Longitudinal associations between preschool executive control and adolescent sleep: exploring the possible moderating role of negative affectivity

While many adolescents receive insufficient sleep, the role of specific cognitive abilities as modifiable predictors of adolescent sleep remain equivocal. Executive control (EC) comprises cognitive processes important for self-regulation, but few studies have investigated associations between early EC performance and later sleep. This study examines longitudinal associations between preschool EC and adolescent sleep outcomes (average and intraindividual sleep duration, bedtime, waketime), with preschool negative affectivity (NA) as a possible moderator. Youth completed an EC task battery during preschool (age 5.25 years) and wore an actigraphy monitor to record sleep during adolescence (ages 14 to 18). Caregivers reported on child NA. Multilevel structural equation modeling with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedure was used to examine EC, NA, and sleep associations. Preschool EC, represented by a latent factor, was significantly associated with adolescent average sleep duration, with better preschool EC significantly related to greater average sleep duration in adolescence. Preschool EC was also significantly associated with adolescent intraindividual variability in bedtimes, with better preschool EC related to more consistent night-to-night bedtimes. No significant interaction between preschool EC and NA was found. Given the ramifications of poor adolescent sleep across domains, findings suggest targeting early EC may support healthy sleep behaviors.