Dr. Melanie Stearns Congratulations to Our Alumni Dr. Melanie Stearns on Receiving a Grant to Study The Transactional Relationship between Child Behavior and Sleep!

Focused Projects Grant for Junior Investigators for $39,969.00.

The title of the project is Transactional Relationship between Child Behavior and Sleep.

Here was my abstract: Of the 1-16% of children in the US diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), 50% have sleep difficulties which negatively impact psychosocial functioning. Children who experience negative parenting behaviors (e.g., verbal aggression) are more likely to have sleep problems, and defiant children are more likely to receive negative parenting behaviors. Although sleep problems have been associated with hyperarousal, the literature on arousal among children with ODD has been mixed (suggesting either hyperarousal or hypoarousal), indicating a need for clarification. This study seeks to characterize the transactional nature of daily fluctuations in child behavior and child sleep (Aim 1), while examining moderating variables (parenting behaviors, parent sleep, and child arousal/HRV) that may influence their relationships among children with ODD (Aim 2). No previous studies have examined these transactional daily relationships or how they may be associated with parental/contextual factors. Moreover, few studies have used a cold pressor technique to measure HRV in a population of school age children with ODD and this pilot will provide valuable feasibility information and novel insights on arousal in this population. Clarifying these associations and their moderators has the potential to better inform and design interventions regarding both child sleep and behavior problems.