Browsing by Author "Fonselius, Essi"

Aims of the study. It is well known that many adolescents do not get enough sleep. However, there is little research about the possible connection between adolescent sleep and family functioning. In addition, these studies vary greatly in, e.g., methodology and ages of the participants and only a few studies have used actigraphy. The aim of the present study is to examine the associations between family functioning and adolescent sleep, more specifically sleep duration, sleep quality and sleep timing. Methods. The present study was a part of SleepHelsinki!, a population-based research project based in the University of Helsinki. Sleep and family functioning of 308 adolescents (70.5% females), aged 15–18, were measured. Both subjective (PSQI) and objective (actigraphy) measures of sleep were used. Linear and logistic regressions were used to statistically analyze the associations between family functioning and sleep timing and subjective sleep quality. Results and conclusions. The association between family functioning and sleep duration was non-significant. When sex was adjusted for, the association between family functioning and sleep timing remained non- significant. However, the association between subjective sleep quality and general family functioning was statistically significant. Furthermore, problematic family functioning was related to a higher risk of poor sleep quality. Male sex was related to a higher risk of having a challenging circadian rhythm. Based on the results of the present study, family functioning is connected to subjective sleep quality and more problematic family functioning is a risk factor for lower quality sleep in adolescents.