How parents affect child development

According to Professor Ryan Kelly, “Sleep has both this short-term effect and long-term effect on mental health. In our samples, we also consistently find teens don’t get enough sleep.” In a survey conducted by Professor Ryan Kelly and his fellow coworkers, parents also noted deteriorating mental health functioning in the teens who participated. Particularly reliable predictors of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and aggression include daytime sleepiness, shorter sleep length, more night awakenings, and more variability in sleep duration across multiple nights.

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Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant