Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sleep Duration in US Children

Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and suboptimal sleep both negatively associate with cardiovascular health. Although an association between ACEs and suboptimal sleep in youth has been reported, there has been no investigation for differential effects among ACE subdomains. Objective We examined associations between total and subdomain ACEs and sleep duration, and age as a moderator. Methods Using the 2020–2021 National Survey of Children's Health and the American Heart Association Life's Essential 8 scoring algorithm, we created 3 sleep subgroups: (1) optimal, (2) suboptimal (≥1 to <2 hours below or ≥1 hour above optimal), and (3) very suboptimal (≥2 hours below optimal). We assessed association between ACEs (total and subdomains) and sleep duration using multinomial logistic regression, controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, caregiver's education, household income, habitual bedtime, and physical activity. We tested the interactions between ACEs and child's age. Results In children aged 6 to 17 years (N = 58 964), mean sleep duration score was 77.2 (95% confidence interval, 76.6–77.9). The mean number of ACEs was 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.91). Adjusting for covariates, each additional ACE increased the likelihood of falling into the suboptimal subgroup by 8% and the very suboptimal subgroup by 26%. There was an association between each subdomain of ACE and suboptimal sleep duration, with no significant interaction with age. Conclusions Our findings show a dose-response relationship between ACEs and suboptimal sleep duration—a new cardiovascular health indicator in Life's Essential 8. Healthcare providers should screen for ACEs and suboptimal sleep in children to reduce future cardiovascular disease risk.