Behavioral Sleep-Related Problems in Clinically Anxious Children: A Parent-Report Diary Study.

Anxiety disorders and behavioral sleep-related problems (SRPs) frequently co-occur during childhood. However, few studies have used the recommended method of a sleep-diary. The present study examined parental perceptions of behavioral SRPs in anxious compared to non-anxious children using a sleep-diary. Parents of 22 clinically anxious children and 29 healthy controls (aged 6-13 years) completed a 7-day sleep-diary of their child's behavioral SRPs. Compared to non-anxious peers, anxious children were rated by parents as more often (a) having a negative mood before bed, (b) delaying bed, (c) requiring parental assistance during the night, especially on weeknights, (d) having difficulty waking on their own the next morning, (e) falling back to sleep after morning waking, and (f) waking in a negative mood. There were no significant group differences in sleep onset latency or sleep duration, and behavioral SRPs of anxious children did not negatively affect their functioning or that of their parents the next day based on parent report. Parents of anxious children are more likely to perceive their children as engaging in behavioral SRPs compared to parents of non-anxious children.

A laboratory model of impulsivity and alcohol use in late adolescence.

Impulsivity is a core characteristic of externalizing problems and a robust predictor of alcohol use in adolescence. There is little evidence on the causal mechanisms through which impulsivity influences drinking or how they are affected by key social factors (peer influence). This study reports the development of the first comprehensive laboratory model of adolescent impulsivity and alcohol use. One-hundred and twenty adolescents (50% female) of legal drinking age (M = 19.47 years, SD = 1.12) in Australia (18+ years) were subjected to 1 of 3 experimental manipulations to increase impulsive behavior (reward cue exposure, negative mood induction, ego depletion). Changes in disinhibition (stop-signal task) and reward-seeking (BAS-Fun Seeking) were measured before completing a laboratory drinking task alone or with a heavy-drinking confederate. Reward cue exposure increased alcohol consumption, with the effect mediated by increased reward-seeking. Negative mood induction increased disinhibition, but not drinking. The presence of a heavy-drinking peer directly increased alcohol consumption in an additive fashion. Findings provide causal evidence that extends survey-based research by highlighting the role of reward-related impulsivity in adolescent alcohol use. The new laboratory model can provide novel insights into the psychological processes underlying adolescent impulsivity and impulsivity-related drinking.