Child emotional abuse and adult depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Black females: The moderating role of adolescent sleep duration.

Emotional abuse up to age 18 is associated with depressive symptoms in adulthood, yet few studies have examined these links in Black females. Despite research documenting the moderating role of sleep duration on early adversity and mental health, no studies have examined whether sleep duration during adolescence moderates the relations between emotional abuse up to age 18 and depressive symptoms in adulthood. We examined these relations in 690 Black females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health)-Public Use. Individuals reported the frequency of emotional abuse up to age 18, hours of sleep during adolescence, and depressive symptoms using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Only 55% of adolescents reported sleeping the recommended 8-10 hr per night. Frequent emotional abuse before age 18 years was associated with more adult depressive symptoms for those with shorter, but not longer, sleep duration. Greater attention should be placed on facilitating and promoting sleep health for Black females. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parent ethnic-racial socialization during childhood protects against increases in bedtime sleep problems in Black adolescents.

Racial disparities in sleep have been reported with Black adolescents showing the least amount of sleep relative to other youth. Yet, few within-group studies have examined factors that protect Black adolescents from sleep problems. To address this gap, we tested whether parent ethnic-racial socialization (i.e., instilling a sense of cultural and racial pride) at fourth grade moderated the associations between bedtime sleep problems at third and sixth grade. Using data from a sample of Black parents and children who participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 173), we found that for children with low, but not high, parent ethnic-racial socialization at fourth grade bedtime problems increased from third and sixth grade. We discuss these findings within the existing parent ethnic-racial socialization and sleep literatures and how they further our understanding of the protective effects of parent ethnic-racial socialization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).