Trauma exposure and associated sleep problems in Black adolescent and young adult students attending an alternative high school.

OBJECTIVE: Given the dearth of literature examining the link between trauma exposure and sleep among youth and young adults of color, the current study examined the association between individual types of trauma exposure, accumulation within subtypes of trauma exposure, and overall cumulative trauma exposure with sleep problems in a sample of Black students attending an alternative high school. METHOD: Participants were recruited from an alternative high school in a large, southeastern city in the United States, of which all students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The sample included 101 students (53% female) ages 16-24 (M = 17.86 years, SD = 1.36) who identified as Black. RESULTS: Participants reported a high rate of trauma exposure (M = 6.03 unique traumatic experiences, SD = 2.63). Linear regression models showed that exposure to more overall cumulative trauma and to interpersonal loss was significantly associated with higher levels of insomnia symptoms. Threats to health were significantly related to daytime sleepiness. Other threats to safety were associated with restless legs syndrome symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescence and young adulthood are a time of complex sleep-related issues. Black youth and young adults have elevated risk of trauma exposure and sleep problems; therefore, targeted assessment and intervention are warranted. Clinicians and researchers addressing sleep in youth and young adults, and those working within alternative school settings, should also consider a trauma-informed lens to optimize outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Expression: a Latent Profile Analysis.

This study examined whether emotional reactivity was associated with violent juvenile offending in a sample of detained boys (N = 198). It was predicted that Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) would reveal a "low reactivity" group, characterized by symptoms of emotional numbing and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and a "high reactivity" group, characterized by symptoms of hyperarousal and emotional dysregulation. It was hypothesized that the low reactivity group would have higher rates of violent offending and proactive aggression than the high reactivity group. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that the presence of both emotional numbing and hyperarousal symptoms, but not hyperarousal symptoms alone, were associated with higher rates of violent offending, CU traits, and proactive aggression. Results indicate that the risk of serious aggressive behavior and violent offending may be highest among youth who are easily provoked to respond aggressively (i.e., hyperarousal symptoms) while simultaneously able to maintain emotional detachment (i.e., elevated emotional numbing symptoms and CU traits).

Associations of bullying, victimization, and daytime sleepiness with academic problems in adolescents attending an alternative high school.

Adolescents attending alternative high schools often present with high rates of academic and behavior problems. They are also at increased risk of poor health behaviors and engaging in physical violence compared with students in traditional high school settings. To address the needs of students in these educational settings, examining factors that influence academic problems in this population is essential. Research has established that both bullying/victimization and sleep problems increase adolescents' risk for academic problems. Little is known about how these 2 factors together may exacerbate risk for academic problems among students attending an alternative high school. The current study investigated the interaction between teacher-reported bullying, victimization and daytime sleepiness on academic concerns (attention and learning problems) among a sample of 172 students (56% female; age M = 18.07 years, SD = 1.42) attending an alternative high school in a large, Southeastern U.S. city. Findings from path models indicated that daytime sleepiness, bullying, and victimization were uniquely associated with attention and learning problems. Further, significant interactions indicated that the association between victimization/bullying and attention/learning problems weakened as levels of daytime sleepiness increased. Results suggest the importance of assessing and addressing multiple contextual risk factors in adolescents attending alternative high schools to provide comprehensive intervention for students in these settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The sleep environment and its association with externalizing behaviors in a sample of low-income adolescents.

This study examined the sleep environment and its association with externalizing problems in adolescents attending an alternative high school. Participants included 114 students (56% female, 91% Black, mean age = 18.03, standard deviation [SD] = 1.49) from an alternative high school in a southeastern city. Most participants reported sleeping in a bed (83%) and at their house (72%) for 7 nights in the past week. Participants reported an average of 2.34 (SD = 1.86) past-week ambient sleep disruptions. Sleeping fewer nights in their own home and experiencing higher levels of ambient sleep disruptions were associated with delinquency engagement. Fewer nights sleeping in a bed and higher levels of ambient sleep disruptions were associated with a significant arrest history. The sleep environment is important to consider when assessing sleep problems, particularly among low-income adolescents living in urban environments. This information may inform comprehensive interventions to address behavioral health concerns.