Classroom Quality Moderates the Association Between Sleep Problems and Self-Regulation in the Preschool Classroom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14983279 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Caroline P Hoyniak (0000-0003-4151-0376, Washington University School of Medicine, corresponding author), Kathleen M Rudasill (0000-0002-9415-8575, Virginia Commonwealth University), Reagan S Breitenstein (0000-0001-9998-166X, Appalachian State University), Martinique Sealy (0000-0003-1290-0455, American University), Maureen E McQuillan (0000-0002-0109-8500, Indiana University School of Medicine), Angela D Staples (0000-0002-7678-5794, Eastern Michigan University), John Bates (0000-0002-8742-2614, Indiana University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Early Education and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1040-9289 • E-ISSN: 1556-6935 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10409289.2025.2506184 |
| PMID | 40963521 |
| OpenAlex | W4410506371 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 95 |
Research Findings: Although sleep has been consistently linked with self-regulation during early childhood, few studies have examined possible risk or resilience factors that moderate this association. Classroom quality could be such a factor. The current study examined whether preschool classroom quality moderated the association between sleep in early childhood and child self-regulation in the preschool classroom. Participants included 119 children (59 female; 89% White) assessed across toddlerhood (30, 36, and 42 months) and preschool (54 months). Habitual sleep disturbances were assessed using actigraphy and parent reports. Preschool classroom quality and child self-regulatory abilities in the classroom were assessed by trained observers. Findings indicated that higher quality classroom interactions were protective for the self-regulation of children with sleep problems, i.e., those with shorter sleep durations and more parent-reported disturbances, but not for children with more variable sleep schedules. Conversely, lower than average quality classrooms exacerbated the effects of sleep problems on children's self-regulation. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest that poor classroom quality may exacerbate negative associations between sleep disturbances and child self-regulation in the classroom. Preschool classroom environments that are supportive, well-structured, and positive may counteract the difficulties that arise when children experience sleep disturbances
Cognition · Developmental psychology · Preschool education · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Self-control · Sleep quality · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Psychology · Sleep and related disorders
Interactions
Activity-Based Sleep-Wake Identification
Performance
Relating Effortful Control, Executive Function, and False Belief Understanding to Emerging Math and Literacy Ability in Kindergarten
Teacher-Child Relationships and Children's Success in the First Years of School
Can Instructional and Emotional Support in the First-Grade Classroom Make a Difference for Children at Risk of School Failure?
Children's Engagement Within the Preschool Classroom and Their Development of Self-Regulation
Measures of Classroom Quality in Prekindergarten and Children’s Development of Academic, Language, and Social Skills
The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)
Early gender differences in self-regulation and academic achievement.
Teacher–Child Interactions in the Classroom
A Rationale and Test for the Number of Factors in Factor Analysis
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
The Bioecological Model of Human Development
The importance of self‐regulation
Pathways to Low-Income Children’s Self-Regulation
Longitudinal links between maternal factors and infant cognition
Promoting Higher Quality Teacher–Child Relationships
Features of Pre-Kindergarten Programs, Classrooms, and Teachers
Executive function in preschoolers
Thresholds in the association between quality of teacher–child interactions and preschool children’s school readiness skills
Associations between preschool sleep problems and observed dimensions of elementary classroom engagement
A multilevel model of child- and classroom-level psychosocial factors that support language and literacy resilience of children in Head Start
First do no harm
Relating preschool class size to classroom quality and student achievement
Getting a good start in school
Threshold analysis of association between child care quality and child outcomes for low-income children in pre-kindergarten programs
Parenting and toddler self‐regulation in low‐income families
Beyond Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status
The contribution of children’s self-regulation and classroom quality to children’s adaptive behaviors in the kindergarten classroom
School readiness
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |