using the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 (COI; Noelke et al., 2020). Positive parenting behaviors were observed and coded in the context of a parent-child interaction task. Primary caregivers reported on their children’s sleep problems and their familism values. Results revealed that higher COI predicted earlier sleep midpoint and less midpoint variability. Interactions between COI and positive parenting were nonsignificant. Though marginal, associations between the COI and midpoint variability were most negatively related in children whose primary caregiver reported high familism values. Future research should look at children’s engagement in family activities to better understand whether children who reside in low opportunity neighborhoods and experience high familism values have to face additional competing family demands, leading to greater individual variation in sleep timing.
ContributorsGutierrez, Valeria (Author) / Doane, Leah (Thesis director) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Cruz, Rick (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2022-12
Description
This dissertation combines three first-author manuscripts that focused broadly on the study of adolescent sleep within a family context (Sasser et al., 2021; Sasser & Oshri, 2023; Sasser et al., 2023). First, Chapter 1 introduces the theoretical background and empirical research that grounded the research questions and hypotheses explored across the studies. The first study (Chapter 2) examined the influence of family connection on actigraphy-measured sleep among Latinx late adolescents and explored family dynamics and cultural values as potential moderators. The second study (Chapter 3) investigated daily and average concordance between parent and youth actigraphy-measured sleep and how this varied as a function of family context (e.g., parenting, family functioning). The third study (Chapter 4) examined concordance in actigraphy sleep among parent-youth and sibling dyads and explored how relations differed across zygosity type and sleeping arrangements. The dissertation concludes with an immersive discussion (Chapter 5) that summarizes the key differences, similarities, and takeaways across studies and highlights future directions and implications for developmental science, public policy, and clinical interventions. Collectively, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of youth and adolescent sleep within a family context by identifying proximal (e.g., daily interactions with parents/siblings) and broader family-level factors (e.g., dynamics, culture) that may help promote more healthful sleep among both adolescents and their family members.
ContributorsSasser, Jeri (Author) / Doane, Leah D (Thesis advisor) / Su, Jinni (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin J (Committee member) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The interconnection between family contexts and sleeping patterns play a crucial role in childhood development, with disturbances in either being indicative of future health outcomes in adulthood. It is unclear whether sibling relationships and sleep would have a similar effect as there are not many studies that have examined these links by using subjective sleep and sibling relationship assessments. Given this gap in the literature, the present studied aimed to 1) examine potential bidirectional relations between sibling relationships (warmth, conflict) and sleep variables (duration, efficiency, and sleep midpoint variability) across ages 8 and 10, and 2) test whether a novel sibling interaction task with measures of sharing and competition conducted at age 8 predicts sleep variables both cross sectionally and two years later at age 10. Data are from the Arizona Twin Project which includes a racially and socioeconomically diverse representation of children in Arizona. Twins wore an actigraph watch at both age 8 and age 10 to capture sleep duration and efficiency. Primary caregivers also reported sibling relationships via a questionnaire during both waves. Twins completed a marble pulling task to measure negotiation and cooperation behaviors at age 8 only. We tested cross-lagged prospective associations between sleep and sibling contexts. My study identified a longitudinal, positive association with sibling warmth at age 8 and sleep duration at age 10 and another concurrent, positive association with sibling conflict at age 8 and sleep midpoint variability at age 8. A negative association was identified between sibling warmth and sleep efficiency at age 10. Stability over time was also identified in both sleep variables and sibling relationships. Future studies can further investigate the different ways siblings may influence sleep behaviors, or vice versa, by taking into consideration the quality of the relationship, age, gender, and overall family dynamics. Due to the complexity of sibling relationships, the relations between sleep and siblings may vary among different individuals and families. These additional factors may need to be considered when evaluating the effects of sibling relationships and sleep on child development and well-being.
ContributorsRuiz, Ashley (Author) / Doane, Leah (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2023-12