The Association Between Family Conflict and Child Impulsivity: Child Sleep Problems as a Mechanism

Family conflict is linked to various negative outcomes in children, including impulsivity and sleep problems. We analyzed data from the 11,878 children ( M age = 9.91; 52.16% female) and their parents in a United States, multi‐site national sample (63% White, 16% Black, 12% Multiracial) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study to explore the relationship between family conflict, sleep problems, and impulsivity. The results showed that higher levels of family conflict at Year 1 predicted more sleep problems at Year 2, which in turn predicted higher levels of lack of perseverance, lack of planning, negative urgency, and positive urgency, but not sensation seeking at Year 3. Sleep problems were also found to be a mediator of each of these paths. These findings highlight the importance of good quality sleep in understanding the impact of family environments on children's development of multidimensional impulsivity.